From the atelier: 2/15/07

Preschool:

3-year-olds:

We continued to explore recycled materials, which the children discovered many things about. Some children used the materials for dramatic play, while others just investigated the weight, height, and sounds of them. One student investigated all the different ways that he could roll the materials by blowing on them; he also selected many material that he could blow through.

Above, children have begun to build structures and use tape to secure them. Yesterday two children worked on making this structure for their cars to use. The metal gate is a garage, the long piece is a bridge, and the yellow cord is a "bungee jumper."

4-year-olds:
I will write about this group next week. They have spent the last couple weeks working on wire and observational work...

Kindergarten:

Ms. Hoddick's class:
This week the children continued working on their insects and painting them. We also had open studio, and we added a new center, sewing...

Ms. Hitomi's class:
I am including in this section the children's homework and the letter that will be going home tomorrow.

Insect project homework: Ways in which we communicate

Dear Parents and Students,

After discussing with the children their many wonderful ideas about insects, Ms. Hitomi and I have implemented a joint classroom and atelier project. The children had many ideas about the ways that insects might be able to communicate verbally and non-verbally with each other, e.g., smell, vibration / antennae, color, body language, taste, etc. The children talked about how an insect with bright colors or a very bad smell might communicate non-verbally to a predator not to eat it. One student connected this idea of communication to a skull and crossbones symbol telling us that something is poisonous. The children began relating these many examples of non-verbal and verbal communication to their environment and their own experiences. Their ideas sparked the idea for our inquiry — What things in our environment communicate an idea to us in the same way that the color and design of a butterfly communicates to its predator?

The children and I have began discussing non-verbal and verbal communication and what these words specifically mean in the insect world and in our own world. For this project, the children will be given a disposable camera and asked to take pictures of things in their environment that communicate ideas non-verbally. For example, what does a red light communicate to you? A stop sign? A stinky smell? A bathroom sign? These are examples of things that you and the children can take photographs of.

The cameras will be given out on this Friday, Feburary 16, and need to be returned to the classroom by February 20.

Take the camera with you wherever you go, so that the children can begin to discover and document the many examples of things that communicate non-verbally. Ask your child what idea or message is being communicated. Have fun!

Thank you,

Ms. Jordan
Kindergaren Atelierista

Posted on February 15, 2007 8:05 AM | Permalink