Preschool Science Fair

 

This Friday is the Feira Integrada at Upuêre and in English class the children have been conducting experiments which will be on display at our very own Science Fair!

This project-based approach integrated science and language learning.  There were opportunities to explore a broad range of skills, not just English. The project introduced, practised and integrated language skills in a natural way.  During our science learning, the children engaged in science processes. These science processes were problem-solving, inquiring, experimenting, hypothesising, researching and investigating.  The project has been a big success and I hope you all get the chance to visit our display on Friday.

 

UPUÊRE in Full Colour

We explored colour in all kinds of ways this week.  By now, everyone should be able to name red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, black, white and brown.  Some may even be able to tell you what happens when we mix different primary colours - red and blue makes purple, etc.

We sang the song I Can Sing A Rainbow and read the story Mouse Paint.  Here are some of the other activities we did this week...

On Monday, we played a fast-paced game called High-Five.  When I called out a colour, the children had to run and touch the hand of the same colour.

On Tuesday, we did the Travelling Colours Experiment.  The children love Science Day and become very focused during the activities.  You might like to try this one at home.  You just need three jars, water and food colouring.  Fill two jars with water and colour them in two primary colours.  Ask your child to name the colours in English and then try to guess what will happen when they mix.  Place a piece of rolled-up toilet paper or kitchen towel between the coloured water and the empty jars (see photos below).  Watch as the water is soaked up the paper and travels to the empty jar.  When the water starts to mix a new colour will form.  If you leave it overnight, you will see that the water levels in the three jars have evened out.  Amazing!

On Wednesday, there were lots of centers to explore in the Art Room.
We used eye-droppers, spray bottles, coloured water, paint, bicarb of soda and vinegar in different ways to discover how primary colours can be mixed to make secondary ones.

 

 

 On Thursday, we did digital painting with an app called Paint Sparkles.  If you put it in English, a voice will name the colour you choose.  We also used our paintings from yesterday to make colourful mice for our classroom wall.  Come by and see the finished result.  It looks wonderful.
The mice were inspired by the book we read this week - Mouse Paint.

 

Friday will be a day in the playground, as usual.  I will do a separate post with photos from the fun activities I have planned for the kids to do so check back in tomorrow!

Mouse Paint

 This is the story we used this week to hear and practise colours in English. To make it a bit more challenging for those who already know this vocabulary, the story introduces the idea of primary and secondary colours.  I used the Kindle version of the book, which you can download from Amazon books. I also told the story using foam puppets.

 

 

Come and visit the Art Room to see the beautiful wall display we made around the theme of this book.

Singing a Rainbow

Videos of Kellen and Fabíola's class singing the song of the week - I Can Sing A Rainbow.

I Can Sing A Rainbow

This is the song we are singing this week.  The children have picked it up really quickly and sing it so beautifully.  I'll get a video up here soon!

Traveling colours

Another experiment today in English class!  This week we're looking at primary and secondary colours.  We tried to guess what would happen when we mixed two primary colors together.  The most interesting thing about this experiment was that we used paper to transfer the water from one pot to the other.  It was amazing to see how the liquids travelled along the paper and then mixed to make a new color.

As part of this theme we are reading the book Mouse Paint and learning a new song called The Rainbow Song.

Looking After Our Pets

More kids have sent in their beautiful photos and here they are!  Great to see so many of you looking after your pets.  Good Job!!

New display in the Art Room. Come take a look!

As part of our Flowers, Seeds and Leaves theme, the children used different materials to make flowers which we joined together to made a display for our Art Room.

When they finished, there were plenty of other activities to do in our theme related centers.

How Many Bugs In The Box?

This was our story during our Seeds, Flowers and Leaves theme.  It seemed like a good fit considering we had also been looking at some of the insects that live in our playground and playing with toy-bug sensory trays.

 
We practised "How many....?" and numbers 1 - 10.

Nature Scavenger Hunt

To finish off our theme on seeds, flowers and leaves, we went on a "Nature Scavenger Hunt". Using a print-out of the photos above, the children searched the playground to find the different things.  Not only did it get them using their new vocabulary spontaneously, it also encouraged them to take a closer look at the plants and insects which share the space where they play each day.

I did this activity after a guessing game which was played at circle time.  The children had to guess how many bugs I had put in a bottle.  After passing the bugs around the circle, we read the story of the week "How Many Bugs In The Box".

Julia teaches her pet to use the I-pad

Julia, from Group 4, has a very modern pet! It loves using new technology, especially the iPad.  I wonder if it has an account on Fcaebook and twitter?

What are you doing this weekend with you pet?

Sorting Seeds

Here are some more photos from our lesson outside on seeds, leaves, flowers and fruit.  The kids in Group 4 had a great time at our Discovery Table.  One of the best things about the lesson was getting to use our new magnifying glasses.  Another popular activity was the seed sorting tray, which involved using tweezers to sort different types of seeds.

Looking Closer At Everyday Things

Our English class today was outside in the playground exploring seeds, flowers, leaves and fruits on our very first Discovery Table.  The children also enjoyed taking a closer look at these objects with our new magnifying glasses.  I loved to see how interested and focused the kids were on cutting, sorting, and inspecting everything.

Nature Drawings

Group 3 did some beautiful drawings in the playground today which were inspired by flowers, leaves and seeds.  This activity is part of our theme Growing Things, which takes a look at what plants and animals need to grow.  The language focus today was on describing the objects on the table using number, size and colour and well as the naming the things we were exploring: flowers, leaves and seeds.

They also had a great time exploring the materials on the Science Discovery Table.  This was a great way for them to experience the new language in an authentic way.

Discovery Table

We took the lesson outdoors again this Friday and explored our theme with a Science Discovery Table.  The children had the opportunity to explore and discover seeds, leaves, flowers and fruit.

They had a great time touching, manipulating, studying and exploring these items.  There was also an area set up for free creative drawing, inspired by the items we were looking at.

 

Read about the benefits of sensory play at the Early Childhood News website.