Kinder Class

I am going to try to write less this time around because it seems that very few are actually reading this blog. It’s hard to find the time to read it but also to write it! Please let me know if you would like more detail about any of our activities.

Math and Language Art:

#9, We drew a mother with a baby in her womb as this process takes 9 months and is a sweet representation of the number 9. We wrote 9 in words (nine) and in dots and in tally marks. On to 2-digit numbers next.

We deconstructed the names of students, into beats (syllables), practiced writing first and last names, tallied letters in names, and did an inventory of all of the letters in all of the names. This way the kids practiced letter recognition, counting, recording information, and reporting on their findings all in one neat little activity.

Kathleen began a unit on seeds and flowers with the children and they have been drawing and writing up a storm, working on “alphabet seed books”. This goes with the verse they have all learned “In the Heart of a Seed.” Ask them to tell you how it goes…

We did handwriting practice with all of the letters whose formation starts with the letter “c”, otherwise known as “magic c” — these are “a, d, g, o, and q”.

The children all finished their letter boxes. These will come home soon. The process is to match the upper case letters with their lower case “partners”, then to match the object with its first letter.

We took pattern block work to another level. The children counted out 20 pattern blocks and made a design. Then they had to collect paper cutouts of each shape and replicate their design by gluing these onto construction paper. This was super challenging for some and quite easy for others. Getting the shapes oriented in the right direction and following a pattern, staying organized etc. takes some special skills. Next, the children will talk about their process and the story behind their designs and dictate what they would like written on their work.

The kids finished sewing and stuffing and scenting their pillows. We used wool from our very own alpacas for the stuffing and lavender that we harvested way back in October. Now everyone has their own pillow to use at rest time. These will come home at the end of the year. They are beautiful and represent a lot of hard work!

Kathleen had the children working on several seasonal crafts including making rainbow clouds, end of winter collages, and bird feeders, and a watercolor painting of cool blue which was sprinkled with salt to watch what happens to the color.

We did some gardening, gathering compost from the big garden, weeding and amending the soil in preparation for planting some sweet peas and kale. We also gathered flowers and leaves and the children hammered them onto cloth to make prints. See photo. This is like a leaf rubbing, but actually uses the plant material to imprint the fabric with its natural dye.

We had a number of special events and celebrations including Chinese New Year, where we watched a taiko drumming performance, paraded around the campus taking our silken dragons through each building to clear away spirits by making noise with instruments. The kinders participated in the all school poetry reading on Valentine’s Day and performed two verses: This is the Key to the Kingdom and King Winter. They did this all by themselves in front of the whole school.

Shannon, ChetanWin’s mother, presented a fascinating lesson about Lakota Indians. She showed some photos and footage of her family on their Indian reservation in South Dakota. She taught the kids to count to 10 in Lakota and also to say some animal names. And they played a traditional game, a version of “hot potato”, whilst singing a Lakota song.

In Science, we completed our until on rocks with discussion and diagrams about how volcanoes are formed and then we recreated the gaseous interactions present in a real volcano by mixing baking soda and vinegar to make volcanoes in the sandbox.

I’ve realized this group of children needs tables to sit at to stay focused and be in a good position for using the correct pencil grip…so, we don’t work on the floor that often. This table arrangement works really well, despite the fact it requires some rearranging of furniture.

Here are some cute photos from circus rehearsals this week: