Dear Parents,
On our return from break we played in the big room. Some children built a spaceship in the block area and wanted to wear their helmets and oxygen tanks. We forgot to ask what planet they were traveling to. Other children played Duck, Duck, Goose. Some played on wheels and in the jungle gym.
We introduced our study of simple machines by asking the children if they thought they could pick up a grownup. Many children wanted to try. After several unsuccessful attempts, we brought in a lever. We used a big long piece of wood and one wooden block which we put under the long piece. Someone immediately shouted, “It’s like a see-saw!” It was exactly like a see-saw. A teacher stood on one end and three or four students on the other. They could pick up a teacher! Machines make work easier! Everyone was excited to have a turn, except one, who politely declined.
We read Machines, and made a list of Machines We Know: washer and dryer, refrigerator, jackhammer, hammer, ice cream machine, the Brooklyn Bridge, and many more. We looked at pictures of six simple machines and noticed some of them in our classroom. The children knew their water bottles have a screw on the cap, and one person noticed that the handle of our classroom windows uses a screw to open. The next day someone brought in a screw that she found on her stoop.
In our yard this week we discovered more blooming flowers, some tiny early ants, and chirping birds. Some children pretended to be birds, flew around the yard, and sat on branches.
The kids were eager to go to gym class with Casey. Afterwards they excitedly told us, "There was a bouncy ball in there!" While half the class was in the bigroom, the rest of us read Machines At Work. Afterwards, we played letter bingo.
We prepared for our trip to Puppetworks by reading Sleeping Beauty, and taking turns retelling parts that we remembered. We talked about walking to the show, hand holding with our grownups, and that the lights would go out when the show began. Someone reminded us that we should be quiet during the show, but that we could laugh and clap.
Afterwards, the children talked about their favorite parts of the show: the dragon, the good fairy, when she woke up, and when they got married. One person said the witch was creepy. Someone reminded us that she wasn’t a witch, but an evil fairy.
On Friday we had a family share. Rosalie’s brother, Henry, came in and played cello for us. He played two songs. He showed us how he felt when he started learning the cello, it was a super silly face.
After, we asked the class if they thought there were any simple machines on Henry’s cello. “Screws!” several people shouted. We remembered that the keys on a piano are levers.
We ate snacks and went into the big room to play. We introduced our three tool boxes. The class was able to name every tool in the toolbox. We took turns in small groups using the tools on the stage. Who knew the stage was in such disrepair? Many children worked together building a new building on the stage.
In the block area we took turns using our big lever again, to pick up teachers and each other. Everyone stepped on and off slowly so as to not upset the weight distribution.
Have a balanced weekend,
Therese