Room 8 Newsletter
Room 8 opened up our unit on Root Vegetables beginning with potatoes. We introduced potatoes by showing the children pictures of various types of this vegetable. Potatoes, just like apples, come in many different varietals, but there is a big difference between apples and potatoes and where we get them from. The children learned last month that apples grow on trees. Do potatoes grow on trees, as well? Ask your child if they remember the answer! We read a book called, The Vegetables We Eat, which went on to describe where various vegetables are grown and how. The children were fascinated with this information and could not believe that some grow on vines, some grow in the ground and others grow as flowers like broccoli. Ask your child if they can tell you a few types of potatoes. Some of the types we discussed include Russet potato, purple sweet potato, sweet potato, yam, Yukon Gold, and Fingerling potato. Then, we asked the children, “How do you like to eat your potatoes?” Wyatt explained that he likes his potatoes cut (cut up in pieces), while Nixon said he likes sweet potatoes. Alexandra likes white potatoes smashed and Chloe exclaimed, “I like potatoes when they are attached together (baked).” We learned that potatoes, no matter the type, can be cooked and prepared all different ways. During this initial large group discussion, the children were able to taste two types of potato chips, Ruffles chips and sweet potato chips. Rian was the first to add to the conversation when she said, “I don’t like the Ruffles, I LOVE them!” Lilah compared the two chips and realized the sweet potatoes were much crunchier than the regular potato chips. Dylan was not a fan of the sweet potato chips, but Isabella liked them because they were a little salty. Our second conversation on the topic of potatoes was focused on the Russet potato. We showed the children the potato and passed it around so they could get a closer look, good feel, and scent of this root vegetable. Before passing it around, we cut it open so that the kids could see the inside and outside. Their thoughts and observances were creative and deep. Lilah explained that she thought that the potato looked grumpy because it was so rough. Wyatt described it as wet (the inside). Rian compared it to an apple, and Chloe added that the skin makes it seem like an apple. Alexandra used the adjective “juicy” to explain what she saw on the inside, and Nixon thought it smelled like a potato. Isabella added that the inside was like an apple because it was yellow. The adjectives that the children used were creative and thoughtful. They were able to think on a deeper level and use more complex words than our last conversation. As we continue to dig deeper into root vegetables, the children have the opportunity to expand their vocabulary even more and develop the ability to think critically. Rather than saying something is “good” or describing the color, we strive for the children to be able to look at an object or subject and see so much more than the color of what is right in front of them. Being exposed to critical thinking concepts, such as looking at details and how to compare and contrast, at a young age gives children a head-start at developing the proper skills to be successful in elementary school and in life. The children demonstrated great interest in this conversation by staying focused and by actively participating. They had questions and opinions about the different types of potatoes and their taste. After this discussion, we had many requests to continue the topic! Chloe kept asking when we would get to cook the Russet in different ways. Due to their interest and curiosity in this topic, we will continue the discussion next week. Rather than only having conversations, we will take this concept a step further by doing a hands-on experiment. Stay tuned for next week to find out more! In light of strengthening our fine motor skills, we also worked on enhancing the ability to cut with scissors. We gave every child a roll of colored masking tape and a pair of kid scissors. Each child learned to start the roll of tape, place the stick part on the chair, and pull the circle of tape until they had a piece of their desired length. They learned to hold the scissors with their thumb up and cut the piece of tape from the rest of the roll. This activity took an enormous amount of patience and concentration! The children did a phenomenal job and took their time to cut out many pieces of tape of all different sizes to make an abstract design on their piece of gray paper. The next step of this project will be to create a complete picture using only various colors of tape. Next time you visit our classroom take a look at some of the creations on the wall. It is truly amazing how far their fine motor skills have come since September, and we can’t wait to see their creativity flourish throughout the rest of the year. We wish you all a wonderful and relaxing weekend! Shabbat Shalom, Mari and Aaliyah REMINDERS:
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Pre-K Room 8Mari Greifer Archives
March 2020
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