Pre-K

Pre-K Writers ==Along with the help of their teachers, the students in one of the Pre-K classes strapped on their digital cameras and went searching for signs that winter was coming. These are the steps they took to create their book: == 1. The kids took pictures to show the reader how they can tell it’s winter. 2. They sized, positioned and created a border for their photo 3. Finally, they sounded out and typed their caption

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Pre-KW Projects
Science and Math-2011
 * __ Ecology/Recycle Unit * __**__ Floor Mat Seating Arrangement __

For Pre-KW students, recycling is a way of life in which we instill from the very first day of school. But that doesn't mean our kids understand //why// we recycle. A storybook followed by an open-ended discussion introduces the effect that trash has on our planet, what becomes of it, and how important it is to practice recycling everyday. We the overhead, to go onto the EPA web-site's clickable map of the United States and explore the many Recycling Facilities. As a culminating project, the kids were given a drop cloth to be used again for a seating mat. After brainstorming the process, the class took turns laying out, measuring, tracing and painting the shapes. Easy to use, easy to store and easy on our planet!

This science project simulates how air pressure is necessary for flight. After discussing basic elements needed to create an invisible force called //air pressure,// the students then colored and assembled a cone shaped rocket ship. Lying on their backs, they eagerly inserted a straw and blew into their cone shaped ‘rocket ship’. It took several tries to find just the right amount of air intensity for their spacecraft to sail into the air.
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 * __ Space Unit - __**__ How Do Rocket ships Fly? __
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May * 2011 Because Pre-KW has responded so well to both the Kimochi collection and the "tap tap tap" method, we decided to take it to the next level! Working together, Pre-KW chose 11 Kimochi feelings (mad, happy, sad, left out…etc.) that they felt would be most appropriate for resolving problems in the classroom. As a method of reinforcement, we asked each child to role-play a feeling for us to photograph and display on the Kimochi Center wall. It has become second nature for the children to use the Kimochi feeling figures, expression photos and corresponding books as a guide for resolving conflict. Below is an example; Pre-KW came up with the #1 rule that you must __always__ hug before leaving the Kimochi table!
 * __ Pre-KW Kimochi Center __**
 * Student 1: ** (holding a scared Kimochi and pointed to wall photo) "I feel scared when you scream because it hurts my ears."
 * Teacher: ** (holding a happy Kimochi) "How can we make //Student 1// feel happy?"
 * Student 2: ** (selecting a sorry Kimochi and pointing to wall photo) "I'm sorry, I promise I won't do that again."
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Ordering the 8 planets of our solar system was a fun and interactive activity in which our kids were guided through the learning process by use of costumes and props. Students role-played an attribute of their planet as they worked together to construct the correct sequential order of the solar system.
 * __ Space Unit * __**__ Ordering of the 8 Planets __

In a real volcano, molten rock from deep within the Earth erupts through a volcano (the molten rock is called magma when it is deep down inside the Earth and out of a volcano, it is called lava. We describe this project like we would an upset stomach by telling the children what happens when two things the volcano may have eaten //don’t mix well at all// in its tummy. It makes the tummy of the volcano all rumbly and bubbly until it feels so sick, that it throws up. We provide each child with a mock volcano made from recycled water bottles with red food coloring already inside its peak and in separate containers, a small amount of baking soda and vinegar. When combining both elements into the mouth of the volcano, the children squeal with excitement as an erupting fizzy liquid pours out and down the mountain.
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 * __ Letter V Reinforcement * Volcano Experiment __**
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