Walk to the Bioscience Building

Mrs. Weller's small group took a walk to the Bioscience building. The children saw plants on the wall and fish in the fish tank. They discovered a building other than their classroom. The children went to the 4th floor of the Bioscience building.

"The walls look like stairs" - Asher

"I see water and plants" - Rohan

"We're high up" - Asher

"I can see the school" - Sarah A.

Teaching Strategies Gold: 

Objective 25: Demonstrates knowledge of the characteristics of living things

Objective 4: Demonstrates traveling skills

Jelonek, HDF 409

Exploring Senses

Today in the CDLL the children had the opportunity to explore apples that were bought from the Farmers Market last week. Children were able to sort the apples by colors, size, shape, and taste. Children were also exploring the feeling of silly putty made by one of the student teachers. The children wrapped the silly putty around their hands and maneuvered it into different shapes and sizes. The senses are one of the greatest things to explore as a child. They learn how to see, touch, taste, listen, and smell what they are exploring.

"These apples are the same color." - Alijah

"These apples are the same size." - Harper

"I have to use my whole body to cut this apple, this is really hard to do." - Harper

 "This apple is a different color on the inside, look!." - Ryan

"This is like zombie goo, it is super sticky."  - Jonathon

"Look how tall I'm making this. There is purple in this blue slime." - Alijah

Kaitlyn King 409

10/27/16

Teaching Strategies Gold #22 Compares and Measures

Exploring New Environments!

Today, the children and the staff at the CDLL had an opportunity to go on a walk through the Education and Health Services building (EHS). The children were able to explore different areas of the EHS building. Some of these areas include the first floor commons which includes documentations, pictures and college students enjoying their passing periods between classes. The children looked for different shapes, letter and numbers. The children really enjoyed going on the talking elevator. After each floor, the elevator states what floor it is, and the children were excited every time. Our small group toured a small study room that had tables, chairs and a white board, the children were very amused by how big the furniture was compared to the CDLL. 

Below is a picture of Ms. Goodman explaining to the children that some of the pictures in the EHS building were taken by our own lead teacher Mrs. Potter. 

"Are those pancakes that they are making?" -Farrah

Next, the children wait for the talking elevator while Ms. Musselman explains to the children why there are two different types of recycling bins in the building. 

Below, is a picture of Macrae exploring the different chairs that were located in the third floor study room.  

"This is a big one, I need help getting down." -Macrae 

Even though the weather wasn't the best, we were still able to move around and explore a new environment located right next to our school. 

Teaching Strategies Gold: 

Objective 21 - Explores and describes spatial relationships and shapes. 

Objective 4 - Demonstrates traveling skills. 

HDF 409 - Palenske 

Exploring Yoga with the movie frozen

This morning in the Indoor Movement Room the children practiced Yoga movies the the movie instructor frozen. The children learned to balance their bodies, use gross motor-skills to do kicks and jumps into the air, as well as traveling skills to move from one end of the yoga mat the the next.

The children said "I'm going to chose this color mat to sit on." 

"Doing this pose is a little harder" , said Evie.

"I can do that pose look", said The children.

"I can stay like this for a long time" Favour.

Michigan standard Of Quality:SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT (SEP)Physical development (fine and gross/large motor) is important to the achievement of general health. Gross motor development enhances body awareness, understanding of spatial relationships, and cognitive growth

Buck 409

Collage Table

Today in the Maple Room, children worked on their own collages. Trying to stack and manipulate materials to see how many objects they could stack together or put on their paper. 

"Look at how I stacked these!- Anaya 

"I am trying to get these all across my paper. Do you think it will be too heavy?"-Dakota 

"I'm putting these eyeballs in a circle."-Sage

Teaching Strategies:

33. Explores the visual arts

Rachel Dombrowski, HDF 409 

Want To Buy Some Gourds? 

In the Pine (pretend) room children are able to explore the real gourds in the farmers' market. Graeme and Logan picked out different gourds and flowers to buy at the market. The children are able to choose what they would like and place them into baskets to use throughout the room.

