Maple Room News
Children and Their Work: 3.21 - 3.25
Care of Materials: Mindfully Folding Play Silks
We are continually encouraging children to care for and preserve the materials in our room. This Friday, while cleaning our hollow block area, two children sat quietly folding play silks. They carefully matched corners while folding smaller silks independently, and provided one another support in folding larger silks. Our tools and materials are extremely important to us.
Persuasive Writing
This week a persuasive writing unit was launched in the Maple Room. To start our unit, children were asked to consider and then write about a variety of things that are important to them. Some children wrote about healthy eating, the benefits of having a pet, and the nuisance of litter. Children are learning to support their writing and believes with at least three to five complete sentences.
We're looking forward to sharing the children's writing through a series of images in next week's newsletter.
In the meantime, consider having conversations about what matters most to your children. Perhaps these conversations will inspire writing and additional ideas...
Three Days of Documentation: Block Building
Children started the week by cleaning the block area. Typically this activity is done on Friday, but considering our systems museum, we placed blocks on shelves a day later than usual. If you look closely, you will notice that children have made stacks containing three blocks each. These stacks are eventually stored.
On our second day, children looked to homes and houses in Fort Greene. They considered how they could use blocks to represent and recreate structural details. They also allowed the images of homes and houses to influence their building in other ways.
A representation of Fort Green houses can be seen. Among other interesting details, take a look at the staircases.
Folding and Cutting Squares to Make Rectangles, and a Variety of Triangles
Do you believe that this rocket was made from this tiny square?
Can you use the same square to recreate the same rocket?
What shapes do you see? How can you cut and fold your square to make them?