Hey Water !
Here are the class albums from the last 2 weeks. Please remember to take some time to go through them with your child.
We’ve been exploring the water cycle, and with Hong Kong providing a few days of rain, clouds, and fog, it was the perfect time to dive deeper into this topic! I shared the book "Hey Water" with the class. The book has some wonderful and simple illustrations about a young girl as she discovers her environment and realizes that water is all around her. However, water doesn’t always appear the same or feel the same; it comes in many different forms. Water can be found as a lake, steam, tears, or even as a snowman!
Here are some great ideas to support your child's learning about the water cycle at home. First, take them outside to look for signs of water, such as puddles, streams, or fountains, and discuss where the water comes from. You can also talk about the weather each day and how it affects our water—like how rain creates puddles or how the sun causes evaporation. Encourage curiosity by asking simple questions like, "What do you see in the sky?" or "Where does rain come from?" These activities can help reinforce their understanding of water and its role in our environment.
Click on the link for the YouTube read-aloud Hey Water !
Evaporation, condensation, precipitation - these may sound like huge words to teach K1s, but remember........
To demonstrate evaporation, we used a kettle and a mirror in a simple and visual way. I started by filling the kettle with a small amount of water and switched it on. As the water heats up, explain to your child that the heat causes the water to turn into steam, which is water vapour. As the water boils, you'll see steam rising from the kettle (and the water dancing!), illustrating the evaporation process.
Next, hold a mirror (or a glass lid) above the steam, and after a moment, you’ll notice condensation forming on the mirror's surface. Explain that this is water vapour cooling down and turning back into liquid water. This hands-on demonstration effectively illustrates the concepts of evaporation and condensation, helping your child understand how water moves between different states in the water cycle.
I decided to ask them what would happen if I used my glasses instead of the mirror (working on their prediction and language skills). Playfully incorporating glasses into this evaporation experiment adds an extra layer of fun!
As we filled the kettle, we repeated the phrase from the book Hey Water, I Know You! when we noticed that the water from the tap was like the first page in the story! Of course, I couldn’t resist the chance to playfully spray them a little with water too! 😉
After we added ice to the water, the language and communication grew.....
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I noticed that while we were working on the ramps, the children in the class are naturally became curious about bridges. To support this interest, we provided them with resources to experiment. Next week we will be having a "BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION THINK TANK AREA" where the children can experiment and explore concepts further - I am already looking forward to seeing their bridge designs.
What I appreciate about inquiry-based learning is that it often brings unexpected insights. This week, something surprising emerged during the morning class sessions, which I then shared with the afternoon class. I frequently exchange information about what occurs in each session and this one was too good not to. If your child mentions goats in trees, we definitely discussed that! During arrival play, Eden created the scene in the first picture below, which amused some friends who remarked, 'Those animals don’t live in trees.'
This reminded me of something I saw about goats in Morocco. We did some research and learned that the leaves and fruits of the Argan tree are a nutritious food source for goats. The fruit is rich in oil and very appealing to them. Goats are naturally agile and well-suited for climbing. When they eat the fruit, they help disperse the seeds through their droppings, which can promote the growth of new Argan trees.
This unique behaviour not only supports the goats' diet but also contributes to the local ecosystem and the production of Argan oil. Every day truly offers a chance to learn something new!
It’s amazing how a morning can take unexpected turns, leading to such enriching learning experiences. We should embrace these moments!
....we also had a musical session from Ashley Benusa who is the music teacher at Beacon Hill School and of course outing to Pamela Peck, so all in all a busy and productive couple of weeks.
During pick-up time, I often hear comments like, 'Oh, why are you so dirty?' not necessarily from our class, but in general. While they may be messy, they aren't actually dirty. If children feel they're in trouble for being 'dirty,' they might hesitate to engage in this activity again or be reluctant to try other messy play experiences. Instead, consider rephrasing questions to something like, 'Wow, it looks like you had a busy day! What have you been doing?'"
The important thing to remember is that it all washes off! - another wonderful thing that water can do for us!
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I came across a few nice activities that the M+ Museum have got on, just in case anyone is interested.
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.....Thanks you to Arainas' mum who came in to share about Holi celebrations with the PM Class today - a very colourful end to the week
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