Different Types Of Play

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Thanks for coming last night, everyone. I love talking Kindergarten shop and am available to continue the rich conversations around child development. As mentioned yesterday, play is at the centre of what we do. Social relationships, self regulation, communication, learning new skills, integrating all the "subjects" into a meaningful authentic way for each and every student; play is yay.

Here is a list of different kinds of play, what the child is seeking through it, and how we can provide materials to meet those needs. While this chart doesn't speak to the different sensory types, it is heavily grounded in the idea that we seek out certain sensory inputs in order to achieve calmness. It is our jobs as the adults to ensure the choices students make are resulting in calm minds and helping them become aware of why they do what they do.

What Block And Why?

I constantly put out too many things and the students end up overwhelmed and none are used. So every student chose 1 block and had to explain why that one. When we justify our reasoning, there are no wrong answers, just opportunities for us to share our thinking. And opportunities to accept our differing points of view. Kindergarten is the best! 

While students had to: 

1. Communicate with others in a variety of ways, purposes, and contexts. 

some also, naturally: 

17. Describe, sort, classify, build, and compare 2d shapes and 3d figures. 

and

24.4 select and use tools, equipment, and materials to construct things. 

Here's what we heard: 

"car. plane. slide."

"I love it. I build in my room."

"I can put so much blocks on top of it because it is big."

"It looks like a bow."

"It makes a bridge."

"small and not heavy."

and

"It's really watery." 

Co-creating Our Classroom

We sorted and labelled...until next week. 

Reminder: no school on Monday. 

Students Drive Our Learning

"Why do we have bones?"-student

There's a book for that. Let's find out. 

Kids want to play together

We met in small groups to discuss what friends do and don't do. Almost everyone mentioned the word "play" as something they looked for in a friend. And almost everyone mentioned that it was rude to be told "you can't play". 

So for ages 3-6, lets play, be happy, and develop relationships. We adults could stand to carve out some playtime too. 

Bus Safety Day

Avoid questions. Make statements. "That bus looks big." "There are rules on the bus.". Our kids learn early how to pass our questions/tests. Statements open up a conversation and get to their real thinking. 

"How was school today?" "Good." 

Not tonight. 

Fair/Unfair

It is never to early to start on social justice because our students have an innate sense of what is fair and unfair. 

Students were asked "what do you see?" (sometimes directing their eyes to the boxes) and "do you think it is fair or unfair? Why/what makes it fair/unfair?" 

Students had to 

1.2 listen and respond

5.1 respect others POV 

12.2 communicate ideas on media

and begin to

27.1 develop strategies for standing up for oneself and others 

"The people saying beautiful things to the players."

"The small one can see now"

"Unfair, little one can't see, big ones can."

"Unfair, he gets 2 box, he gets none box."

"Fair. I don't know." 

"3 can see now". 

What seems unfair is sometimes fair and what seems fair is sometimes unfair. Our classroom will feel like this from time to time because we all require different number of boxes in order to see the game. 

You may hear "We learn together. We teach each other." tonight. 

Boomerang Lunches (important info)

"A boomerang lunch is a lunch that has every piece of it return to its source. In other words, everything in the lunch goes back home at the end of the day. No matter if it is leftover food, containers, recyclables or garbage, it all goes back. Yes, even the garbage." -Google







Starting Monday in our classroom, we are going litterless. Not only because it's creating young citizens of Earth but it also connects nicely to our curriculum in a real world way.
Curriculum overall expectation #29:
"demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect the environment."
https://files.ontario.ca/books/edu_the_kindergarten_program_english_aoda_web_july21.pdf pg 318.


So here are some tips to help create a litter less lunch:

• reusable lunch container or containers
• cloth napkins
• stainless-steel forks and spoons
• reusable drink containers
• reusable lunchboxes
• buy foods are in bulk or in larger packages (buy a big container of juice and pour a little in a reusable plastic bottle).

Packaging is left at home for reuse or recycling. Food waste decreases because with a reusable lunch container, children can re-pack uneaten food instead of dumping it in the trash can. $$$ :)

If the level of waste wasn't enough of an argument to persuade you, here is an article via the Star's Health section:
https://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/2012/09/10/litterless_lunch_policies_at_schools_making_kids_lunches_ecofriendly.html


Thank you in advance and please let us know if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend. 

Meaningful Authentic Math

Today was a great opportunity to introduce students to the concept of a number line (we stayed away from explaining humidity for now). 

A warm classroom = meaningful chance to build early number sense. 

Here is some of what the students said: 

"number is big" -sk student 

"I don't know number" -sk student 

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 9." -jk student 

"It's 30 hot"-jk student. 

Student Voice, Choice, and Flexibility

We could have chosen cubbies for them. We have in the past. But this year we are intentionally pushing Voice, Choice, and Flexibility. It's about ownership over oneself in relation to others, the environment, and own learning. 

So the kids were asked "Which cubby do you want? Why or what makes you want it?" 

"I like the silver thing (a screw inside)."

"I want to be near my friend." 

"I like look outside."

"I don't know."

This boy just pointed, then wrote a meaningful message, a symbol that will always lead him to the right place. 

Welcome To Kindergarten

Hi,
You are in the right place. Welcome to Kindergarten. There is a lot of information coming to you this week so for today, just a few reminders from us:

1. Please sign and return forms (especially for those students on the bus)
2. This week is very very hot. Please dress appropriately.
3. Breakfast Club is available before school from 7:40-8:10.
4. can't stress this one enough, we are a NUT FREE school. NO nut products please.
5. sign up for email notifications to the right >>>>>>>>
6. our Calendar is available above this post beside the "Home" button.

See you tomorrow!