SOLSC #13: What about readiness?

I am participating in the
March 2018 Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC).
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days.

A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity

for teacher-writers to share and reflect.

I had another one of those strange collaborative conversations today, where I could feel the "pushing" of children. The meeting included a cross-section of teachers and administrators, to discuss an issue:

Our school has a significant increase in students requiring occupational therapy for writing in first grade.

The question was asked -

What can we do in kindergarten, pre-K4, and pre-K3 that would decrease the referrals?

Readiness. 

Ugh.

This is such a minefield of a word for me, as a preschool teacher.

I was told that there is a very big gap between what is expected in first grade and our developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood.

I was told that after kindergarten, 60% of a student's day is spent writing.

Wow.

I wonder -

how do we know that first grade expectations are reasonable?

why is it that the early childhood curricula should change? should be modified to meet this need?

how do we know this is the right thing to do?

Please don't get me wrong - there are a lot of developmentally appropriate ways to encourage pre-literacy...ways to build fine motor muscles, ways to encourage letter recognition, ways to nurture both reading and writing. There are great ways to do all of this in the midst of a play-based, exploratory curriculum. I am game to think this through, to consider ways to enhance our curriculum.

I simply wonder,

how is it that the increased need for occupational therapy reflects on the early childhood years?

shouldn't we be questioning what is being expected of our elementary students?

I saw this declaration on a sign advertising a local private preschool, 

"Where childhood is cherished, children flourish."

Many days, public school seems far removed from this dreamy description.

What about those clouds?

This is a Tuesday Slice of Life for Two Writing Teachers. 

Check out their website for many more reflections on teaching.


______________________________

I wrote recently about our neighborhood walks, noting how we have been observing the clouds in the sky. 

Truly, a "cloud study" is emerging in our class.

Behind our school is a large field, providing a large expanse from which to see the sky. This leads to some breathtaking views. We see storms forming, airplanes and helicopters crossing, winds blowing, rain pelting down, and bright sun shining.  Honestly, I've been surprised by how varied the sky can look. 

The clouds are captivating. I encourage the children to observe them more closely. 

The view is lovely from our classroom windows.  

"Look, Ms. Ingram, the clouds are moving!," one student called to me during centers the other day.

At least once a week, we head out the back door of our school to the field, to sit and draw the clouds in the sky. The children are honing their fine motor skills while becoming scientist - observers.

One day, we went out to draw the clouds but there was nothing but gorgeous blue sky, as far as the eye could see. I asked, Where are the clouds? and thoroughly enjoyed the children's responses:

"The clouds are in the sun." (H)

"Because my dad said 'if there is no clouds, you can play.' 

And if you see the clouds, you can draw the clouds." (D)

"Unless the sun take the clouds away." (B)

In the art corner, we have created clouds of our own, in several different ways. 

We created clouds with white, gray, and even black paint, using cotton balls and q-tips as tools to apply the paint. The children created these as a 'symmetry' lesson, putting the paint on one side of the paper only and then folding the paper over, resulting in a mirroring image on the other side of the paper.

We created a beautiful blue sky as a group project. The children delighted in working on their hands and knees, right on the floor of the classroom. 

Of course, once the sky was complete, we needed to add clouds. These we created with 'puffy paint,' which I always enjoy mixing with the children. Puffy white paint is easy - shaving cream mixed with glue (more or less equal parts of each) ... a delightfully sensory experience for painting clouds by hand:

Our fabulous art teacher Briana shared a blog with me by an artist and designer named Cristina Moreno, showcasing the most extraordinary cloud and sky work; I simply had to make a large cloud with the children!!

I wasn't totally certain how to create the cloud, but I thought - let's give it a try! Briana helped fashion a base/form for the cloud and even provided me four bags of cotton batting for the project. The children went to work on this large scale model of a cloud!

The children worked and worked on this, all morning long, pulling small pieces of cotton from the bag, stretching it to make it light and fluffy, and applying lots of glue. (I was astonished at how many bottles of glue we went through to create this exciting structure!)

