Oil and Water

In Kindergarten chemistry, we experimented with liquids and mixing.  Do oil and water mix?  That was our first question that we asked.  The students were so surprised when the oil stayed on top of the water no matter how much they tried to mix it!  What came next was even more startling.  Next we added drops of food coloring.  The food coloring did not mix with the oil and in fact, became dozens of tiny, colorful drops suspended in the oil.  When a drop fell through the oil to the water, it definitely mixed with the water!  The students then did beautiful observational drawings of this experiment.

If I Ran the Zoo

Our January author, Dr. Seuss, has given us a great deal of practice hearing rhyming words and has piqued our imaginations with the zany characters and their equally unusual names.  After reading, If I Ran the Zoo, the children were given the opportunity to create their own unique animals, with their own unique names (I am not responsible for any misspelled names!) and a brief description of each.  I do believe we could create our own whimsical zoo!!  Admission is free...see what you think!

Monica created Giggly Eyes.  Giggly Eyes can eat something like some ham from Pet Smart.  He can play with doggy toys.

Spikah, Gus' whimsical animal can fly and dive down to eat fish.  He's a really good pet.  Gus doesn't put him in a cage.  Spikah let's Gus ride him all the way up to space.  Spikah can make whatever he wants, whenever he wants.  Whenever Gus needs something, he makes it for him.  He's a really good Spikah.  Sometimes, Gus likes to get on him.  He can fly up to the airplanes.  He's really good.  Sometimes, Gus gives him hugs.

Kendall made a creature she named, Shewho.  Shewho is an Indian animal.  She's part dragon, kitty and vampire.  She eats candy and healthy food.

Padeedee is a silly animal created by Leila.  He likes to google a lot and move his googly eyes.  He loves to walk upside down.  He's very, very, very, very, very.....cute.  He loves to swim in water because he's waterproof!

Anjali imagined an animal that is a boy and a girl mixed together.  She named it Mr. and Mrs. Stuffaluffagus.  It likes to swim.  It likes to fly in an airplane because it has lots of luggage.  It likes all of its friends.

Brian's unique creature is called, Bleblu.  He can run and he can eat anything, even people.  He jumps really high, all the way to outer space!

William made an animal with the name of Seelyman.  He is nice and he dances for William.

Tribi (Treebee?) is Amani's imaginary animal.  She likes to play outside and have parties.  She likes to play outside with her friends.  She likes to go to the beach.

Our final zany creature was designed by Elise.  Her name is Blahblah.  She likes to do silly things.

Equilibrio

On Thursday morning, our parent helper introduced the students to a new activity called Equilibrio.  It consists of a unique set of blocks and a guide book to create balanced structures that require a steady hand with good eye-hand coordination, and accurate one-to-one perception, especially if you want to build one of the structures illustrated in the guide book.  Several students tried diligently to accomplish this and ultimately decided to create their own structures. One student managed to build several of the structures included in the book and we were all in awe!  It was quite challenging, and if someone bumped the table, look out!!  The other children all opted to create their own structures rather than try to build one of the models from the guide book.  This was a wonderful exercise no matter how the children decided to work because they had to be patient and thoughtful about how they set up the blocks.  At a later date, I think I will ask each student to try to replicate one of the illustrated structures to get a sense of how they put all of these special skills to use. It should be very interesting.