March 2014

In February we focused our learning on birds. Together we spoke about their life cycle. This organically led into a larger conversation about life cycles of living things in general, prompting some children to cut and paste pictures of living and non-living things from magazines.  During group time we also touched on what birds eat and how different birds get around (fly, swim, run, walk). Looking at various pictures of bird nests, the children came to really understand that birds make their house out of what they have available (city bird's nest had many human artifacts like newspaper, beachside bird's nest had seashells, etc.) and that they build them in a way that will keep them safe where they live. We had a great selection of bird-specific library books which children often looked at and requested to be read. The children enjoyed practicing visual discrimination along with bird recognition skills with a memory picture game. A number of children used nomenclature cards to practice the parts of the bird and then made their own book of the parts of the bird, practicing both handwriting and organization skills. In the Practical Life area of the classroom, children practiced hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills with a bird lacing material and a tonging work in which they carefully tonged small eggs from one nest to another. Children also enjoyed watercolor bird painting and parrot paint dobbing in the Art area. We were thrilled to have Julianna's mom, Jenelle, volunteer to come in to help children paint individual bird houses that they were able to take home.

Next month in March we will be learning about South America.  We will focus on how living there is both similar and different from other places on earth, including cultural food, dress, and music. I plan to have a cooking project to help make it more tangible and relatable. We will also be focusing on self-esteem and the peaceful values we hold important in the classroom.

Best Regards,
Nancy