Forest Friday---Looking For Tracks in the Snow

A Snowy Adventure 

 Forest Friends

We're going on a bear hunt? Will we find bear tracks in Jamestown????

  What lives in this little forest in the winter? What birds? What mammals? "Oh look, we found something, Quick, quick come look, Ms. Mitchell! There are tracks!"

Hmm, what could they be? Who do you think left these tracks in the snow?

 Was it a bear???? No, too small! Any other good guesses? Look around, do you see anything moving around. "I think it's a rabbit! No, I think it is a squirrel!"

 "Let's go look for more!"

"I found some, I found some!"

"Wow! These are very tiny! What could they be? A MOUSE, a mouse!"

 ANY ideas??? We need to investigate.

"Look, look, I think I spotted a gnome in the snow or is it a mischievous sprite???

NO, we know who that is!

 

A snow princess??? Yes, I think so.

A snow angel!!!!  

 Oh, we know who this snow angel is!!!

"Look, a snow mushroom, no wait, 

BROCCOLI"

Makerspace

STEngineeringM with Rig-a-Ma-Gig

Design, build and execute.

 Build something that can lift.

Another structure that can lift.

A collaborative effort to build something that can lift an object.

In our first few visits to Makerspace the children had the opportunity to become acquainted with the materials and practice working collaboratively to create representative structures. As the year has progressed the children's structures have become more elaborate and sophisticated. The children were challenged to build something that could lift another object.

WK1-RI Meteorologists Bringing You the Weather Report

Click on video to enlarge

This is our first attempt filming a live broadcast from inside Makerspace and outdoors in the schoolyard. As part of our science kit, Trees and Weather, the children are expected to learn about and notice weather conditions. So from the beginning of the school year, the children have been learning information associated with the weather such as: temperature, wind velocity, cloud cover and forms of precipitation. As we continue to film each week we are expecting them to give a more comprehensive forecast that will include seasonal changes, temperature, precipitation,wind velocity and cloud cover. Bear with us as we all learn to film, speak clearly, look into the camera and deliver accurate information. I think these boys were eager and brave to be the first to be filmed. I think they did an awesome job! Look for us every Friday! Thanks for your technological expertise Ms. Hakki!

Literacy Stations

 Computer Station

 Lexia 

 Small Group Guided Reading 

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Making Words

 Creating Sentences

Creating Sentences

Word Search

Highlights from the First Half of Kindergarten 2015/2016

September through December
(scroll all the way down)

In September, the children have opportunities during their day to explore and become acquainted with the equipment and materials that will be available to them throughout the year. They are encouraged to use building materials to  sharpen their creativity and spacial reasoning, use technology to improve literacy, reading and math skills, pretend play to strengthen their capacity for social interactions and team building, use our classroom library to share books quietly and gain an appreciation for a variety of literature and different authors. 

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Building with Legos to create a town and train station.

Using natural materials and animals to build habitats.

In our classroom library, children have the opportunity to listen to books on tape and expose themselves to a variety of books written by different authors.

A child using dinosaurs and plants to build Jurassic Park.

Working together to  put together two wooden puzzles that depict the like cycles of a frog and butterfly. The children will put them back together in sequential order.

A child is using balancing techniques as he builds with natural wooden materials to create a structure.|~
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Our Adopted Sugar Maple

The children stand proudly in front of their adopted tree. It is a large sugar maple that is located next to the front entrance of of our school.

The Foss/Trees and Seasons kit requires the class to adopt a tree to observe and investigate through the seasons. The children didn't have a hard time choosing. They were captivated by its amazing color. "It looks like it is on fire". We found many interesting things living on and around it. Stay tuned.

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Godena Farm Scarecrow

As you may know, each fall the Conanicut Island Land Trust holds a special event inviting all community members to help celebrate open space. They have a special area set up to view scarecrows designed and created by the children of Melrose School. After given a theme, we start brainstorming with the children to generate a variety of ideas. Then, with the help of the teacher and parents we start the project. This year kindergarten classes were asked to design a scarecrow that depicts their teacher. K-1 thought... "Ms. Mitchell loves nature, birds, turquoise, Frida Kahlo, Monarch butterflies and wears lots of black clothes" (black camouflage all the spills, stains and splattered paint that one encounters in an actively creative classroom). 

May I present....Ms. Mitchell as a scarecrow. This is the result of their ideas, creativity, collaboration and insight. NOT TOO SHABBY!

After studying the life cycle of the monarch butterflies in September, the children had no problem designing and creating their own interpretation. We suspended each butterfly from wire to create the effect of them flying all around. One child insisted on creating a  Frida Kahlo necklace that is identical to the one I wear. We sculpted the cardinal together out of aluminum foil, masking tape and paper mache. They made turquoise jewelry out of aluminum foil and beads. 

 I cut out a wooden butterfly that we painted, attached a hanger and then attached it to a stake. We hung a basket that was filled with individuals packets of milkweed seed. Each small packet was assembled by the children so that families could take them home as a "treat" to plant in their yards. The children created all the signs to inform families about the packets and the importance of recycling. 
Thank you to Erika Holtermann for creating a monarch logo and helping the children assemble the packets filled with milkweed seeds.
 Thank you to Pam Gilpin, the "milkweed lady",  for supplying us with more milkweed seeds then we could imagine and helping to save the monarchs. Got milk"weed"?????  Yes, she does! Thank you to everyone for your assistance. 

The creators and artists!

As she appeared in the field at Godena Farm. All milkweed packets gone to good homes. YAY!
Nice job K-1. You are all so bright, creative and fun to be with everyday! 

 SAVE THE MONARCHS!!!

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OUR NATIVE AMERICAN POWWOW

Happy St. Lucia Day!

Audubon Trip---Learning About Barred Owls