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Thursday, 18 June 2020

Weekly Blog Post
June 17-24, 2020
Happy Father’s Week! This week we will be celebrating our dads, or that significant male figure in your life. Father’s Day is June 24th, this upcoming Sunday. The activities contained in this post are intended to inspire your creativity and offer a few suggestions on how to celebrate your ‘Dad’ or that special someone who has come to mean so much to you over the past several years.
Belonging and Contributing:
- Go for a bike ride with dad. Be sure and wear your helmet.
- Play an outdoor game like catch, ring toss or lawn bowling.
- Prepare a simple breakfast for dad and serve it to him in bed. You could prepare cereal, peanut butter on bread and jam or a bagel with cream cheese. Serve him a glass of juice with breakfast. Remember, it is the thought that counts.
- Make dad a bow tie or a windsor knot tie out of construction paper or special coloured paper. Ask mom to create an outline of the tie for you. Cut it out and decorate it with markers and stickers. Don’t forget to include his favourite colour. Write a special message on it such as Best Dad Ever, Number 1 Pop or World’s Greatest Dad. He can tape it to the front of his shirt and wear it throughout the day on Sunday. Don’t forget to take some pictures of Dad in his new tie.


Self-Regulation and Well-Being:
- Make special plans to go on a fishing trip together. 
- Cook a meal together.
- Make something together. Try putting together a kite or assembling a puzzle together. 
- Make dad a crown and print on it ‘KING FOR A DAY!’


Demonstrates Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours:
- Listen to The Night Before Father’s Day, by Amy Wummer. Use the URL to access this book on YouTube.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqu0MwLvy8o
- Did you get any great deas about ways that you could surprise Dad on his special day?
- Make Dad a Father’s Day card. 
- Write Dad a special Father’s Day Book. Staple four pieces of clean paper together to make the book. Think of a ‘title’ that you’d like to use for the book. Write that on the front page. Don’t forget to draw pictures with lots of detail. Make it special. Dad will want to keep this special gift.
Using this sentence starter. . .
My dad is great because _________________. 
complete the book by adding pictures on each page and words which match what you have drawn. Practice reading it until you are comfortable sharing it with your dad. On Father’s Day morning, read the book to him. Be sure to give Dad lots of hugs and kisses.
Problem Solving and Innovation:
- Solve this problem:
Dad has three blue golf balls and six yellow golf balls in his golf bag. How many golf balls does he have in all?
- How can you be sure you solved the problem correctly? Which problem solving strategy did you use?  Draw a picture, Make a Model, Act it Out, Use Thinking Tools (manipulatives)?
How can you use the golf balls mentioned in the problem above to make a pattern? Can you make more than one pattern? What is the core for each pattern that you made?
Happy Father’s Day, Dad!!!
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Tuesday, 16 June 2020

June is Brimming
 With Learning

Check out what some of our K-1 friends are busy learning this month.

GI gave the Firefighter Boot Problem a try. How did she do? How does your answer compare with GI's?



LS and LS set up a Water Cycle Experiment. Now, they are waiting to see what happens. Scientists do a lot of waiting.





Both LS and LS put together a puzzle.



MM loves to work alongside Mommy. She is enjoying a new app, Math Story Time, where she gets to listen to all sorts of math related books. 
Check it out!




PM created a new headband for her doll.



WM creates constellations out of Marshmallows.



BB builds his own marble maze.



BB designs a Jungle Monopoly game.
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Thursday, 11 June 2020

Blog Post Activities
June 10-17

Belonging and Contributing

This week, we are going to be focusing on Fire Safety and the work which our firefighters do in our community. Firefighters are FIRST RESPONDERS. These are the men and women who arrive on the scene first when there is a medical emergency or a fire in our city. 
- If you are out on a walk with your family and you happen to pass by a fire station, stop in and thank the firefighters who are on duty for all that they do to keep us safe and protected.
- Make cards or write a letter to thank firefighters for all that they do for us in our community. Either mail the letter or drop it off at the fire station personally.

Self-Regulation and Well-Being

- Create a ’Family Escape Plan’ with your parents. Rehearse the plan with everyone who lives in your house. For information on how to create a ‘Family Escape Plan,’ watch this short YouTube video.

- Here are some fire safety rules for kids to know and respect.
  1. Have a Family Escape Plan
  2. Stay LOW and GO
  3. Have a family meeting place away from your house
  4. Call 911

Watch this YouTube video to learn more about Fire Safety Rules

Demonstrates Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours

Literacy:

- Write a book about fire safety. Include some of the things you have learned so far.
- Make a Stop, Drop, and Roll poster to remind yourself and others what to do in case your clothing might catch on fire. For more information on Stop, Drop and Roll, watch this YouTube video.

- Listen to The Fire Station, by Robert Munsch. 

After enjoying the book, think about the answers to some of these questions.
- Who were the characters in the story?
- What happened at the ‘beginning of the story?’
- Was there a problem in the story? If so, what?
- What was Michael’s mother’s response when he came home and knocked on the door?
- What was Sheila’s father’s response when she came home and knocked on the door?
- How did the story end?
- How are Michael and Sheila different in the way that they think and what they want to do?
- What prediction do you have for what might happen next?

