Insect Match Up

 

As we dig deeper into insect study, we are learning about the various stages many insects go through in their life cycles. While some baby insects (like praying mantises and stick bugs) look like smaller versions of their parents, many first go through a larval stage that has little family resemblance! Some of these larval stages are recognizable to us as caterpillars and grubs, but it is tricky to match the baby with the adult. Nonetheless, we took on the challenge! 

Kids were each given a picture of either an adult insect or a baby one and then sent off to find their match. This proved easier in some cases than others. Some were downright frustrating to find! However, we were impressed that all the matches were, at last, found. A fun experience for our nature kids. 

Check out the pictures below of the praying mantis that joined us for recess this week and the pairs of kids matched up with their corresponding adult insects and babies. 

This week the 1-2 kids started a new routine: yoga and mindfulness in the outdoor classroom! We learned several "insect" poses to complement our current insect study unit. Ask your student to show you the butterfly, bee and ladybug poses. Ms. Ashcroft is a certified mindfulness and yoga instructor. We're grateful for the PTO, who generously donated two class sets of kids' sized yoga mats. 

Check out the pictures below of our first session! 

The Sorting

After much eager anticipation, the 1-2 kids have been “sorted” into their Harry Potter House Tables this week: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw & Slytherin! While the characterizations of the Houses in the Harry Potter books are most favorable to Harry Potter’s own house, Gryffindor, and less so to the other houses, we in the 1-2s got to make our own house identities. Each House Table team has already collaborated on their first project: the choosing of the qualities they would like their house to most exemplify and the creation of their House Banner.

As you will see below, there is quite a variety of admirable traits selected by the students at each house table ranging from qualities of kindness to those of leadership to the spirit of fun! The kids will be with their house table team all year, creating a strong team together and sharing the responsibilities of taking care of their tables. Students have opportunities each day to earn points for their house table which will accumulate throughout the year. At the end of the year, the house with the most points in each class will win the “House Cup”. This means they will get to choose the theme for our end of year party that ALL children will be part of. They are already off to a great start!

Check out the pictures below of our House Table banners for both classes and ask your child if s/he can name all the members of their house. One of the key goals for the kids right now is to learn each other’s names. Ask your child which students’ names they know and which they are still trying to learn.This will help in our community building as we continue to launch the year.