Science Update: Learning about Liquids

For science lessons for November and December we focused on learning about the various properties of solids. During our 9 inquiry lessons, we conducted hands-on explorations of twenty solids objects. We talked about how they have shape and color, that we can see through some but not all. We explored whether they could roll and/or stack, which ones would stick to a magnet and which ones would ink or float in water.

We have now begun our investigations of the properties of liquids. We began by comparing and contrasting two familiar liquids, water and glue. Expanding on the classification of liquids, students added shampoo and oil to the materials list. This provided a total of four liquids to observe with a magnifiing lens as well as opportunities to touch and pour. Students offered their insights to color, feel, fluidity, scent, opacity or transparency.

As we continue to learn about the properties of liquids, the children will explore volume, flow rates related to viscosity and fluidity as well as density, suspensions and mixtures. Each lesson expands on the previous, provides opportunities to discuss their findings and is followed by a recording of observations. Observation pages include student drawings, Venn diagrams, classification charts, and written results. These pages are being compiled into individual science journals.

Following the scientific method the children are encouraged to question, predict, test, record data, and consider real world uses. This unit is extremely engaging and includes fun activities that turn the classroom into a science learning lab.

Welcome to Kindergarten, Luke!

What a great way to start off a brand new month and a brand new year than by our class making a brand new friend. We are delighted to have Luke join our class as our 15th classmate. We enjoyed his visit last November and have been eagerly awaiting his arrival as a permanent member of our kindergarten class.

Luke's family just moved to Florida from Illinois so his father could start his new job. Luke says he is happy to be away from Illinois as it was very cold there, and they had no snow. While he will miss his old friends, he thinks he will enjoy the nice weather and sunny days of Florida.

Luke says he has no pets but his favorite animal is a cheetah. He has an older brother who has started the fifth grade here at Shorecrest. His favorite color is blue but his favorite vehicle would be a red race car. He likes to eat pasta, watermelon, lemonade, and brownies.

Luke is friendly and fits right in with all our activities and lessons. He's a great addition to our class. Welcome!

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The Gift of Oneself!

Shopping for holiday gifts is lots of fun. Our class certainly went all out with providing gifts for our needy family. What a huge pile of colorful gifts, including a shiny new bike, we had stacked up in the K hallway outside our classroom door. The class was very excited to walk to the athletic center carrying gifts to be placed on the gym floor next to our class family's number. It was amazing to see the gym floor covered with large piles of gifts for needy families all over the St. Petersburg area.

At Town Meeting this Monday, our guidance counselor, Mrs. Lippencott, challenged the students to do more than just shop for gifts for their families, but to think of meaningful things to do that would delight our parents. She suggested that the children volunteer to help with family chores around the house. She suggested thinking about their mothers and fathers, and deciding what would be something their parents woud really appreciate, such as washing the dishes, cleaning their own bedrooms without being asked, and pulling weeds in the garden. How about volunteering to set the table before dinner and clearing the table after dinner, making one's own bed, getting dressed without help, brushing your teeth without being reminded or doing your homework neatly without assistance? These are truly gifts from the heart. All these acts of kindness encourage the children to be to think about other people's feelings, needs and wants. It also encourages them to be more responsible and independent.

Dr. Bianco reminded the students of Mr. Murphy's challenge to us to have Shorecrest be the nicest school in the America, and for us to work hard, play hard, and to take good care of each other. Great words to live by!

Happy Holidays to all our families. Enjoy your special times together and safe travels to all. Mrs. Minke will be in Michigan at the family cottage up north and in Detroit visiting her grandson, Jaxon. Mrs. Keirnan will be with her family skiing in Utah. We are both hoping for snow!

Mrs. Minke and Mrs. Kiernan

From Seeds to Soup

Last September the kindergarten classes all helped to plant various vegetables, herbs, and flowers in the new Lower Division Community Garden. Each of our classes has their own garden bed filled with rich soil prepared by Shorecrest parents with the advice of parent, David Abbey. It's rumored that his special garden soil mix even contains dog food! For whatever the reason, all the seeds and tiny seedlings we planted in the fall grew like crazy! Each week showed a huge increase in the size of the plants.

