"It smells like nature"

What can the earth provide us?
This was a question asked to the children.  Answers varied from rocks, trees, bees, toys, God, and love.  I narrowed it down to Earth's materials.  We talked about rocks, water, landforms, and dirt.

From there we spent more time talking about dirt.  And what better way to understand it other than sticking our hands in it!  I grabbed dirt right from the garden and brought it in the classroom.  What words did we use to describe what we knew and observed?

smelly
hard
soft
damp
black
rough
crumbly
smells like nature
smells like potatoes
wonderful

When we looked closer, we saw many things besides dirt.  I wonder how they got there and why they were there.

Analyzing the dirt and taking apart what we saw, we got to the bottom of it.  What is dirt made from?

This garden dirt is made from wood chips, sticks, plants, rocks, leaves, roots, plants, bugs, and dirt (leftover black stuff).  This dirt was very dynamic.  It had so many things we might have never paid any attention to.  

Another type of earth material is sand.  It is very similar to this dirt.  We borrowed some sand from Ms. Molly and came up with attributes just like before. These are some of the words we came up with:

smells like nothing
mushy
soggy
smooth
crunchy
breaks apart
smells gross
cinnamon
pepper
grainy

While coming up with these words, we noticed there were some similarities, but mostly differences.  Both materials came from the earth.  They both were wet when we touched them.  They both broke apart and had rocks in them.  In order to compare and contrast these items in an easy way, we brought our written words outside to give us more space.

Two different earth materials can have similarities and differences.  It is important for sand and soil to be different.  They are great for certain things.  Which one is easier to play in?  Which one is better for an animal's habitat?  Is soil better for a cactus plant or a lettuce plant?  Can a plant grow the same in each type?  

A child suggested an experiment and we all thought it was a good idea.  Why don't we plant the same seeds in different types of dirt and see what happens?  Many children predicted nothing would grow in the sand.  We will let you know what we find out!

Finished Stuffed Animals

Back in March we started on a project involving sewing.  The children were inspired to make creatures with fabric, needles, and stuffing.  The first blog post (here) details the source of our thinking.  There was an update (here) showcasing our progress.  

At the end of it all, we were very proud of what we had done.  It took longer than I think anyone was expecting, but it was worth it.  The animals went home, back to school, back home, and to school again.  They are still very important.  

Check out our first plans and last pictures below!

Timelines

I'm sure at this point if you have a child in my classroom, you are aware I recently got married.  With this absence, the children have been initiating a lot of conversations about life events.  

"Ms. Sarah, what was your wedding like?"

"Did you have a party?"

"How did you meet?"

"Did you always know he was going to be your husband?"

"Are you having a baby?"

In life, we usually have a timeline of events.  First I was born, then I got older, then I became an adult, then I met my husband, and then we got married.  I started asking the children to think of their own lives.  What is the same between each person?  What in our timelines is different?  Yes we were all born and learned to talk, but when did you learn to tie your shoe?  A discussion the other day led us to learn some children built their first lego house before kindergarten and some children built it after coming to school.  This one way our timelines differ.  

I have written/drawn sentences on separate tiles and ordered them with the children.  

I learned to walk.

I said my first word.

I was born.

I ate in a high chair.

Which of these goes first?  Last?  What could be added in between?

This concept is a kindergarten standard for me to cover with the children, so it comes together naturally.  Along with a historical timeline, we have been making fictional timelines.  Some of the children are thinking about their own future!   This is also a good chance to summarize the short timelines of stories as well.  Below are some "from scratch" timelines we made.

First: I got out of my mom's belly.  Then: and cried.  Last: and I went to my mom.

Let's see if you can figure out this timeline.  Hint: the words say "find a boyfriend."

This is the story of little red riding hood!