Room 6

Our Artist Study: Joan Miro This semester the children have been interested in drawing and painting. One of the ways we can extend the children's learning and thinking about drawing and painting is by introducing them to different artists and a variety of art styles. During group time, I introduced the children to the art of Joan Miro. We discussed what the children saw in the painting and how they think the art was made. The children noticed the cross-hatch marks and named them "stars" or "snowflakes." We also discussed how Miro used color. In one painting the background is painted, in the others the color is in the design. Our next step was to have the children practice drawing the types of lines they saw in the paintings. As the children drew, we discussed how to make the various lines and how to incorporate different types of lines together, such as a straight line and a swirl. As the children practiced drawing, we gave their lines names. For inst...

Fall Explorations The children have enjoyed exploring the autumn changes through all their senses. We have explored a variety of leaves on the light table to really see the details in the leaves. The children noticed similarities among the leaves (color, shape, size) and also recognized the differences between the leaves. One of the children mentioned, "This one has bumps (the oak leaf) and this one is kinda spiky (the maple leaf)!" The children enjoyed going on a nature hunt in the playground and found many signs of fall including fallen leaves, chipmunks, birds, pinecones and spiderwebs. We investigated how the pumpkin felt, both the inside and the outside. The children drew pictures of the pumpkin before we cut it open. We also predicted what might be inside the pumpkin. While some of the children knew there were seeds inside, some of the children suggested "Birds" or "Toys." Brandon says, "I don't hear anything inside the pumpk...

The ECEC recently had a curriculum night during which we offered the families some of the explorations the children engage in during the school day. Here are some examples of what we are investigating in our classroom. Tilt trays         What are we learning when we explore tilt trays?     C ause/effect related to objects and motion     Cooperation with others     Developing body awareness     Questions we may ask the children:      How can you move your body to keep the ball from falling through the hole?     What happens when you tilt the tray all the way to one side?    What do you notice about how the ball moves through the maze?     TS Gold Standards: 2. Establishes and sustains positive relationships  c. Interacts with peers  3. Participates cooperatively and constructively in group situations  a. Balances needs and rights of s...