Week Eighteen: Measurement and Buoyancy
We started off this week by setting New Year's Resolutions for ourselves. We discussed that resolutions are things that we can do to make ourselves better, things that we want to do more of, or new things we want to try over the course of the year. By thinking of personal resolutions, we automatically think about ourselves - our strengths, areas of growth, likes, dislikes, personality, and appearance. This might slowly grow into an uncovering of personal identity, but we will have to wait and see where our curiosities take us. The girls' interests in different types of measurement continue, so we found new ways of exploring measurement around the classroom. We also began thinking and talking about water this week, and conducting some experiments. See what we've been up to below.
S and G spend time this morning looking closely at each other and drawing, then painting, what they notice. People are difficult to draw, but both girls are doing a fantastic job!
A closer look at G while she adds watercolour paints to her representation of S. G realized that she forgot to draw in S's ears, so is adding them in here.
G can't help but interrupt her play in drama with a quick glance at the book about dinosaurs. She has been intrigued by the places they live, what they look like, and the fact that they have disappeared from our world.
G has spent time in the Art Centre glueing down sequins and similar materials into beautiful rows of colour. She takes time when she is done to place the unused sequins back into their containers so that other girls can use them another time. This piece of art took a steady hand, attention to detail, and spatial awareness to complete.
As a class we are experimenting with buoyancy today, and asking the question "will it float or sink?". First, the girls predicted whether each item would float or sink, then we are testing them out all together and recording the outcome on our papers.
Z is excited about using rules of different shapes and sizes, as well as the measuring tape. She takes note of the numbers on the tape as she positions it across the width of the clipboard.
G uses the measuring tape to measure the length of the daily schedule. She comments to the class that the measuring tape is in fact longer than the entire schedule!
G and S collaborate on a symmetrical design at the light table. G first decides to create a sort of building with a gate, and then S mentions that she wants to make a statue / pyramid. G suggests that it can go in the middle of her design, "right through the gate".
Z is eager to use the meter stick to measure today. She shows me how she is taller than it when she stands beside it.
Z wants to measure using two meter sticks because one seemed to always be shorter than her classmates. She asks S if she can measure her, and comments that "the two sticks are taller than S".
G is working on painting a portrait of Z at the Art Centre. She paused before adding colour to Z's hair, because she wanted to figure out what colour would best represent what she saw in front of her.
S spends time searching for our new sight word "can" in this week's poem. She uses the magnifying glass to get a closer look at the letters she is looking for.
For All School Buddies this month, we worked with the grade 5 girls to build boats that would hold marbles. Here G's group tests out their boat's buoyancy before adding any marbles.
Z adds another marble to her group's boat. This group's boat was able to hold over 70 marbles before being submerged!
G uses the linking shapes in the Math Centre to create wearable jewellery. After making a necklace, she measures her wrist to make sure she adds enough links to make the bracelet long enough to fit. What a great way to explore measurement.
Z draws a line to mark the water level in her cup for our most recent science experiment. We are trying to answer the question "what happens when you put water in a freezer?". The girls sketch what the water looks like before going into the freezer, as well as what they think it will look like when it comes out.
Dressed as a chef, Z finds the materials she needs to create a menu for the restaurant she works at.
Even mask-wearing princesses need to wear shoes indoors (in case of emergency).
We explore the wet / muddy / icy pathways in the ravine this week. Many questions come up about why there is both water and ice down here, as well as where the water comes from, and where it goes from here. We also love filling our bodies with fresh air at the end of a busy week!