Fish
in the Sea Weeks were filled
with rich literature, fun songs, lots of fish art, and a variety of fine motor
activities. Additionally, Fish in the Sea was the final theme within our
overarching unit "All Living Things Grow."
Sea Life was represented on our Felt Board and in our Water
Table!
Sea Shells and Fish were viewed under magnifying glasses.
Fish were assembled, sorted and matched.
At the Art Table, fish were
glued, painted, colored and stamped.
Sea Shells were glued as well!
Five
Rivers held many surprises this year, not the least of which being hundreds of
people and a broker Beaver Trail! Our
trip was truly wonderful none the less!
We saw wild life in many forms; wonderful flowers and foliage, a family
of Canadian Geese, turtles, snakes, birds, squirrels, chipmunks and Dinosaurs! Many thanks to all of our drivers!
Divertido con Espanol / Fun with Spanish
This week
Rosalba helped the children make a very special and pretty "Pecera"!
Vocabalo de Semana en Espanol / Words of the Week
in Spanish
Oceano /
Ocean
Pez /
Fish
Tiburon /
Shark
Tortuga /
Turtle
Looking Deeper:
Exploration and Learning through Play
Let's take a closer look at our concluding unit of study:
All Living Things Grow
Fish in
the Sea Weeks were the concluding focus of our over-arching unit entitled:
"All Living Things Grow." This
unit was rooted in Doctor Weeks as we explored and discussed the three
components necessary to insure healthy bodies.
It was formally introduced in late March during Baby Weeks as we explored
our own personal growth, and discovered that our growth was dependent upon
those same three components, namely: eating healthy food, getting plenty of
sleep and lots of exercise.
Our
focus shifted from the growth of people to the exploration of plants and their
growth from seeds during Growing Weeks.
We discovered that plant life also depends on three component to
facilitate growth and sustain life, these being; soil, sun and water. Additionally the children participated in a
myriad of activities that concretely demonstrated to them the sequence of plant
growth, which they will tell you is root, stem, leaf and flower. Farm and animal life was also explored and
discussed during this time.
In early
May we began our focus on bug life. We
learned that while we consider insects to be bugs, not all bugs are insects,
just the ones with six legs! We read a
variety of non-fiction books which illustrated and described the broad variety
of species that comprise Bug Life.
Additionally the children searched for and observed bugs during our
outdoor play time!
Fish in
the Sea Weeks focused on one final life form, the mysterious creatures that inhabit
our seas and oceans. While our study was
very basic, it served to broaden the children's concepts of sea life creatures
and their habitats.
Throughout
this unit the children have gained and broadened their basic conceptual
understanding of a variety of life forms, the components that facilitate
growth, and how these life forms are alike and/or different from one another. This learning has been facilitated through
literature and hands-on experiential activities, or as I like to call it Play!
Our
wonderful Field Trip to Five Rivers Environmental Preserve was a fitting
culmination for our unit as the Beaver Trail was bursting with abundant plant
and animal life for the children to observe and enjoy first hand!
Have a fun and restful weekend!