Mathematics:

Problem:  There are four firefighters working at the fire station. Each firefighter has 1 pair of boots at the station. How many boots are there in all at the station? How can you solve this problem? Don’t forget to explain what a ‘pair’ is. 

A Virtual Field Trip to PUMP 2, Linwell Road Fire Station in St. Catharines

Mrs. O’Neil from K-2 hosts this wonderful Virtual Fire Station Field Trip. Firefighter Cory and Firefighter Zach take you on a tour of Pump 2 Station on Linwell Road. 

- Where do firefighters get water to put out fires?
- What do firefighters wear when they go to a fire?
- Why do firefighters wear a tank on their backs when they fight a fire?
- Other than fighting fires, what are some other emergencies which firefighters help take care of?
- What is something that you need to have in your home to keep you and your family safe if a fire should break out?


A big ‘THANK YOU’ to Mrs. O’Neil for taking us on this wonderful learning adventure. 





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Thursday, 4 June 2020

Weekly Blog Post
June 3-10, 2020
***PARENTS, READ FIRST!    PARENTS READ FIRST!***
Please read through these lessons prior to sharing any or all of it with your child(ren). We have chosen to feature two books and to share a few activities which will invite opportunities for you and your child to discuss the topic of racism. Yes, this is a difficult topic to broach with young children. BUT, we feel that it is a topic that MUST be discussed. As you talk to your child, listen to what they have to say. Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to use big words. Explain to them what the words mean in language that they can understand. You may even want to write down a short list of words that you can refer back to over the next several days or weeks. 
You may wish to bypass this week’s activities altogether. That is fine. We simply felt that it was too important a topic to bypass and a relevant time in which to discuss it.


Belonging and Contributing / Self-Regulation and Well-Being
* This has been a challenging week for many of us. If you have been watching the news, you no doubt have heard about the racial tension and unrest that is occurring in the United States, brought on by the senseless murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died after pleading for his life as a former Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes during an arrest. All of this has weighed heavily upon our hearts. Disturbing video images and a multitude of questions fill our minds. 
We ask ourselves, how can we use this terrible event and others like it to impact the lives of our students in a positive way? The answer that immediately came to mind...teach them. So, we have found two books that you can access by way of Youtube which will help you in introducing the topic. We would suggest that you watch both book readings before sharing them with your child. If you choose to share the books, consider a few questions that you might wish to talk with them about, once they have heard the books. Simple, truthful explanations to their questions is what is needed. You may want to ask them if they have questions for you after hearing the book(s). Your child may have little or no interest in the topic at all. That’s okay. Don’t push. Simply make yourself available to talk ‘if’ and ‘when’ the questions do come. You do not need to go into long, detailed explanations about what has gone on over the last week. Stay focused on these points…
- What is racism?
- We all have various biases.
- We are ALL different.
- Differences are okay. They are what make us unique.
- Is it okay to be different?
- How are we the same/different as someone else?
- How do I feel about myself?
- What can we do to make sure that what we say and do does not hurt others?
- Who can we talk to about racism?
A topic such as racism is one that you will likely revisit many times with your child in the coming months/years. Take your time and go only as deep with your child as you feel that they can understand right now. This is meant to be an introduction. 
Start with this book first…
A Kids Book About Racism
By, Jelani Memory
What's Inside
Yes, this really is a kids book about racism. Inside, you’ll find a clear description of what racism is, how it makes people feel when they experience it, and how to spot it when it happens.
This is one conversation that’s never too early to start, and this book was written to be an introduction for kids on the topic.
On a different day, you may wish to have your child listen to this book…
Chocolate Me
By, Taye Diggs
What’s Inside
A timely book about how it feels to be teased and taunted, and how each of us is sweet and lovely and delicious on the inside, no matter how we look. The boy is teased for looking different than the other kids. His skin is darker, his hair curlier. He tells his mother he wishes he could be more like everyone else.
Developing Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours
Follow-up questions to the story, Chocolate Me
  • Who were the characters in the story?
  • Was there a MAIN CHARACTER?  If so, who?
  • Why do you think that Timmy, Johnny, and Mark were saying unkind things? 
  • Can you make any connections to this story?
  • The main character in the story learned a lesson. What was that lesson?
  • If you were in the story, what would you say to the main character? What would you say to Timmy, Johnny, and Mark?
- Draw or paint a picture of yourself. Be sure to include things in your picture that you like about yourself.
- Make a sign about what you have learned about racism.
Mathematics:
Which one does not belong?  Talk with a parent about your answer. Why do you think that?
Which one does not belong?  Talk with a parent about your answer. Why do you think that?
PROBLEM SOLVING TASK:
Paige has 10 cubes and a balance.
She wants to put the cubes on the balance so that the sides are equally balanced. How many cubes should she put on each side? 
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