"How many do you want? -Logan

"Want some flowers too?" - Graeme

"You can check out here" -Graeme

10/25/16

Sinclair 

Michigan State Standards of Quality: Approaches to Learning 1:6 Approach tasks and activities with increased flexibility, imagination, inventiveness and confidence. 

Slim at the texture table

Every week the CDLL has a different texture for children to explore at the texture table in the Walnut Room. This week in the morning the children made slim with a lead teacher; measuring the ingredients, learning about how they react to each other, what it feels like and what it smells like.


"It smells like soap." - Jace

"When you mix it, it looks like cotton candy." - Alijah

"It feels sticky." - Avryl

Early Childhood Standard, Early Learning Expectation: Children show how they feel, what they think, and what they are learning through experiences in the visual arts.

Sarah Cramer, HDF 409

Nails and Hammers!

Today in the Oak Room, the children were engaging with the real hammers and nails. The school has real materials for the children so that it draws the children in and actually gives children the chance to experience what it is actually like working with those materials. The children enjoy having these materials there for them. It also allows the children to practice the safety rules of the real materials. 

"You have to be careful" -Zoey 

"You have to tap it" -Zoey

"Hold the nail so it stays" -Zoey 

Michigan Standard of Quality- Children show a beginning awareness of scientific knowledge related to living and nonliving things.

8. Understand the way simple tools work through their play with common toys; e.g., wheels, pulleys, gears, screws.

Tiara Lawrence

HDF 409 Student 

Blubber!

Today in the Walnut Room we added "Blubber" to the texture table. Since this is a newly introduced fine motor manipulator that has not yet been added to this room, children kept coming up to the table asking the other children, as well as the teacher, what they were playing with. 

Since this was newly added, the teacher at the table kept asking the children what the "Blubber" felt like, and also what he/or she thinks of it compared to the other types of texture that have previously been at the table. 

"Look I made a volcano out of it. It comes up, it falls down, then comes up. Usually that's what blubber does." -Jace

Lila Beau told the teacher, "It's comfy. Now it's hard. Now it's comfy" as she way playing with the "Blubber." Then she said, "I made a snowman," which is her creation in the picture.

The "Blubber" was a success today for engaging the children's fine motor skills, as well as keeping them engaged in conversation. The children were explaining to each other that the expectation to play with the "Blubber" is that after washing your hands with soap and water, each child needed to make sure their hands were extra dry. When one child did not dry his hands enough, Jace turned to him and said, "Your hands are green. Your hands were not dry enough and that's why they're green."

Teaching Strategies Gold: 

Objective 7: Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination

a. Uses hands and fingers

Berinti, HDF 409

Music and Movement with Mr. Dan

After an eventful morning at the Farmer’s Market and Timbertown, we returned safely back to our school. Later that afternoon we found that we had a special guest waiting for us in the Indoor Movement Room.

It was Mr. Dan, Asher’s dad, along with his guitar and some clever and catchy songs in order for the children to get up, move, sing along and dance to! Props, such as: egg shakers and scarves were also provided and used throughout. Some of the children remembered Mr. Dan from last year’s special guest appearance and were very excited to hear what fun and silly songs he may have to share with us this visit.

“Shake, shake! Shake your sillies out!” -Mr. Dan

 Monica Scudder, HDF 409 Student

Michigan State Standard
The Partnership with Families #2: Families have multiple opportunities to participate in the child’s classroom program as they prefer and are able to do so.

Our Trip To The Farmers Market

   Today we had a field trip to the Farmers Market at Island Park. While we were there, we got to visit each of the vendor's booths. We saw: pumpkins, flowers, vegetables, fruits, honey, soaps, candles, rocks and coffee. Some of the vendors took the time to tell us about their products. The children really enjoyed that.
   Each of the small groups was given $5 to spend. The children had to work together to decide what they wanted to spend their money on. One group in particular decided that they would split the money and each buy flavored honey sticks to enjoy when they got back to school.
 For lunch, we had a nice picnic under one of the pavilions. It was a great time to reflect on what we saw at market.

Vendor telling children about his jewelry.

"This candle smells like sugar." -Victoria

The children also had the opportunity to play at Timber Town, a wooden playground near the market. The playground was filled with unique playground structures such as: moving stairs, tire swings, bouncy bridges, and wooden cars.

