Bringing the inside out

Dear Parents,

As the year winds to a close and the weather is beginning to feel more like summer, it's hard to say in the classroom. Getting outside is always important to our program and allows us opportunities for exploration that wouldn't happen in a classroom, but it's important to make sure that students still have choices. I wanted to show you some of the ways we brought classroom activities to the outdoors last week.

Playdough map of imaginary park: "But not a playground, it's more like Algonquin"

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There's books to read in the shade

Using bingo dabbers and markers to paint

The watertable has been very popular. There's a track around the edge that diverts water back into the main reservoir that students are interested in damming.

You've also got kickball 

Students created a tunnel with their legs for the cars to go through

Ms. Moniz hitches a ride on the taxi. 

I also wanted to talk about the recent drum performance we had, which was easily one of the top ten performances I've attended as a teacher. This eco-drum collective made drums and percussion instruments out of recycled materials and talked about the importance of reducing waste. Students were dancing and clapping along to music. The older brothers of 3 students were chosen as volunteers, so our class felt like we had a stake in the proceedings as well. I had thought I'd gotten more pictures of their dancing in spot than I did, and it's hard to see just how into it they were from the pictures I did get, but I'm sure you've already heard at least a little about this.

 

 Finally, students have been very excited about using pegboards to create geometric shapes and pictures. I love this photo series simply because it shows you the diverse ways students feel about having their picture taken, even when they ask to have their picture taken.

This will likely be one of my last blog posts for this year. I've enjoyed learning and growing with your kids so much and I look forward to seeing them continue to explore next year, whether they're with me or in the broader school community. 

Sincerely, 

Ms. Goegan

Notes and addendums

Dear Parents, 

I'd like to remind you that the Volunteer Appreciation potluck is on Monday at 3:00 pm

For our Teddy Bear Picnic on June 23rd, we've already received many offers of sweet baked goods so I think we're good on that front. If anyone would like to make sandwiches instead, it might be good to have more savoury options to share as well.

And the library is closing up the circulation computer for the end of they year, so please ensure library books are returned. I will also close our levelled reading program this Monday. Do not expect a new levelled book, but do continue to read at home with your child. It's so helpful to their love of learning. 

A more student centred post will follow over the weekend, with lots of pictures. We had a great drum performance yesterday  (I thought I had their url, but I'll link them in my follow up post). We also had a great day outside and I wanted to show you how we're bringing our activities and learning outside the classroom. 

Have a great weekend, 

Ms. Goegan

Airplanes

Dear Parents,

We're hard at work planning the Teddy Bear Picnic for June 23rd (Rain Date: June 24th). We hope you'll join us and that the afternoon will be an opportunity to spend time together as a cohort, eating and playing and celebrating the hard work that both you and the students have put into this year. Expect to see a potluck request and a little more detail on what this will look like very soon (this week!), as we nail down final details.

On that front, if you've been involved in the classroom this year, please be aware of the volunteer potluck in the gym on Monday June 15th, from 3:00 pm  to 4:00 pm. And do come! I plan to bake something special for it in order to help honour all the amazing support you've given our classroom this year.

We're also looking forward to next year, with the new JK parent welcome evening on Tuesday. This is also the final parent council meeting of the year and a good opportunity to set yourself up for being involved in the school community.

At the same time,  learning continues in the classroom. We've taken down the tent and have revived our drama centre area. Students decided to turn it into an airplane. We decorated an outline of the airplane for the outside:

 Made dials and controls for the pilot:

 Then set up the chairs like an airplane. Students have been taking turns being pilots, passengers, and serving each other food like flight attendants.

We've also set up a "security gate" to pass through and have been working hard on making passports and tickets. These are allowing us many opportunities to write authentically and to talk about different purposes for reading and writing.

 In other areas of the classroom, we've also been looking at airplane design. What types of materials and shapes will help a plane fly farther?

Students have been measuring and testing their creations.

We've also seen a resurgence of interest in mapping as a result of this drama centre. Students are looking at the world map and deciding where to go on "vacation" and what countries they have to pass through to get there. 

A lot can grow out of a simple interest. As we move towards the end of the school year, I hope you've seen how play based curriculum can be responsive to students' needs. 

As a final note, I'm really enjoying the free for all Show and Share theme. So far, we've had students teach us about rocks and minerals, learned songs, read books, and enjoyed being surprised (by a jack-in-the-box).  I look forward to more surprises!

Sincerely, 

Ms. Goegan

P.S. The circulation computer was down last week, so students did not get new books. Library will be winding down soon, but we have a week or two left.