It All Started With a Jar of Can Tabs

Late last week, one of our J/K boys proudly arrived at school one morning with a jar filled with can tabs. He had every intention of adding them to our bucket of tabs that we are collecting for the school wide fund raising campaign. However, before the tabs could be dumped into the can tab bucket, several students took a keen interest in the variety of tabs inside the jar. With the help of Mrs. Tenyenhuis, several students poured the tabs into a white tub. Sorting of the tabs into a tray quickly took place.

After the sorting was completed, Mrs. Tenyenhuis probed the students about which colour/size of tab numbered the most and which one numbered the least. The students, with some guidance and direction, created a graph which represented their findings. Later in the morning, the group presented their graph to the class. And to think, it all began with a jar of can tabs.

Pumpkin Sprouts?  Well, Not Yet...

Several weeks ago, our kindergarten botanists conducted a classroom experiment to see if pumpkin seeds would sprout in a variety of growing mediums. I am sorry to report that there has not been any action in the sprouting of the seeds. In fact, our pumpkin with the soil placed in it began to decompose rapidly. Considerable amounts of fungus began growing inside the pumpkin as the outer shell caved in on itself. The seeds placed in water, rice, cotton and play dough showed no signs of growth at all. The smell coming from each of the cups was enough to suggest that germination would be highly unlikely. The seeds which were placed into a red cup with only soil have not yet sprouted, but we are still hopeful that something may occur in the next several weeks. Ms. Campbell, with the help of many excited kinders, dug a hole out in our play yard and buried the pumpkin and its contents down in it. Who knows what spring will bring? Stay tuned for further developments.

WELCOME, MRS. TENYENHUIS

It gives me great pleasure to welcome Mrs. Tenyenhuis to our ELP teaching team. Mrs. Tenyenhuis is a Pre-Service teacher from Brock University who will be joining us in our classroom until Christmas. She brings with her a wide range of talents and skills, not the least of which is a rich and varied portfolio in Early Childhood Education. While with us, Mrs. Tenyenhuis will be taking on many of the responsibilities of a classroom teacher, working with our children in a variety of academic and social contexts. When you see her on the ELP playground, I hope that you will take the opportunity to introduce yourself and make Mrs. Tenyenhuis feel at home here at Parnall School. We are extremely fortunate to have her and look forward to an exciting and rich month of learning, play and fun.

Scholastic Book Orders for November

Please accept my apology as there was an omission on the November classroom calendar. The Scholastic Book Club order due date for November is Friday, the 22nd. Book Club flyers went home this evening in your child's Zippy Bag. There are additional flyers in the classroom, if needed.

A More Peaceful World

As part of our observance of Remembrance Day, the students were asked to complete the statement,
I think we could be a more peaceful world if we___________.

Here were some of their responses.

I think we could be a more peaceful world if we would      be together.

I think we could be a more peaceful world if we shared our toys.

I think we could be a more peaceful world if we could share everything that we have.

I think we could be a more peaceful world if we go to Canada and go to the Pumpkin Patch.

I think we could be a more peaceful world if we could share and be friendly to each other.

I think we could be a more peaceful world if we could share cake.

I think we could be a more peaceful world if we share our friends.

I think we could be a more peaceful world if we bake a cake.

I think we could be a more peaceful world if we read books together.

Our Junior Ambassadors have some precious words to share with the world. Bless them all!

Which Might Sprout First?

On Wednesday, November 6th, you will recall that we had begun a scientific investigation to see which growing medium might germinate fresh pumpkin seeds. Scientists in the classroom decided that we should put soil inside the pumpkin from which most of the seeds had been harvested and see what happens. That sparked the question, "In what else could we try to sprout a pumpkin seed?" After giving some consideration to our options, additional growing mediums were prepared in red plastic cups. These included water, soil, moist cotton balls, rice and play dough. The following day, a survey was conducted to predict which growing medium would germinate first. Here are the results...

Students overwhelmingly thought that the seeds planted in the cup containing just soil would be the first to sprout. Only time will tell. 

Here you can see our experiment on the window ledge. We will keep you posted as news develops.

Our Colour Palette Wall is Growing

This past Tuesday, we began reading a short, non-fiction book entitled The Colours of Fall. Each day we read a different, two-page section devoted to a specific colour. At the end of each reading, students were challenged to seek out items in our classroom that matched that colour and lay them atop a piece of matching construction paper which had been strategically placed on one of the shelves. At the end of the day, the objects 'magically' were attached to the paper and hung on one of our whiteboards for the children to discover the next morning. Over the next several days, the challenge will continue as new colours will be introduced through the text.