IPS/Butler University Laboratory School

Last week we had a discussion about how we needed the numbers updated in our room because they were falling apart which caused them to be difficult to use.  The solution was for the children to use some various materials to make the numbers.  They used toilet paper rolls to make the beautiful numbers and then they painted them.  Today the Butler students put them up on the wall, and boy they are BEAUTIFUL!!  You can see the children in them so I am just so excited about it!

Last week I read a book about space.  During and after the children were asking all of these great questions about the planets and space.  Then Mrs. Argus’ class came in and shared their ideas of composting and starting a garden.  There was some interest in this subject.  Today, I asked the children if they wanted to study space and planets or gardens.  The resounding response was space!  So, we are going to venture into the world of space with the children.  There were a couple of friends that showed interest in gardens, and later Mr. Nored was giving some great ideas about how we can incorporate their interest into the study of space.  We are excited to see where this goes!

With our class venturing towards space, we were wondering if anyone has any big boxes that we could use to make something in our room next week.  If you do, could you please send them in so we can use them?  THANK YOU!

Yesterday we began talking about expression in Reader’s Workshop.  I read one of Mo Willems’ Piggie and Gerald books without any expression at all, and the children were so funny with how they responded to me!  They were saying, “What is wrong with your voice?”  “You usually read it with excitement and you read it slowly.  Today you are reading it fast and making it boring.”  Today, Mr. Nored read the same book but with A LOT of expression, and the children responded so well to this style of reading.  We are going to continue to look at expression in Reader’s Workshop.

Some of our numbers on the wall...they are awesome looking!

Oliver making his thumb tack consellation name.

Shaniyia looking at her "Shaniyia" constellation that she made today!!

Today we had a Butler teacher come in and do an activity building our own community.  We held hands and stood up.  Then we had to get the hula hoop all around the circle without breaking our hands.  The children were SO good at this and really did a nice job supporting each other if they got stuck with what to do.

We made a poster today for Mr. Nored celebrating him with basketball.  Tonight Madeline S., who is going to the game, will be holding it up so hopefully Mr. Nored will see the poster the children made!

This week the children are working on Microsoft Word typing various words and sentences.  Next week we are going to start Daily News again, but a child will type the blog while the other friends write what the friend is typing.  They were so excited to hear that they would be blogging and having a chance to type to the families!

Hello hello!  This coming Tuesday, February 21st Mrs. Clark and I will be attending the last home game this year for the Butler Men’s Basketball team.  I know some families have been going to the last few games especially because Mr. Nored is playing.  If anyone is planning on going to the game that night, please let me know so we can meet up at the game so you can take a poster to celebrate Mr. Nored and his last home game at Hinkle.

We were noticing that our numbers in our room that we made at the beginning of the year have been falling apart so we thought we would make some new numbers.  Well, can I just tell you that the children were ALL OVER making these new numbers out of toilet paper rolls!  They worked so hard with their Butler teachers to construct the numbers.  Tevona and Emily had the brilliant idea of stepping on some of the rolls to flatten them and make it easier to manipulate.  At the end of the day we had a discussion about what we should do next with them.  We gave three choices that the children then voted on.  The first choice was that we could keep them the way they were.  The second choice was to put fabric on them.  The third choice was to paint them.  After each child voted it was apparent that painting them was the way it was going to be.  Tomorrow we are going to start painting so I am excited to see them continue to progress!

We are also replacing our letters we have on our word wall so today the children started doing a tape resist with letters.  They took lamination and made the letters with tape.  Tomorrow we are going to paint them.  After the paint dries, we will peel the tape off, and the letter will be revealed!

Numbers 4-7!

Some friends working with the Butler teachers constructing the numbers!

Today was a fun day!  We had our first P.E. experience which the children REALLY enjoyed!  The Butler teachers took half the group while I was with the other half of the group doing Reader’s Workshop.  Then we switched.  It was nice to have some conversations about what the children did why they were in P.E.  I look forward to seeing how excited they are on Thursday for P.E. again.

The friends really enjoyed bringing in Valentine’s as well as making them at school for their friends.  We had our Friendship Party where we did some measuring activities with candy hearts and we also filled those bags with various Valentine’s.  It was such a nice experience because everyone was enthusiastic about getting and giving the cards, and they just seemed to care for each other in a special way.

(I am sorry but I forgot my camera at school so I cannot upload any pictures to the blog tonight!)