Communal Painting with Grade 2

It was such a beautiful day on Friday! We decided to spend some of our time with our grade 2 buddies, engaging in a large painting project together. Just look at the amazing artwork that our children created! Each child was provided with one cup of paint and a brush. In order to get another colour, each child had to trade with another. This helped children practice problem-solving skills and sharing while being creative outdoors!

Carnation Experiment

At circle we conducted an experiment that was meant to explore what would happen to white carnations if they were placed in various colours of water and left in the classroom over the long weekend.

After filling 6 vases with water, the children used the primary colours of food colouring (red, blue, and yellow) to make the 6 colours we see in a rainbow. The children figured out that red and yellow mixed together made orange, blue and yellow made green, and red and blue made purple.

After each colour was made, the children placed the stem of carnations in each vase.

The vases were placed on a shelf. The children checked the carnations throughout the day to see if anything was happening to them. Hopefully we will return after the long weekend to find something has changed.

When asked to predict what would happen in our experiment, many children recalled our celery experiment where the stalks changed colour based on the water they were placed within. Children compared the carnations to the celery and made the same hypothesis. We were so impressed to hear this, as it means the children are calling upon their prior experiences to help them problem-solve and make predictions.

Stay tuned to see what happens!

Our New Plant

Check out our new plant. Do you think we can train it to grow on the trellis? We are hoping it adds a tall splash of green to the center of our classroom!

Feathers

Thanks to a donation from one of our families, we've been able to fill the tactile table with hundreds of very colourful feathers! The children have been drawn to how soft and fluffy they are. It's so much fun to toss one in the air and watch it twirl around until it touches the ground.

The Pet Store

Noticing that the children were tiring of the house center, we asked them to suggest ideas for what the dramatic arts center could be next. There were many great ideas - a motocycle shop, restaurant, art gallery, pet shop, and super hero headquarters.

We put the children's ideas into a graph and had them vote for their favourite using the Smart Board.

The Harley Shop came in first with the Pet Store a close second.

The children decided to use the building center as the Harley Shop, so the dramatic arts center became the Pet Store. With Mr. Cipkar's help, the children quickly changed the center. They stored the house items away and thought of what they needed for a Pet Shop.

They made a list to help guide them.

Some children gathered animals and other materials from around the room, others wrote words and made labels for the objects.

The children were very creative in how they made cages for the animals. Some used baskets from around the room...

Others used hanging net baskets...

The stove and fridge were turned into cages too!

We turned a large bin into a fish aquarium, with real water and plastic fish floating within.

We painted a sign for the store.

The children labelled the animals' cages.

They decided on how much to charge for the animals and got their cash register ready.

At the end of the day, a happy customer purchased some fish!

The vet was called in for an animal that suddenly became sick, but after some medication it felt better!

We can't wait to see what other animal adventures await at our new center! We have encouraged children to bring in stuffed animals for the center (we've asked them to ask a family member for permission first). If you choose to allow your child to share his/her animals, please label them with your child's name. Thank you!