IPS/Butler University Laboratory School

Christian and Aidan prepare the bedding for the worms.

Looking for worm food!

David braves the elements while searching for wet leaves for our worms to munch on.

Looking for leaves!

Zek and Tajanaye place the worms in the bin.

This morning, we set out to create our indoor worm compost bin. To begin, several friends helped prepare the bin by ripping newspaper into small pieces for bedding for the worms. After putting the newspaper scraps into the bin, we went outside into the courtyard and collected wet leaves (just the way worms like them!) We took the compost bin with newspaper outside with us to saturate it with water from the rain. Last, we gently dumped our collected worms from last week as well as some more worms that were store bought into the bin. Very quickly, the worms dug down into the bin and started getting cozy! We are coming up with many questions as we learn how to compost…

1. How long will it take for the worms to eat through the matter in the bin?

2. What else is safe for the worms to eat?

3. Will the bin be stinky?

4. How can we keep the worms happy inside?

Tags: capable, curious, garden, project, responsible

Jenesis, the worm queen! I think she found about 4 or 5 worms!

Christian finds a big, juicy worm!

Friends share their worms with others.

For the past few weeks, we have been talking a lot about the possibility of having a school garden. Last week, Ruth brought in some worms which we were very intrigued by and exited about! Through some reading, we have learned that worms can actually benefit a garden. We also read a book with Miss Schmidt about composting and how worms and a compost pile can benefit gardens. Today, we decided we would like to start a worm compost in our classroom. When it gets warmer out, we will use the compost to help us start our garden! What does one need to start a worm compost? WORMS! This afternoon, we walked around the neighborhood on this cold, wet day (perfect for worm hunting) and found more than 20 worms- WOW!

Skipping on a clock.

We experience P.E. again with Butler friends. We were “growing” like a tree.

Tags: curious, garden, growing, project, responsible

Journey and Monica work on some valentines.

Zek suggests we name the fish.

This morning, our friends noticed a new classmate swimming on one of our counters- a beautiful blue beta fish. The kids were so intrigued by our new friend and many visited with him throughout the day.  David asked, “What’s the fish’s name?” and Zek suggested we vote on a name. After listening to many suggestions, we narrowed it down to five choices and the name Harper won by a landslide. What a nice name for a fish! The kids also suggested we create agreements for Harper. Sascha came up with such a wonderful one- “Be kind to the fish. Say nice things to the him.” What a fabulous way to not only practice kindness to animals but also our friendship skills we have been working so hard on refining.

While we had a new pet in our room today, we did not forget our two class pets aquired last week by the help of our friend, Ruth. Two beautiful earth worms have also made their home in our classroom. During studio and explore, the kids enjoyed observing and handling the worms.

Ruth helps Tajanaye gently handle the worm.

The kids also enjoyed something new in our classroom- dress up. I have a variety of vintage dress up clothes that are brightly colored and fun to try on. We even have some funky hats too that accessorize the perfect outfit. The kids loved trying on the clothes and putting on shows with them. If you have any old clothes that you would like to donate and think might make fun dress up outfits, please let me know. I see this as something the kids will be enjoying for a while!

"We're going on a cruise!"

Hutton- you are fabulous looking!

Tags: creativity, curious, friendship, responsible

Predicting and testing.

Ruth and Christian begin an investigation.

This afternoon during studio and explore, I noticed three friends, Jenesis, Ruth, and Christian, building very enthusiastically over in the block area. After observing for a while, it was evident what they were working very hard to create- a marble launcher! They noticed their marbles didn’t have enough speed to get to the end of their almost 8 foot launcher. After trying different things out independently, Ruth said, “I think it needs more force!” The kids agreed, and together, they lifted the beginning piece higher. Christian said, “It’s higher, and the marble is more powerful.” Jenesis agreed. Their enthusiasm for their project spread through the classroom. By the end of the afternoon, there were almost 10 kids working together to shoot multiple marbles across the launcher. All were working together, communicating with their words, after careful observation and trial and error.

The building continues.

The group is enthused! A second marble launcher begins…

Tags: collaboration, creativity, curious, design, friendship, motivation, problem solving

Aidan explains his thinking.

Our class created hundreds chart.

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

One of the things the kids like to do in the morning is read the morning message and count our positive points. It has become a ritual for many friends in our room once they have gotten unpacked and settled in. Today, Aidan did something really special. He counted our positive points, and counted 74. Then, without prompting, he walked right over to our hundreds chart, found the number74 and proceeded to count up to 100. He then announced to me, “Mrs. Argus, we only need 26 more positive points until 100!” I asked him how he discovered his conclusion. He then articulately talked me through his thinking process and how he came to use our hundreds chart. Aidan’s discovery was so special that he then shared it during the sharing portion of our morning meeting. The class brainstormed other ways we could use the hundreds chart to problem solve. What a neat discovery, Aidan!

 

Friends present, "How Bella Lost Her Moo!"

 

For the past couple weeks, some of our friends have been reading a story called How Bella Lost Her Moo. It has lots of different animal parts that are fun to read and the kids decided they each wanted to read a seprate part when we would read in a group. One day, a friend suggested, “We should do this as a play!” The rest of the friends loved the idea and we began to prepare to present it to our class. We made puppets out of paper bags and practiced reciting our lines clearly and with emotion. Today, our friends presented the play to the rest of the class. Everyone was so proud and impressed with our performers! We will have to do more reader’s theater in the future- we have some wonderful actors!

 

 

Tags: arithmetic, capable, collaboration, creativity, curious, image of the child, problem solving