The children were so engaged, with such great language streaming from their lips...the adjectives alone:

pillow-ey

fluffy

puffy

sticky

squishy

enormous

gentle

soft

bubbles

gooey

ooey-gooey

sticky 

wet

The children had so many great questions -

What are clouds made of?

How big are clouds?

Can we make a real cloud?

How long does it take to make a cloud?

What does it feel like to fall into a cloud?

It was such a thrill to stand on chairs as one worked!!

It took several days for the cloud to dry out.

Then, it was time to find an answer to another pressing question from the children:

How will it hang?

In our science corner, of course! Right in front of our window.

"If you want to have a cloud, you have to be a builder." (A)

We are getting our cloud work ready to share with the families for this Thursday's Learning Showcase. However, I'm not sure our cloud study is over - each day brings more curiosity and exploration.

Can't you hear Joni Mitchell singing?

I've looked at clouds from both sides now

From up and down and still somehow

It's cloud illusions I recall

I really don't know clouds at all

Tuesday SOL What about snow?

This is a Tuesday "Slice of Life" for Two Writing Teachers. Check out their website for lots more reflections on teaching.

*******
Happy New Year!
Today was our second day back at school and, much to my surprise when I woke up this morning, it was snowing! I had heard that we might get a dusting, but unfortunately this 'dusting' came during the morning commute…I struggled to get in to my classroom, my typical 30 minute commute tripling in length.

Yes, I was late to school.
I don't think I have ever been late to school.

That slog of a commute gave me so much time to watch the falling snow and plan a snowy extension to today's learning. I always find nature so engaging for children - and isn't it particularly magical when nature is a fresh snow?

After gathering, I took a small group of children outside when it was still snowing, to collect fresh snow for our classroom. We had so much fun!

Back in the classroom, one large tub of snow was dumped onto the sand in the sensory table - snow on a beach! The children were surprised and elated by this combination…making snowballs, trying to build a snow man, watching the sand and snow mix together, surprised by how cold the sand became.

Snow in sand. It was so cold, it started melting... you can make an outside snowball

 (Evan)

There were still three more large containers of snow…and these I added to the art table. The art table had been readied for a process art activity with found objects and paint. What if we used the paint and the found objects with snow? Why not? What might happen? Let's see!



I added a few extra tools - tongs, eyedroppers, tweezers, stirring sticks, spoons. I watered down the paint so that it might be useful with a dropper. Then I stepped back and watched the children explore...

immediately seeing






Excited preschoolers,

touching and squeezing the snow

filling eye droppers with paint, squeezing paint onto the snow

making dots, speckles on the snow

adding spoonfuls of snow into the paint

picking up snow with tongs

I love pink

I love purple

I love blue

Curious preschoolers,

dropping found objects in the snow

retrieving them with tongs

stirring them into the snow

dropping found objects into the paint

adding in more snow, to the paint

I'm making soup

I'm making spaghetti

Look! I got it all gone!

Focused preschoolers,

picking up tongs full of snow,

plopping the snow into the paint,

watching, watching, watching

as the paint moved up the snow ball,

the snow slowly filling with paint color

not melting but growing in color,

Stirring, stirring, stirring

meticulously removing every bit of snow from the containers

We are making snow!

It's turning to dark red

My snow is all pink

This is cold

Feverish preschoolers,

rapid questions, incessant demands

I need tongs!

What about tweezers?

I need another tray!

I need more water!

I need a clean squeeze thing! 

I want pink, too! 

What are those? 

I need something to mix!

Where did you get that?

I need a spoon!

Alert, excited, restless, engaged.

Me,
I was the guide on the side,
moving quickly to support them,
all things at once,

taking pictures,

making notes,

asking questions,

pointing them towards supplies,

encouraging them to resolve problems themselves

Where are they kept?

Has anyone seen where those are kept?

Where did we put them?

What just happened when you did that?! Wow!

What if you ask a friend where she got hers?

How might you get the paint out of the eyedropper?

What happens to the snow when you do that?

Did you ask her if you can have some?

Where might we get water?

Will that fit in there?

What happens to the paint when you put snow in it?

What do you think will happen?

