Week of October 29- November 2, 2018
Room 8 ventured into the next vegetable of our Root Vegetable Unit, carrots! We introduced this next vegetable in a different way than usual. Instead of gathering facts and information about what we already know, we told the children to ask questions. What is the difference between a question and a statement? Ask your child! We explained that asking a question is a way to learn about a topic and find out more information. What do you want to know about a carrot? We were blown away by the critical thinking skills exhibited by the children and how quickly they grasped the concept of questions vs. statements. Evie asked, “Why does the purple carrot have yellow at the top?” While Brayden questioned, “How do they get their colors?” We continued the carrot discussion by cutting them and trying the orange, yellow and purple carrot. Christopher described the orange carrot as hard, and he also stated, “At first, it wasn’t crunchy but as I continued to chew it was super crunchy.” Kate chimed in, “It was VERY crunchy.” The yellow carrot was next, and Jordan examined the inside of the carrot. He noticed little yellow circles inside that were a darker yellow than the outside. Then, the purple carrot was the most fascinating to the children. When we cut it open, there was yellow inside! Julian noticed that the purple carrot did not have the same juice as the orange carrot. Sasha exclaimed, “I have a question!” He went on to ask how the yellow got inside the carrot. These were all great facts and questions that the children came up with, and we will research these answers through books and discussions over the next couple weeks. The children had the opportunity to also taste cooked carrots. We roasted the colored carrots after mixing them with olive oil and salt and pepper. Most of the kids loved the roasted carrots. They compared the taste to potatoes! Many of them thought it tasted similar to how the potatoes tasted. While we had a short week, we spent a lot of time focusing on number recognition. During our calendar discussion in circle time, we noticed that the children struggled to understand the difference between numbers in the 10s, 20s and 30s. It is a difficult concept to comprehend that numbers in the 20s start with a “2” and numbers in the 30s start with a “3”. We wanted to develop this skill early on so that the children understand that a 27 is a “2” and a “7,” rather than a “7” and a “2.” This is basic concept that sets up learning for any mathematical material in the future. It also emphasizes patterns and the importance of how things repeat over and over again. In addition, counting is another building block for all mathematics. Exposing the children to these higher numbers at an earlier age elevates their comfort level and increases their confidence in applying these skills. We will continue more discussions on root vegetables next week by introducing another veggie and trying out some new recipes. We will also incorporate number recognition into many activities through the rest of the course of this year. We hope everyone has a great weekend! Shabbat Shalom, Mari + Aaliyah Reminders:
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