For the last two weeks, students have done a great job of using tools safely and responsibly during ECO. Last week we learned about woodpeckers and made woodpecker "beaks" using peelers to whittle sticks.  We used hand drills to start holes in fallen trees and then used hammers to simulate woodpeckers tapping into the trees.  This week we learned about beavers and used hand saws to cut branches from fallen trees (winter logging at our site left an abundance), which we used to create a giant beaver lodge. 

 With about 25 days left in the school year, kindergartners seem more and more like first graders each day. A sure sign that first grade is just around the corner is the abundance of wiggly and missing teeth and the accompanying gaptoothed grins. Whether children have lost many teeth or are just feeling the first hints of a wiggle, this is always a very exciting milestone.

 It was great to finally get back to the forest this week. The winter logging created some major changes at our site, but students embraced the opportunity to clean up a bit, create a new entrance path, and shift our boundaries. One student even discovered a stump with city like natural art, named the New York City stump. We will continue having ECO in the forest every Wednesday through June 5th.

 For the month of April our calendar markers have focused on measurable attributes including length, weight, capacity, and temperature, along with various tools that might be use for measuring each of these. During Number Corner we have practiced identifying attributes that could be measured for specific objects. For example we might measure the length and weight of a glue stick, but probably not the temperature. During math we have measured the lengths and weights of various objects. Children have especially enjoyed measuring each other. While the units we have used to measure these are non-standard (cubes and craft sticks for length, counting bears and pennies for weight) we have talked about the importance of using a uniform unit. We closed the week measuring and comparing our stuffies, which was lots of fun!

 In math, we have recently revisited geometry, reviewing shape names and their defining characteristics. We have worked on pattern block puzzles using smaller shapes to create a larger shape. Children have used pattern block stickers to fill in larger shape outlines. Once the picture is complete they have filled in a table showing how many of each shape was used and how many shapes were used all together. It is always fun to look at the same picture made with multiple combinations of pattern blocks.

We have also spent time playing a partner game that gives students practice naming shapes and giving very specific directions. Each player has a 3 X 3 grid with a star in the middle and a basket with 9 identical shapes. A book is used to create a barrier so partners can't see each other's grids. Players take turns giving directions for placing the 9 shapes on the grid, trying to create identical grids. This requires precise directions that include naming the shapes and using position words (e.g. put the small green tringle below the star) as well as careful listening.

This week we read the book "Grandfather Tang's Story", by Ann Tompert, a Chinese folk tale about two foxes told in tangrams, which are seven shapes cut from a square, arranged to make other shapes. Through the story the foxes shift their shapes to become different animals. After we read the story students had an opportunity to make their own creations with tangram pieces.

We took advantage of winter's brief return to wrap up our motion unit by designing and building mini sleds. I introduced the challenge by reading the book "Go Sled! Go!" by James Yang, which uses pictures to tell the story of a boy on a wild sled ride. We spent some time talking about what makes a good sled, and connecting our ideas back to the motion concepts we have investigated. Students were then given a variety of materials and encouraged to use their imaginations as they designed sleds for some of our little classroom animals. Our intent was to test the sleds outside, but after lots of hard work everyone was nervous about having the sleds get wet, so we tested inside on ramps. Students did a fantastic job of using limited resources to make some extremely creative sleds.

We spent our first morning back from vacation engaging in two Mystery Science explorations. The first activity challenged students to manipulate the strength and direction of a paper wrecking ball to knock down a "wall" of cups without hitting the row of houses behind the wall. In the second, they protected a model mountain town from a falling boulder by redirecting the boulder. A row of paper houses was set up at the base of a cardboard mountain. Pairs of students had five push pins that they tried to place to strategically direct the boulder (a large marble) away from the houses and into a cup. This activity was particularly engaging and some students continued playing through choice time.