SCIENCE LAB: MATTER - LIQUIDS AND SOLIDS

The children are really loving our science lab portion of school. They are great at sitting and listening to see what we are going to learn about in this Science Lab. Here we are learning about the differences between a solid and a liquid. 

Here we have made a non-Newtonian Fluid which can act as both a solid and a liquid depending on the amount of pressure exerted on it. When touched gently, it acts as a liquid; when pushed roughly or pressure is applied, it becomes solid-like. The children loved the mess we made; after all, Science is Messy!

PUPPIES AT SCHOOL!!!!

My foster puppies, brothers, Clark and Eddie, came to school to spend some time with the class.

The children did a great job welcoming them. 

Everyone was gentle and waited for one of the pups to come to them. What a great lesson in patience! 

As you can see by the pictures, Clark was more adventuresome when it came to meeting the children up close and personal.

I was very proud of how well they behaved - both the puppies and the children!

WORKING THOSE LITTLE AND BIG MUSCLES

We continually are doing things in class to strengthen our tiny finger muscles. This will make the writing we do in the future hopefully easier. Here, we are practicing our cutting skills.

One skill we reinforce is holding a pair of scissors correctly. Remember to always remind your child to keep their thumb on top while holding and cutting with scissors.

Holding small pieces using the pincer grip is one of the best ways for your child to gain control of their finger muscles.

The best place to strengthen those large muscles that help us run and jump is, of course, the playground. We climb and race, slide and see saw. But on the playground, there is no throwing. To help work our arms and improve our aim (a hand/eye coordination skill), we made up a game in class. The children throw bean bags onto different shape cards and yell out the name of the shape they landed on. They all love it!

ARIEL COMES FOR A VISIT

This is my sweet girl Ariel. I rescued her from Animal Control 3 1/2 years ago. She has since helped me rehab several foster dogs so they could be adopted. She has also helped teach many children about dogs and how to treat them. She really loves to come to school and spend time with the children.

Ariel helps me teach the children how to interact with a dog they do not know, what to do and what not to do. She is incredibly calm and patient, and has no problem having the children pet and hug on her. Ariel loves showing the children how to gently greet a new animal.

Pets are wonderful companions for young children and help teach them responsibility and empathy.

Perhaps our next visitors will be my wild and crazy foster puppies, Clark and Eddie!

Or maybe not!

INSIDE FUN YOU CAN DO AT HOME TOO!

Let's make those finger muscles stronger!

It's easy to use tweezers to move cotton balls from one bowl to another.

Practicing our balance skills by using blocks to stand and walk on without falling off.

Using everyday objects to create our art projects is fun too. Here we are using car window ice scraper to mix and spread paint to create unique pictures.

SNOWMEN WE CAN EAT!

 We've been spending our days talking about winter - even though the weather outside screams APRIL!

Only in Savannah.

Here we each made a snowman face for our snack. This tested the children's ability to put facial features in the correct place, and it was yummy!

  We've also been having fun playing with our friends we didn't see over the break!

The week leading up to Christmas Break

There was lots to do during the week leading up to our Christmas Break. While making some ornaments for out tree, we were sure to work those tiny fine motor muscles that are oh, so important.

We also created our shape angels. This activity reinforced our knowledge of different shapes and our following direction skills.

Our Swedish Dala horses showed us that different places have different types of ornaments and traditions for their trees. Decorating the horses also made us work our finger muscles.

Many of us were sure to wear our Christmas finery to school!!!!

And here is a quick look at our classroom tree that the children took great pride in decorating.

I hope all of you had the Merriest of Christmases. Love to all!