I, too, was alert, excited, restless, engaged.

This is my favorite kind of centers work!

And it sure helped me to forget about that horrid commute.

SOL One thing leads to another...

Tuesday Slice of Life with Two Writing Teachers

A small moment, today.
Children making magic,
seeing the wonder in small things.

We were on the playground - our side alley, that is.
Plants on the windowsill were watered,
and then,
being children,
the rest of the water was poured out,
onto the alley.
The water moved like a river,
flowing downhill towards our entrance.
Children hooted and hollered,
standing over the river,
straddling it with their legs,
laughing together.

Nearby, a bin of chalk - and possibility!

Someone decided to paint the path of the water.

Others decided to follow suit.
With great care and precision,
a beautiful, colorful, water path was created.

Why do you sit in a chair?

We've started a new fun ritual at the start of our day, wherein the students themselves take turns asking the question of the day on the whiteboard.  I've seen this done in older classes but I hadn't tried it at the preschool level. Laura McCarthy (Teaching Resident) decided to give it a try with our class and I have really enjoyed seeing how excited the children are about this daily pastime.

We invite the children to consider what they want to learn from their peers or what they want to know about their peers.


Most of the questions have been fairly predictable..."small" wonderings, such as

Do you have a pet? Yes or No?
What is your favorite food - macaroni and cheese, pizza, spaghetti, other?
What is your favorite - airplanes, helicopters, or trains?
What do you like for breakfast - oatmeal, muffin, cereal, other?
Do you like princesses? Yes or No?




This past week, Harper's question was open-ended:

Why do you sit in a chair?

I was delighted to see how the children answered.

Many were stumped.
"I don't know," being their immediate response.


Others puzzled long enough to reframe the original question, to make their answer fit their needs -
I like that chair! [points to a student chair] (Ferdinand)
That chair! [points to teacher chair] (Nolan)

For many, a chair was for sitting down for meals:
"So, you can eat lunch." (Soren)
"So, you don't spill food." (Sayid)
"That means you have to eat." (Ben)
"Because we eat." (Emma)
"Because we got to sit down eating." (Ellington)

Reia noted another favorite activity for chairs:
"Because we read books."

Dillon's response made me think of "rules" about chairs -
"Because we sit in a chair all the time." (Dillon)
[He is perhaps remembering adult voices, reminding him to sit in the chair.]

Other responses seemed to wrestle philosophically with the purpose of a chair -

"Because I don't want to stand up." (Harper)

"So, if there is something lower, you can reach it." (Sarah Lydia)
"So, we won't fall." (Anya)
"If it disappears, you fall off and hit your bottom." (Jamie)
"If you want to relax, you go to a chair or a bed." (Charlie)

I loved this question! I loved how one simple question gave me a window into children's cognitive processing...how they think.

What about food and cooking?

Kid need experiences to attach words to...if it’s not in the heart, hands, bones, it’s not in the brain. – Bev Bos

Time to share about our newest topic in the Big Cats ...

We've started a new exploration - all about food, with a special emphasis on nutrition and cooking. We've been talking all year about healthy food and healthy habits...now we're experiencing how delicious it is to cook and create together. 

We are taking so many fun tangents...such as creating a super big cardboard food truck! We needed something big enough for us to climb into, allowing us to pretend to deliver school lunches to our school (we watch a real truck come and go everyday in our alley), or to sell food to employees downtown and throughout the city, or perhaps it is a farmer's market food truck. So many uses for a good truck when you are working with food!

So, let's get working on the food truck...

It took a lot of hard work, focused creativity, everyone working together, but we did it!!

Don't forget that the truck needs a label! We'll write "food" on it.

On second thought, let's paint the truck and we'll add a new "food" sign later.

Cooking is a big part of this unit. We are creating at least one yummy and nutritious recipe a week, with a special emphasis on "healthy eating." The teachers are selecting the recipes based on available cooking tools and children's interests. We don't have a kitchen at our school, but we have electricity...so we have an electric skillet, blender, wok, food processor, etc. Other than the recipe selection, the children are doing all the doing!

