We had a wonderful time on our field trip to the Greathouse Butterfly Farm! We started the day by learning about butterfly bodies. Next, we took a tour of the butterfly farm. We got to see caterpillars, chrysalises, butterflies, lots of plants, other insects, and some spiders. The highlight of the trip was getting to feed butterflies from sponges covered in fruit juice! Check out some videos below:
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Field Trip Tomorrow!
Tomorrow, all three kindergarten classes are heading to the Greathouse Butterfly Farm. Check it out at: www.greathousebutterflyfarm.com.
We will be leaving school at 8:45 am and returning no later than 12:30 pm. We will likely return to school earlier. Here are some reminders to make tomorrow run smoothly:
*Have your child wear sneakers or tennis shoes.
*All children need to bring a bag lunch.
*Check with your child to make sure he/she has a water bottle at school.
At the end of the day, all of the children will receive a butterfly-growing kit. To see what it will look like, click here. As your child's caterpillar grows and changes into a butterfly, please feel free to add comments to this post. I think it will be a great way to share with each other about what the children are observing and learning!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
As part of our butterfly unit, we read the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. I want the children to make their own hungry caterpillar artwork, so I started looking up information about how Eric Carle (the author/illustrator) creates his art.
First I found out that the book is 40 years old this year! Then, I found some great videos and slideshows on-line that show kids how he makes his artwork and how he got the original idea for The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In class today, we watched these clips with Ms. Johnson's first grade class. All of the kids were excited to see how Eric Carle created his art. Check out these sites to find out more:
Eric talks about getting his idea for the book and how it developed into the story we have today
Six-minute video of The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Slideshow of how he created the very hungry caterpillar using collage techniques
Slideshow of how he paints tissue paper to use in his artwork
Slideshow of his art studio
What did your child learn about Eric Carle and his books? Post a comment about what your child learned or found interesting! Explore other parts of Eric Carle's website (www.eric-carle.com) together to learn more. We can't wait to find out more about this beloved children's book author.
Monday, September 21, 2009
A Turtle Adventure
While on the playground today, some children spotted a turtle trying to get through the back fence. I was worried that he was searching for the creek and had lost his way. So, I went back to the room, grabbed some gloves and a cardboard box, then went to rescue him. We all walked down to the creek, and the children gathered around to wave good-bye as I released him into the water.
During writer's workshop, we retold the story together. The children helped me to decide which important details to include my illustration, then together we labeled the picture with beginning consonants. During their independent writing time, many of the students chose to draw and write about this exciting adventure as well. Check out the slideshow below to see how it all unfolded:
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