Wind Week II

Wind Week II facilitated continued exploration of the movement of air in variety of activities! Blowing bubbles at the water table remained a very popular pursuit!

 Blowing the "ping pong basketball" into the basket created our very own March Madness!

 Music and movement with kites was a true delight!

Discussing how paper airplanes create wind as they fly was very interesting, but flying them was the very best part.

Making fans and using them to create wind that could move Pom Poms around and off  the surface of blocks took great focus and concentration!

Perhaps the greatest fun and focus occurred when the children observed balloons.  We discussed how the process of my blowing up a balloon entails my taking air from the room, moving it into my lungs and then moving it into the balloon.  The balloon flies when the air quickly escapes from it, creating wind that pushes the balloon forward across the room! 

Divertido con Espanol / Fun with Spanish

The children reinforced their Spanish words with Rosalba as she assisted them in making Hot Air Balloons!

Vocabalo de Semana en Espanol / Words of the Week in Spanish

Viento / Wind

Aire / Air

Ventilador / Fan

Mover / Move

Looking Deeper:  Exploration and Learning through Play

This week let's take a closer look at Play as the best Methodology for teaching Science to young children!

As an Early Childhood Educator, it is so exciting to observe the children "doing" Science.  Our photos illustrate well the children's activities but cannot always capture the children's excitement or the energy generated as they engage in Scientific exploration.  We began each day recalling our working definition:  Wind is air that is moving.  If the definition halted with words the children's understanding would no doubt be limited.  Experience gives meaning to the words.  Fun, active and engaging experiences adds passion to the learning!  There is no doubt that the children have grasped a concrete understanding of wind through the many and varied activities they have engaged in over the past two weeks.  More importantly, they are building on their perception that learning is fun, and ultimately developing a love of learning!

Have a fun and restful Weekend!