Week of Dec. 3

Coniferous Trees and the Shadow Forest
While building a zoo in the block area last week, a remarkable discovery was made!  On a very sunny day, we noticed that our zoo was made in shadows on the cabinet behind the blocks.  We had an insightful discussion about why that happened.  The children commented:

• We built it!
• The animals and buildings are close to the ground.
• The sun blocks out the half of the buildings and shows the shadow.
• The sun is bright and bounces off the blocks and makes a dark shadow on the cabinet.  You think it's really there, but it isn't.
• You can see the animals that are dark.
• When you are standing and moving, the shadow moves too.
• When the sun is not shining, the shadows aren't there.

When we were reading The Night Tree as part of our study of coniferous trees, it was suggested to create that forest in our block area and see the shadows.  It was interesting to watch the block area bustle with building on sunny days and remain quiet on cloudy ones.  A few tumbles and a vacuum cleaner mishap provided many versions of the shadow forest...come see the latest version and read more about our study on the board in the hallway!

No Snow

When the calendar turned to December, the children's expectations for a snowfall increased each day.  In fact, most every conversation we had somehow took a turn towards snow.  So we made a little detour and wrote theories of what we thought would make it snow.  Drawing snowflakes and snowmen, playing with white play-dough, painting and cutting snowflakes, making snow shaking jars, wearing a dress with snowflakes, and doing a snow dance were just some of the ideas written.  During activity time we carried out our "snow experiments".  Unfortunately, none of these activities have produced snow, so we are counting the days since we did our experiments and wondering what we are missing? Hopefully, when it does snow, we can add some weather observations and revise our theories to further our understanding of snow.  For now, we will just have to wait.

Gingerbread and "Smelly Stuff"

While reading and comparing versions of the classic tale, The Gingerbread Man, we enjoyed baking gingerbread.  As we mixed the dough, the children often asked to smell the ingredients.  Ingredients' smells had mixed reviews: no smell (baking soda, baking powder, flour), exclamations of "mmmm" (cinnamon), mixed reactions (ginger), and not well received (molasses, buttermilk).  We were amused when the dough "got smooshed"with the rolling pin and surprised that we had to use such arm strength to cut the dough with our cookie cutters.  We headed to the kitchen to put the cookies in the oven and read Gingerbread Bear while the cookies baked.  As the timer ticked, we began to smell the cookies.  I asked the children how they could smell the cookies if they were still behind the oven door?  A lively discussion of steam, smell, noses, and more ensued and was fueled every time someone smelled the gingerbread and stopped by the kitchen to ask what was baking.  Even Mrs. Shuler in the next room behind a closed door could smell our gingerbread - how did that happen?  We only got a gingerbread "taste test" on Friday, but we will continue this discussion on Monday when we get to decorate our gingerbread cookies!