Our classroom is filled with kindergarten scientists who are filled with excitement for learning and questions about the world around them! They make new discoveries through available books, toys and materials. Through interaction and teamwork with classmates they develop deeper understanding and enrich social skills.
Our school is located in a suburban Iowa city.
Our diverse classroom community celebrates differences. Students know, that no matter what non-school experiences they have had, we share a place and a purpose-to love, learn and grow.
My Project
The kindergarten curriculum is rich with literacy, math, science and social studies standards. The kindergarten classroom is full of amazing 5 and 6 year-olds who are naturally curious and full of questions! Throughout the school day the children use literature, manipulatives, conversation, experiments, music, movement and technology to develop a better understanding of the concepts we study. A natural and favorite way to apply learning and test their personal hypotheses is through creative play.
"Play is the work of childhood," (Jean Piaget) and benefits every child and every learning style.
Open-ended building supplies, materials such as Magna Blocks, cardboard and wooden blocks, toy people, vehicles etc. allow children to plan, use higher level thinking, problem solve and socialize as they make sense of science, math, language and social studies concepts.
In a recent study of animal habitats, my kindergartners became enthralled with eagles and viewing a raptor webcam set to an eagle nest. During creative play, two groups of children were engaged in 'building a better nest' (where the eagles could stay dry during inclement weather), while another group used various building materials to build their own nest. The children used a yardstick to ensure the nest was six feet in diameter and used available building materials to reflect the support branches and softer nest material. The young engineers also 'became eagles' when their nest was complete and they sat inside of it.
Additional building blocks and materials will be used daily and encourage creativity and problem solving as the children deepen their understanding through the work of play.
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