Welcome to the The Ball House Report. You can expect the Report twice monthly on Fridays. It will update you as to the goings on in our classroom, and give you full picture of our Brown Room community!
And now, for this week’s Report:
Growing, Growing, Gone…
As we round out our school year and prepare for some endings (Saying ‘See you later’ to our classroom), and new beginnings (Summer break!) the kids in the Brown Room have been thinking a lot about how things grow and change. From babies, to flowers, to butterflies, the Ball House has left no stone unturned when asking their questions. Here’s a peek at the bulletin board with some of our wonderings:
As we think about these beginnings and endings (and bellybuttons…if you’re wondering, we checked, pretty much every creature has one! ) we’ve been closely examine some critters in our classroom who are experiencing their own beginning and endings….CATERPILLARS! This is a project that we repeat year after year at Barrow. As children grow and learn with this project, they note new ways of observing, exploring and being with these tiny critters. Their observational drawings become more in-depth as their fine motors skills grow. They begin to guide their own partner discussions about the caterpillars, using both their preexisting knowledge, and new understandings of the world.
As the children observe, we teachers have been asking some guiding questions about these curious creatures, helping the children to broaden their observation skills, and think deeply about the world around them.
“How do you think the caterpillars stick the top?”
“Why do you think they need to make a chrysalis?”
“What do you think their food is made of? What do you think we will feed them when they change?”
Butterfly season is always a bittersweet time of year here at Barrow as we prepare for both our real caterpillars to grow wings fly away, and our metaphorical kid caterpillars to grow wings and fly off to their new classrooms and adventures! One thing is certain: We’ll make this butterfly season one to remember!
Questions to Ask Your Ball House Kid
1. What are your caterpillars hiding inside?
2. How do you make popcorn in the classroom?
3. What chapter book are you reading during story? (‘My Father’s Dragon’ by Ruth Stiles Gannett)
