Over the past two weeks, our classroom has been abuzz with excitement as we delved into the fascinating world of Growing Things and celebrated Earth Day. It’s been a joy to see the children’s curiosity and creativity flourish during this time.
Sensory Bin Fun:
We kicked off the first week with our sensory bins. Last week, we had colored popcorn for a science experiment, and this week, we repurposed the colored popcorn as a base for our flower-themed sensory bin. The children loved digging through the popcorn and pretending to plant flowers.
We had a beautiful growing things alphabet bump to play and explore with, matching the corresponding letters to the letters on the page. I love this activity as so many students gravitate towards it in spare moments during the day giving them some extra letter practice without them even knowing it.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Growing-Things-Alphabet-Bump-11439169
Color Mixing:
Due to a freezer mishap last week, we had some leftover colored ice cubes. Instead of letting them go to waste, we used them for a fun color mixing activity on Monday morning. The children were fascinated by how the colors blended together to create new ones.
Letter Z:
This week, we’re exploring the letter Z. We read the story “Hello Zebra” and talked about all the different ways we could color our zebras for our weekly drawing project. Some students chose to stick with traditional colors, while others got creative with wild and wacky color schemes.
Friday was a day filled with fun and learning as we celebrated Earth Day with a variety of engaging stations organized by our fantastic PAC parents. The children had a blast exploring and participating in the different activities, all centered around the theme of environmental awareness and conservation.
One of the highlights of the day was the obstacle course, where the children had the opportunity to navigate through various challenges that taught them about the importance of overcoming obstacles in our efforts to protect the Earth.
Another exciting station was the salmon talks, where the children learned about the life cycle of salmon and the importance of protecting their habitat. This hands-on experience helped deepen their understanding of the interconnectedness of all living things.
The bridge painting station allowed the children to express their creativity while also learning about the significance of bridges in connecting communities and preserving natural habitats.
The recycling games were not only fun but also educational, teaching the children about the importance of recycling and how it can help reduce waste and protect the environment.
Overall, the Earth Day stations were a huge success, thanks to the dedication and hard work of our PAC parents. It was a day filled with learning, laughter, and appreciation for the planet we call home.
Our second week was dedicated to all things related to growth and plants. We set up a sensory tub filled with various materials related to plants and growth, sparking the children’s interest and imagination. To reinforce our learning, we introduced the alphabet growing things bump game, which added an element of fun and learning to our activities.
“Foxy and Friends” continued to be a favorite among the children, providing them with opportunities for play and exploration.
The seeds provocation table was a hit, with plenty of books about plants and growing cycles to inspire our young minds.
On Monday, we kicked off the week by reading “My Friend Earth.” This beautiful story led to a meaningful discussion about how we can all contribute to taking care of our planet. To demonstrate their understanding, the children created scenes out of playdough, illustrating one way they could help the Earth.
One of the highlights of the week was our directed drawing of the Earth. The children followed a video tutorial, and the results were truly impressive. You can watch the video we followed [here](insert link). We also took a break from our usual routine and enjoyed a change of pace with a fun video.
The day ended on a heartwarming note as each student took a tree home to take home. It was a beautiful way to symbolize our commitment to caring for the Earth and watching it grow, much like the seeds we were learning about.
Despite some interruptions due to our class photo day on Tuesday, we continued our exploration of seeds. We read “The Tiny Seed,” a classic tale that captivated the children’s imagination and taught them about the life cycle of a plant. We finished this off with planting our very own seeds to see what we can grow.
The highlight of the week was creating greenhouses with bean seeds. The children were actively involved in brainstorming all the things their tiny seeds would need to grow, fostering a sense of responsibility and care.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Greenhouse-Template-for-Ziplock-Germination-7811752
In our writing lessons with “Froggy,” we continued to emphasize the importance of adding a problem and solution to our imaginative stories. It’s been wonderful to see the children’s storytelling skills develop and evolve over the weeks.
We can’t learn about growing things without opening up the flower shop dramatic center. A fun way to explore plants and their uses and to expand our imaginations.
We finished the week with a beautiful Earth Day craft. We used Q Tips to carefully dot paint the land areas in green and the oceans in blue. We then cut them out and glued them onto black paper, and added star sequins to finish them off!
As we wrap up our two weeks of Growing Things and Earth Day festivities, we’re filled with gratitude for the opportunity to learn and grow together. We look forward to seeing the seeds of knowledge we’ve planted continue to grow in the hearts and minds of our young learners.
Kindy Play 