The process begins with the children

- sharing what they know about a particular recipe, 

- brainstorming lists of their wonderings about the food, 

- writing shopping lists, and 

- walking to the local grocery store for these ingredients.

Let me share a couple shopping lists that the children wrote -

(I particularly like how Bella's seems to replicate the quick, haphazard writing of adults' grocery lists!)

Here we are, walking to the grocery store to purchase the ingredients for our first recipe - making fruit smoothies.

Before going into the store, we reviewed and practiced our "store" behaviors - how to walk (holding that rope, moving slowly and carefully), what voice to use (inside, quiet voice), where to keep our hands (one on the walking rope, other on our hip), how to find ingredients (search with our eyes and calmly alert the teacher - "Ms. Ingram, I see strawberries!")

Believe it or not, we totally surprised a couple men that were stocking shelves - the children were so quiet, patient, and calm, they looked up at us and went wide-eyed, as if to say, "Wow! Look how many children!"

I thought a lot about how to organize the cooking experience so that each child gets the opportunity to measure and mix the ingredients.   We divided the class into four small groups (randomly assigned by choosing a numbered craft stick) for each cooking experience. Each recipe will be created four times from scratch.

Our first week, we made smoothies! Our ingredients included frozen mango and mixed berries, fresh strawberries and bananas, rice milk, and vanilla yogurt. Each small group worked together to decide the special ingredients to include in their fruit smoothie.  The children had lots of fun cutting, chopping, measuring, pouring, and pushing the buttons on the mixer, trying out the different speeds. Everyone agreed - yum!!

We enjoy the "science" aspect of cooking. One extension has been our sensory table, where we have been making many different "mixes" and seeing what happens when different ingredients are put together.  One day at morning gathering, we had a special visit from a crazy chef/scientist - "Chef Goop," who looked and sounded a lot like Ms. McCarthy except for her goggles, chef's hat, and apron. Chef Goop invited the children to explore mixtures with her - oil and water, flour and salt, salt and water, baking soda and vinegar, egg and flour. The children mixed, smelled, observed, guessed, and tasted (everything but the raw egg!). We explored and discussed the different chemical reactions of food - dissolving, emulsion, and more.  I was delighted by how much the children remembered from this dramatic improvisation...Chef Goop will be returning in the near future!

Of course, it wouldn't be my classroom if we didn't do some sort of engineering.  I found a new version of one of my favorite Russian folktales at the library - Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip by Denia Lewis Hester and we built devices to get a giant turnip out of the ground. This led us to wondering about gardening - how plants grow, how to take care of plants, how big do plants become.

I'm amazed at how many great children's books there are about food - we have had some really fun read-alouds.  Let me share a few of our favorites thus far -

• Truck Driver Tom by Monica Wellington (about a food delivery truck)
• The First Strawberry by Joseph Bruchac (how important it is to speak kindly to each other)
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett (silly imaginative fun)
• The Five Senses: Taste by Maria Ruis (how our body works)
• Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley (commonalities between all cultures)
• Lemonade in Winter in Emily Jenkins (introduces counting money)
• Potato Joe by Keith Baker (familiar rhyme, delightful illustrations)
• Hungry Hen by Richard Waring (turns classic "hen versus fox" tales upside down)
• I Want to Be a Chef by Stephanie Maze (what would it be like to work in a restaurant)

We loved Tomie DePaola's Pancakes for Breakfast when we made pancakes in class...with this book, there are no words - the children told the story to us. What a great way to reinforce the learning from the cooking itself!  This week...we're building off of Eric Carle's Walter the Baker and making delicious pretzels. [For these, the children will mix the dough and roll out the pretzels but Ms. McCarthy will take home and bake for us. Thank you, Ms. McCarthy!!]

On several days, we have served lunch "farmer's market style." Here, the children are given five play coins to "buy" snack. The fruits, vegetables, and grains were set up as three separate stalls (tables) in the classroom and the children visited all three places to buy themselves a balanced snack. What a fun way to reinforce their number sense, too!

Yes, all of us - teachers and preschoolers - are really enjoying this new exploration. It is clear that we have many budding chefs and scientists!!