 Harold! Harold! Where is Harold? We shouted for Harold in hopes he could hear us. We read books and wrote in our journals. We explored visual perception and made ourselves appear really small by running far away from the observer. A car! Is that Harold? Harold! Nope. We counted, described, and graphed the number of cars that used the parking lot as a turnaround. Harold never showed with the key. Perhaps he prefers to spend rainy days at home, maybe he doesn’t want Wilderness Park goers to contribute to the rain’s erosion, or maybe there aren’t many rain lovers like us out and about on such rare days in Southern California. We said goodbye to Wilderness Park and walked back to Alta Vista. We found Saturn’s rings and craters on the baseball diamond. We followed rain on its journey as well as picked up trash to save the sea creatures. Balls also played a BIG part of our day. Neptune (a giant exercise ball) was rolled, pushed, and kicked around the field. A game with tennis balls was created and played. Gravity was tested using a tennis ball and an orange. Our “shadows” looked more like reflections even though it was cloudy. The sun briefly peeked out but not long enough for us to make in depth observations. I know the Gardeners love classroom days, but park days always feel so magical…I like to think Richard Louv is cheering us on every Monday. http://richardlouv.com/blog/youre-part-of-the-new-nature-movement-if/
Back in the classroom we attempted our bio-fuel experiment again. The balloon finally inflated after we shook the bottle full of water, yeast, and corn syrup. It also filled after time elapsed. Added to the rocket ship park experiment we are beginning to realize that experiments have different outcomes with each test.
The visual perception test on park day helped us visualize why the sun looks three times bigger from Mercury.
On Wednesday we made our way outside and walked around the block. We observed what was similar or different to the last time we walked around the block in the rain. A yard reminded us of the setting in The Little House. Also, a car was spotted lifted off the ground using a jack. We gained a better understanding how the little house could have been jacked up and moved.
As expected, Thursday was full of energy! Expected? Yes. We had a couple friends out sick earlier in the week and needed some time for reconnections. Not to mention time to share, explore, and discuss our new  cash register. The energy continued throughout the day and I made some great connections too. I’ve learned that kids need a release from the pressures of living in an adult world. Yes, they still need it in this child centered environment too! The group has loved opposite teacher tag, where they chase me and I fall to the ground when they all have tagged me. However, this game has slowly faded. So when someone excitedly shouted, “Let’s tape up Michelle!” I replied with, “You want to tape me up? I’m okay with that. You can tape me.” I was taped and covered in sticky stickers. I modeled checking in and using my words when I wanted them to be gentle when they covered my eyes. Most of all we had a blast! Here’s a link that explains the science of physical play (The Art of Roughhousing): http://theartofroughhousing.com/science/ or for the visual/audio learners go to our YouTube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZt5vGOArGU&list=FLnZVd7nfs3onRZSV7aGDaKQ&index=1&feature=plpp_video). Feel free to share it!
Did you know NASA’s Kepler mission has discovered 11 new planetary systems hosting 26 confirmed planets? Next week we will continue our space adventure by exploring the planets and creating our own planetary system. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-026&cid=release_2012-026
See you at the PARK on Monday!
 Happy Learning,
Michelle Goldbach-Johnson
310 528 3769
p.s. New photos now on Flickr! |
