Below is a list of possible pets that the Pre-K students came up with today. We announced the possibility of getting a pet this week and thought that it would be best if the children were invested in said creature. As you can see, we have some discussions in front of us. We would love to hear what you have to say about this question as well. Please vote and let us know which animal YOU think is the best for our classroom.
[polldaddy poll=3761644]
“If we all sang different songs at the same time, that would be a LOUD cacophony!”
-a five-year-old
Yesterday, we began a discussion about robots. We were so inspired, we decided to remake a popular story as a “new-and-improved” robot version. Here’s what we came up with:
Once upon a time there were three bots, Papa Bot, Mama Bot, and Baby Bot. One morning, Mama Bot made metal sandwiches for breakfast, but they were too hot to eat, so the family went for a walk. While they were gone, Robolox knocked on their door. When no one answered, Robolox went inside.
Robolox saw three sandwiches sitting on the table and thought about how hungry she was. First, she tried Papa Bot’s sandwich, but it was too crunchy. Then, she tried Mama Bot’s sandwich, but it was too oily. Next, she tried Baby Bot’s sandwich and it was just right. She ate it all up!
When she’d finished, Robolox began to wander around the house. As she arrived in the living room, she saw three charging stations. First, she tried Papa Bot’s charger, but it was too buzzy. Then, she tried Mama Bot’s charger, but it was too strong. Next, she tried Baby Bot’s charger and it was just right. She played and played and played in the charger until it sparked and fell apart.
Feeling rather tired after this episode, Robolox climbed the stairs to find the sleeping chambers. She found three closets with beds inside them. First, she tried Papa Bot’s closet, but it was too big. Then, she tried Mama Bot’s closet, but it was too narrow. Next, she tried Baby Bot’s closet and it was just right. She stepped inside and powered down right away.
While Robolox dozed upstairs, the three Bots returned home. Papa Bot said, “Somebody’s been eating MY sandwich!” Mama Bot said, “Somebody’s been eating MY sandwich!” And Baby Bot said, “Somebody’s been eating MY sandwich and it’s all gone! Boo hoo beep beep!” Then they went to check on the living room.
Papa Bot said, “Somebody’s been using MY charger!” Mama Bot said, “Somebody’s been using MY charger!” And Baby Bot said, “Somebody’s been using MY charger and it’s been broken into bits! Boo hoo beep beep!” After giving Baby Bot many hugs and figuring out how to fix his charger, the three Bots went upstairs.
Papa Bot said, “Somebody’s been sleeping in MY closet!” Mama Bot said, “Somebody’s been sleeping in MY closet!” And Baby Bot said, “Somebody’s been sleeping in MY closet and she’s still there!” All of a sudden, Robolox woke up and saw the three Bots. She yelled, “Aaaaaahhhhhhh!”, jumped out of Baby Bot’s closet and leapt out of the window. Robolox ran far, far away and was never seen near the Bot house ever again. The End.
One of the children just walked up to me and said,
Student: “Did you know that some humans have four legs?”
Me: “Did you say a person with four legs?”
Student: “Yes, they sometimes have four legs.”
Me: “Really? I’ve never met a person with four legs.”
Student: “Yes, when people get really, really old, they sometimes grow more legs.”
Me: “I didn’t know that. Are you sure?”
Student: “Oh yes, my Grandfather is really old and he grew two more legs. He has four now.”
Aren’t the imaginations of four-year-olds intriguing?
This unusually warm afternoon, when we arrived on the playground, we found a large amount of white, grainy material just off of the black-top. At first, the children didn’t really take notice of it. Then, eureka!, they declared that they had found snow! I asked them what it felt like, hoping that they might mention the distinct lack of coldness. They focused on its whiteness.
They jubilantly jumped around shouting that winter must be coming soon since there was snow on the ground. One of the children hung back and said that they thought that it must not be snow, it must be sugar. Responding to my inquiry, he said that it “just looked and smelled like sugar”. Luckily, he wasn’t curious enough to taste it.
I asked them all where it might have come from. They looked at me as though I’d grown a third eye and said, “From the clouds, Mrs. Forst!” I should have known that, now shouldn’t I? Even the sugar idea originated in the clouds. We’ve been reading variations of Jack and the Beanstalk and the children remembered that the giant lived in the clouds. So if he could live there, why couldn’t he drop some sugar out onto the ground, as well?
So then I suggested we try some experiments to find out if it really was snow. They were very excited by the idea and quickly came up with a test to find out the truth. The idea: put a pile of it on the bottom of the slide. Slide down the slide. If it makes you go faster, then it must be snow. Two worked as a team to build up a nice sized pile while a third waited at the top of the slide. Each took a turn being a scooper and a slider. They even asked the slider each time if enough “snow” had been gathered, yet. The cooperation involved here is exactly what every Pre-K teacher hopes to see everyday. During this experiment, I inquired about the outcome. They informed me that it certainly did make them go faster.
Everyday, at the end of the class, we each share something we did today. When one of them shared that they did a snow experiment, I asked what they decided. I was told, “It is snow because nothing else in the world is white except sugar, and it’s not sugar, so it must be snow.” How do we argue with that logic?
Hopefully there will still be some left tomorrow so that we can explore the possibilities further. For now, just let me share one child’s independent project using the “snow”. She ran over to me and squealed, “Mrs. Forst, come see my pattern!” Now, do you see why I love my job?
Dear Parents,
The children have asked me to let you know that they really, really like to eat Cheese Nips Thin Crisps for a snack.
Yours,
Mrs. Forst