January 15-19

 Brrrr....

It was another chilly week outside! We continued to stay warm and cozy inside doing lots of learning and having lots of fun and enjoyed the beautiful sunrises and snowfalls from the comfort of our classroom

.  Our word of the week was "sequence" which means "putting things in the correct order- in a way that makes sense" and we practiced "sequencing" all week.

We practiced sequencing pictures to tell our own "picture stories", we noticed sequences throughout our day- with our daily schedule, the steps to complete our seat work, and how we complete our daily routines like getting ready for snack and putting on our winter gear.  There are so many events that have a proper sequence everyday!

We also practiced our sequencing skills as we did story retelling this week.  We read "The Mitten" by Jan Brett (she is the Author- another new word we learned this week).  We practiced moving like the different animals in the story- new words like "scurry" and "thundered" and "trotted".  We loved acting out the story and retelling it with our Kinder Theatre time.  We created our own sequence strips with the characters in our story.  We will be putting it with our own "Mitten" next week and then bringing it home to share it with our families.  

We continued to learn about shapes and spent time noticing shapes in the classroom and in the school.  The PM class went on a Shape Scavenger Hunt with their Buddies this week.  They also worked together to create a collaborative art project called "Shape City".  It required lots of team work and perseverence- it is all coming together in our hallway beautifully!  We are so fortunate to have such incredible Grade 4 Buddies who display such positive leadership skills- we always look forward to seeing them,

In centre time this week we explored colour mixing at the Science water table, and the PM class was able to make their own crystals (they should be ready by Monday).  We also learned how to make tie-dye prints using markers, water and tin foil to create color transfers.  We also built ramps, learned a new group game called "Don't Break the Ice" and worked together throughout the week to create what has been named "Castle City" out of blocks, squigs and a bunch of other random treasures in the room.  It somehow started through our play on Tuesday morning, and then the afternoon class added on to it.  Each day the morning class would make additions, and then the afternoon class would build on.  This went on this whole week with the students becoming more and more interested to see how it was changing and what was new.  It was super interesting to see the 2 groups of students "playing" with one another-even though they weren't actually in the classroom at the same time.  Chidren's imaginations and willingness to play and interact through play- is just fascinating.

The last big event that happened this week is that we were able to venture out into the BIG part of the Library to choose a new book on Library Day.  Ms. McLean taught us all about the sequence of how we can pick a book, use the special book markers to hold the book's space, find our own library card and then complete our check out.  We LOVED looking in all of the new sections and having Library time just like the big kids in the school.  Ms. McLean is just the best.  As a reminder, Library is on Tuesdays for the PM class and Thursday for the AM class.

Here are some highlights from our week: