DiNovember at StrongStart

Have you heard of Dinovember?
Refe and Susan Tuma spend November keeping their kids’ imaginations alive by convincing them that every night, their dinosaur toys come to life and get into all sorts of trouble.  They have been doing this for several years now and documenting it with photos.  They now have two books available called What the Dinosaurs did Last Night.  One is a story book and the other a photo book.

When asked why they set up their children’s dinosaurs every night for the month of November they replied, “Because in the age of iPads and Netflix, we don’t want our kids to lose their sense of wonder and imagination.”

I appreciate the whimsical and fun that this project can bring and wanted to do our own at StrongStart.  It works well with the interest the children have been showing about dinosaurs.
                
This morning when we arrived at school we discovered our dinosaurs trying on our
                                             funny glasses.
                      
               The children were surprised and thought they looked funny.
   
                The children were intrigued and decided to help them out.
             They began putting different glasses on each of the dinosaurs.
       
                                  I like this quote from the Tuma’s
            “Childhood is fleeting, so let’s make sure it’s fun while it lasts.”

Indoor StoryWalk

I wanted to share the idea of a StoryWalk with other classes in my school so set one up in our school hallway.
                
           
Little Boo was a good choice because it incorporates Halloween and the life cycle of a pumpkin.  The bottom picture shows the set up of the StoryWalk.  The streamers connected the pictures like a pumpkin vine and I had hoped to add leaves and flowers. But it didn’t stay like that.  The tape we have to use on the walls isn’t strong enough to hold the laminate pictures.  After the first day the pictures had fallen a few times and needed to be reposted with more tape.  Finally they stayed.

The StoryWalk was enjoyed by several classes and peaked the interest of others as they walked to and from gym and music.
   
Our big buddies read the story to us, enjoying the pictures and modeling how to follow the words. I was told that the kindergarteners and their big buddies read it too.
             
          I caught this grade 2/3 class taking turns reading each page.
                            
         Another time I heard our principal reading it to a student.
                He was able to read the word “Boo” each time.
          

Light Table

                      
This year I changed the location of our light table.  Above is what it looked like in the past.  Our room has high ceilings and big windows so it is quite bright, making the light table less effective.
          
At first I just moved it across the room, thinking away from the windows would be better but not so much.  Then I was given a refrigerator box and with help I turned the box inside out, cut a door in it and placed it around the table.
                      
       
                                      So much better.
                   
The bonus is that it’s more than just a light table, it’s a cozy hide away. 

Pumpkin Bowls

This week we are going to play with slime and goop, and instead of putting it into the sensory table I decided to use our pumpkins.

I set the table with four silver plates with a half of pumpkin on each.  The children could use their hands if they wanted but I provided spoons to help scrape everything out.
  
                               
    
By the end of the morning we were able to scrape them clean.  I took them home and soaked them in a vinegar and water mix in hopes that they will stay somewhat fresh all week.
                   
                          Stay tuned for our goop and slime fun.

A Corn Experiment

               
When we visited the Farm Market back in September I picked up this cob of decorative corn.  I wondered if it would sprout if it was left in some water.
                
                               Within three days it started.
     
The sprouts started underneath the cob, the part that was submersed in water,
                            grew around it and straight up.
              
Unfortunately the ends of cob started to mould so decided to plant it in the garden.

A parent suggested planting it in the greenhouse since it had already sprouted.
 
I wonder if it will continue to grow?  We will have to remember to water it.

Fall Drip Painting

                  


                           
              
       

Lessons Learned from our Grandfriends This Week

                  
                   Another great visit at the seniors home this week.
 
This week we met a new grandfriend, who is blind.  We learned what it means to see with our hands.  We learned that we need to talk about what we are doing.  We played a ‘what is it?’ game with Olive.  We handed her a toy and the children and I would give her clues while she touched it.  She was good at guessing.
                  

This week we learned to slow down with each other.
 
We learned that our grand friends need time to ask questions, and need time to ask the questions again.  They need time to process the information they heard from those questions.  This is the same for our children. They will ask question after question and when we try to rush them to understand their reaction is the opposite to what we want or expect.  I'll try slowing down and offering them the same respect that I give to our seniors.