Water Table Retell

Mrs. Wishy-Washy is a favourite character to explore at the beginning of the year, especially because the texts are so easily read and accessible for the children. We read two of our favourites today. 

We asked the children if they wanted to explore the text further. After a discussion as to who the characters were in the books, the children set to work around the room finding all the animals that were in the books. They decided that they each wanted to role-play being Mrs. Wishy-Washy.

We thought the water table would be the perfect place to retell the events of the text. I laminated pages from the story and attached them directly in the water table for reference with heavy duty clear tape.

The children used a variety of brushes to wash the animals and retell the text as they went along.

It was so much fun to hear the children singing "wishy-washy, wishy-washy" and pass the animals and different scrubbers back and forth!

Having the text directly in the water table supported literacy by encouraging the correct sequence of events and helping children connect the written words to the pictures.

Some friends were even inspired to revisit the big book and copy the pictures so they could have their own copy of the text!

Colour Chip Rings

We used some simple materials to make colour chip rings - an assortment of paint chips, a whole puncher, and some shower curtain rings.

We explored one colour at a time. I spread each paint chip on the table and invited the kids to sequence them from darkest to lightest.

 

Once ordered we secured the sequence by punching a hole in the chips and putting them on a ring.

These colour collections can now be used to match and compare colours. In this picture we are finding the shade of blue that best matched Caleb's shirt.

  

Here Cadence is finding the shade of green that matches our center piece.

These rings would be great tools for an outdoor spring scavenger hunt, similar to when we matched colours in nature.

Real Life Retell

I have been eager to incorporate some technology into our daily activities so when the kids carved their pumpkins, I thought it would be the perfect time to bring out the ipad and encourage my daughter to record the experience by taking some pictures.

As we participated in each stage of jack-o-lantern making, Cadence took a picture. It was a little tricky to do due to the size of the ipad.

 

We then transfered the photos from the ipad to the computer. It was a great mini lesson on technology and what happens to digital photos when we are ready to use them. Cadence took her time analyzing the photos and choosing the ones she wanted.

We printed them and then she spent some time writing about what was happening in each picture.

      

We then spread them out randomly on the floor and Cadence practiced sequencing the pictures according to their order.

This was a great way to practice sequencing/retelling a familiar story using technology as a way of capturing the events. I found that because Cadence had taken the photos herself, she was very invested in the activity. I also liked that it was an easy way to infuse some technology into the activity. Once we are done playing with the pictures we are planning on making them into a "How to Make a Jack-o-lantern" book to be kept on our bookshelf for future reference and reading enjoyment.

Snowpants, Boots, Hats...Oh My!

It's that time of year again when the weather is cold and snowy and our classroom is littered with snowpants, boots, hats, and mittens. With 25 children in the room it can get a little busy at times!  We have been working with children to remember a specific sequence of steps for when they dress themselves for outdoor play time. We are hoping that this sequence will encourage them to dress independently and successfully. After reviewing the steps with the children we posted an anchor chart on the wall as a reminder. We use the same language for the steps as we do when retelling a story.

The steps are:

First snowpants.

Next boots.

Then jacket.

Then hat.

Then scarf.

Finally mittens.

The children are working hard to keep track of their personal belongings and dress themselves.

And it's always so refreshing to see them helping each other!