For science we are in the midst of a unit on structure, function, and design.  We began this unit by talking about objects designed by people and the idea that most man made objects have a specific structure, which is directly related to their function. We closely looked at a students' bike helmet and talked about its shape and the materials used to make it, and how these were connected to the intended function of protecting someone's head.  We noticed the helmet was hard plastic on the outside, with foam on the inside.  It was round so it could closely and comfortably fit on a person's head (we briefly imagined what it would be like to have a cube shaped helmet!) and it had a convenient clip strap to help keep it on, especially helpfully when in motion. We talked about the structure and function of several other objects before engaging in our first design challenge.

After reading the book "Jack and the Beanstalk," we talked about the function of the beanstalk for Jack and looked at its structure, noticing the characteristics that made it particularly useful for climbing.  Students were given the challenge to use 10 pipe cleaners (and nothing else) to build the tallest beanstalk they could. Students were given a chance to ask questions and brainstorm answers about aspects of the challenge that might be difficult, including "What? We can't use tape?" and "How are we supposed to make it stand up?"  Before building we also talked about the notion of perserverence and how important it would be to not give up, be willing to work through challenges, and try new ideas if the first design didn't work.

Once they began building children quickly realized a strong base was critical for getting the beanstalk to stand up, which meant less height overall.  Balance was also essential, especially if they took the challenge of having the beanstalk hold a golden egg when it was complete! 

I especially love this activity because, while it almost always pushes some children to the limits of their frustration, this gives other children an opportunity to offer encouragement and share their great ideas. 

This week in kindergarten we spent time talking about and setting goals.  We began by discussing what a goal is, and differentiating between the goals we are setting and the goals we score in soccer!  Someone gave a great explanation, "A goal is something that you want to be able to do but can't do yet, so you practice until you learn to do it."  Beautifully stated!  

We read the book "The Magical Yet,"  by Angela DiTerlizzi, which reinforces the idea that there are many, many things that we can't do YET, but with practice and time will eventually be able to do.  To ground ourselves in the notion of accomplishment over time, each child identified several things that they are really good at doing right now.  Some of these included swimming, riding a bike, skiing, writing numbers, writing their names, writing their sister's name, doing the monkey bars, walking, running fast, being a kind friend, doing a cartwheel, counting to ten, and talking!  We then reflected on all of the hard work and practice that went in to learning how to do each of these things.

Finally, we thought about something we can't do yet, but hope to learn how to do this year in school.  Many students said they would like to learn how to read, others want to learn to write, and a few said they would like to learn to count higher.  We have talked about general strategies for meeting a goal including asking for help, practicing, practicing, practicing, and not giving up, even when it gets frustrating.  Soon we will talk about strategies that are more specific to each child's goal.

I didn't get photos of the actual goal setting, but some children were very eager to demonstrate some of the things they can already do on the playground!