This morning’s weather proved to be little finicky as it rained on and off for over an hour but that didn’t deter our youngest explorers. We prepared ourselves with boots and raincoats and then embarked on the great outdoors to enjoy the unseasonably warm day. It wasn’t long before a student noticed a small worm making his way up the side of boulder. We theorized about how he was able to hang on to the rock without any arms or legs. We studied how his body would shrink and then stretch as he so effortlessly moved across the rock once he reached the top. Then, before we knew it, there were two worms crawling across the rock. One student proclaimed that there were so many worms out because it was raining and worms love water. The students took turns gently touching the worm and then squealing with joy. It always amazes me what wonderment can be found on what might seem like a dreary day.
So, there was some corn…
The decorations from Applefest made a comeback this week. Our hard-working custodial staff gathered up all of the corn stalks from the festival and prepared them for final transportation to the dumpster or compost pile. (Un??)Fortunately, our class found the pile first.
One child knew right away what treasure lay buried within the stiff green layers. Once corn was officially discovered, husking (or “shucking” as Mrs. Forst says) became the activity of choice.
It wasn’t always easy.
Yet, they never gave up.
And the reward was worth it.
As always, persistence pays off.
Potions, Color and Chemistry
We can’t have a study of all things creepy and spooky without branching into potions and gooey concoctions.
Making slime or goop requires:
- Measuring
- Estimating
- Concentration
- Self-Regulation (I’m going to follow directions and wait for my turn.)
- Patience
- Coordination (stirring)
Playing with it draws on even more:
- A Willingness to get Gooey
- Fine-Motor Coordination (fingers and wrists)
- Experimentation
- Hypothesis
- Self-Regulation (I’m not going to eat it, throw it, or put it in my hair.)
Later in the week, we moved onto individual potion creation. This time our experiments included only three colors of water, but watch out in the future. Who knows what we’ll mix together now that we’ve had the practice. We planned our potions, hypothesized the outcomes and then tested our ideas.