Each day throughout the fall when returning to the classroom from recess, we were able to monitor how our garden flourished. Several times our class went to the garden to pull out the weeds and trim the rapidly growing plants. We harvested our herbs in November, and each child was able to take home a baggie full of fresh herbs.

Last Friday all three kindergarten classes contributed to the making of Stone Soup. Inspired by the award winning tale by Marcia Brown, each class contributed to our pot. From the Shorecrest gardens we included fresh herbs, egg plant, green peppers, cauliflower, green beans, tomatoes, and cabbage. The ingredients simmered and the air was filled with a delicious scent. Later in the day we all had a chance to enjoy the recipe created in our kindergarten kitchen by good will and sharing. Yum, delicious and nutritious!

Discovering Patterns in Reading and Writing

Today we are beginning new units of study in both our reading and writing workshops. We will first be discovering patterns in our reading books. Analyzing patterns in stories helps early readers to read effectively and with greater fluency. Today's reading example will be about the classroom. We will reread a story we shared early in the fall to see how the pattern in the first pages of the book helps us predict the rest of the story. The book goes something like this: "See the computer." "See the crayons." etc. We will also revisit a class favorite, "Brown Bear, Brown, What Do You See?" to talk about the story's pattern and discuss why this book is so popular. During December we will quickly transition to more complex story patterns. First, the sample books will be more like lists in book form. Later, we will explore pattern books that tell a story.

In writers' workshop we will begin creating our own pattern books using the formats we discovered in our reading. We will be writing about a number of non-fiction topics chosen from a long list of topics that the class brainstormed. Later, we will include stories that are fiction, too, as well as ones that ask questions.

In our study of pattern books we will emphasize reinforcing basic vocabulary both to read and spell, ( look, here, come, etc.) We will stress working neatly, using spaces between words, including periods and question marks at the end of sentences, staying on the chosen topic, and writing stories that are easy to read. Our lessons will include changing the characters, places, and settings to create patterns stories. We will introduce adding colors, numbers, and other descriptive words to our sentences to make our writing come alive. We will discover that many pattern books have a twist at the end to summarize book, such as "My Classroom." Sometimes the twist is also the same as the title.

With so much to learn about pattern books, December will find us very busy.

Service Learning: Our Community Involvement

After our informative visit to the homeless shelter on Fourth Street South last month, our kindergarten classes wanted to find a way to help make Thanksgiving enjoyable for the guests who would be eating at the shelter that day. The Salvation Army usually serves over 100 meals on the 24 tables in their dining room.

First we decided that each of our three classes would make eight paper turkeys with real feathers to serve as center pieces for the 24 tables. This will help add a festive atmosphere to the dining hall.

Then, we remembered those 58 cans of pumpkin that we were challenged to use for the shelter. Six cans has been baked into pumpkin crisp and delivered when our kindergartens toured the shelter, which left 52 cans. The children voted unanimously that we should make pumpkin pies to be delivered along with our turkey decorations in time to be served for the Thanksgiving meal. We calculated that we would need to make one pie for each of the 24 tables to ensure that each guest would have a piece. A special thanks to all our families who provided the necessary ingredients and assistance to help our students make so many pies.

Today began our assembly of pies. Recipes were doubled and tripled to be sure each classes participation would yield the amounts needed. We have frozen the pies for delivery and the Salvation Army Shelter kitchen will be baking them in their extra large ovens next week. We hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Investigating Solids and Liquids

Our science lessons and explorations are now focusing on a brand new unit for kindergarten, the study of solids and liquids. We began our investigations by observing and describing two solid objects, a blue plastic spoon and a steel ball. The children did a great job comparing the properties and recording an observation in their new science journals.

With the help of a partner and our science volunteers, children then sorted a tray of 20 objects, first by color and then by shape. Comparing items elicited a broad number of attribute classifications such as metal, lines, round, clear, bounce, and shine.

Today students will continue their observation of solids and record their findings on a Venn Diagram. This will provide a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the characteristics of the various items. Which items can roll, stack, or do both?

Our study of matter will continue with investigations of hardness, solids in water (float and sink) and testing solids for magnetism. Next, we will expand our exploration to discover how many other ways are we able to sort these 20 items. This section concludes with a fresh observation of two new items as an assessment of the lessons on the properties of solids.

The latter section of this unit will investigate how liquids flow, mix, drop and spill.