"Braeden will you swing with me?" -Liam

"I'm bouncing, I'm bouncing, I'm bouncing!" -Macrae

Michigan State Early Childhood Standards Of Quality
Children explore with increasing understanding the physical characteristics and relationships of objects and happenings in their environment [HSCOF-ID 7.3.3] 

Example- Children's interests in the physical world and living things are extended by using information books, field trips, visitors, and other ways of opening up the classroom to the larger world.

Musselman HDF 409

Our Discovered Friend, Praying Mantis!

While playing outside today Livy stumbled upon a praying mantis! From that point on, the praying Mantis became a huge hit among several children.

Livy captured the praying Mantis using a jar, stick and a teacher's help. Once she secured the praying mantis in her jar she said, "Let's put him in the habitat!" She then walked over and set it into a table that is free for children to create habitats out of for insects.

"This is your new home, Buddy!" said Livy. 

"He needs some more dirt" Livy decided as she went and searched for dirt to add.

Once the praying Mantis was released into his new home several children joined around the habitat to check it out. Then a teacher suggested, "Should anything be added to the praying mantis' new home?" Then children set off to find things for the habitat.

Sarah A., Bella and Ericka came up with the idea of adding grass to the habitat.

"He might eat grass!" said Ericka as she dropped grass in.

"Yeah, he lives in grass!" -Sarah A.

Michigan Standard of Quality:

Early Learning Expectation: Living and Non-living Things. Children show a beginning of awareness of scientific knowledge related to living and non-living things. Use observation skills to build awareness of plants and animals, their life cycles (e.g., birth, aging, death) and basic needs (e.g., air, food, light, rest)

Ritter, 409

Team Work!

During morning centers the children get the unique experience to choose where they want to play, and this can bring children to play together who normally are not in the same room for morning large group.  Today in the construction room children were very busy building together to create different structures. The children worked hard to create a castle and when work time was over, we left it out so other children could add on to it later in the day.

This was the start of the structure as we began to build it

"Lets build a big castle!" - Logan

Graham joined into the castle building with us as well!

"These are going to be flags for the king" - Graham

As the morning progressed the children added more and more blocks to it.

Once the metal blocks were placed, Logan had told another child who was playing nearby that it was a driveway for their car!






 State Standard: Approaches to Learning 1. Early Learning Expectation: Creativity-Imagination-Visualization. Children demonstrate a growing ability to use originality or vision when approaching learning; use imagination, show ability to visualize a solution or new concept.

Ms.Babbitt HDF 409

Foxtail Tag!

Happy Tuesday! Today children had the opportunity to play a game called foxtail tag during PM Group. The objective of the game was to protect your flag from being stolen, while trying to catch another person's flag at the same time. The children ran around the garden as their flags waved through the wind. Once the flags were gone, it was time for children to try and catch a different flag!   

                                 
                                    Children run around the garden while playing foxtail tag.

                             
                                  Tegan said,  "I need to find a place where nobody sees me!"

                                                   
                                                      "You can't catch me," said James.

Michigan Standard of Quality:
Early Learning Expectation:
Children increase their ability to understand and control their bodies and learn that regular physical activity can enhance their overall physical, social, and mental health.
3.) Participate actively and on a regular basis, in games, outdoor play, and other forms of exercise that enhance physical fitness.

Kristen Nagl
HDF 409

Playing Sand Slime

This afternoon in the walnut room the children we're able to explore with a new texture at the texture table with  Sand Slime. The Sand Slime is made up of sand,glue and water in which they have the opportunity to make. The children began playing with the Sand Slim, noticing how it felt to them and creating things with it.

" Its so sticky it stuck to my fingers" Jace

 "Look I made glasses" Jace

 "My hand is covered in a slime glove" Jonathon

 "I'm making baby worms." Sarah P

 "Look I made pancakes!" Kayden

Michigan Standard Of Quality:

Early Learning Expectation: Relationship in Place. Children begin to understand and interpret their relationship and place within their own environment.  1. Explore the environment, experiment and play with natural materials, explore the texture, sound and smells of nature

Buck, HDF 409