The Metaproject is taking shape

The students have been talking about the world, and what it means to them.  Some examples of their comments are:

• The Earth
• The planet
• The whole world has lots of schools
• The whole globe
• The globe is a map
• Lots of countries
• Why do they have lines on a map?
• Because you can see the way
• The world is houses and places for people
• The people and the countries
• The place for people and animals and water to live
• The whole universe
• My mama is my world, because I came from her tummy
• The world is your friends

And then we had an unexpected question:

• What if we mess up the whole world?  

I think this is an area we can pursue further.  I would like to encourage the students to think of ways we can help our planet, particularly in terms of recycling and reusing materials. With that in mind, if you have any empty boxes (cereal boxes, tissue boxes, or items of a similar or smaller size) or paper towel rolls, or other possible items we could use for art/building activities, please start sending them in to school.  In previous years the "Make and Take" centre, using recycled materials, was a very popular activity choice.  It really gives students a chance to think creatively and explore possibilities!

"Our planet is very beautiful!"

Planning, considering, arranging, creating...

Incorporating symmetry into the design

This week at Discovery Time some students chose to make beautiful pieces of art out of a variety of natural materials.  They sorted through the items, selecting and carefully placing the leaves, shells, flowers, rocks and twigs to make an arrangement. When they felt the artwork was finished, they found their name cards and used an iPad to take a photo of the piece. In this way they were practicing more skills, framing and capturing an image.

Natural materials art work

We also looked at flowers, and some students chose to try drawing their observations.  Afterwards several children remarked upon their work and I wrote down their comments; even at this young age they are developing skills that will help them, as we know scientists make sketches and models as a way to communicate ideas. 

Exploring the properties of water

We have benchmarks in all areas of the curriculum. In Science we look at the properties of water, and consider how they change depending on its state.  We want the students to be able to describe observable features of water and what better way to do it than through play?

Reminders:

Please remember to read the Head of Grade Blog this week!