Our Class Trip to Britannia Farm Sugar Bush

On Monday, March 31, the Kindergarten students visited Ranger Ridley and Ranger Dan at the Britannia Farm Sugar Bush.  We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.  The sun was shinning and the air was crisp.  The snow on the ground quickly melted as mud began to cover our boots.  

Ranger Dan taught us how the pioneers used to make maple syrup a long time ago.  We learned how to use special tools that made holes in wood, and we used a giant paddle spoon to stir the hot sap.  

Ranger Ridley showed us how maple syrup is made today.  He showed us a special measuring tool that calculates the number of buckets a tree can hold for collecting sap.  We also saw fresh sap ooze out of a maple tree.  The sap looked just like water, but tasted a little sweet!  Ranger Ridley then showed us a powerful machine that he called "Sappy."   He explained that Sappy heats and boils the sap that turns into maple syrup.  The best part of our visit was tasting the maple syrup... yum, yum!  

Ms. Marrella and I were snapping lots of pictures while at the Sugar Bush.  We decided to hand over the iPad to our students and give them an opportunity to document what they felt was important to them.  We were amazed at how beautiful their pictures turned out.  Below are some of the images our students took at the Sugar Bush. 

Once their images were developed, Ms. Marrella and I had invited our students to reflect back on their trip by writing about each image they took with the iPad.  

Though all the images from the Sugar Bush were beautiful, the students, Ms. Marrella and I felt that one image in particular stood out from the rest.  Below is an image of that picture. 

We decided to re-create this image using as many natural materials as we could.  

Finally, Ms. Marrella and I recorded a conversation we had with our students about their trip to the Sugar Bush.  When we reflected on the conversation felt that all the activities we had done during and after the trip helped our students to not only remember their visit to the Sugar Bush, but have a deeper connection to their experience there.  

Below is an excerpt from one of the recorded conversations we had with our students about their visit to the Sugar Bush. 

Ms. I  – Take a look at these two pictures.  How do they help you to remember your trip to the Sugar Bush?

G.V.  – I remembered about how we went to look at Sappy.  And I remember I taste maple syrup.  I remembered I pick up a leaf.  And I saw some mud of the ground.  The mud was squishy. 

Ms. I  – Why was it squishy?

G.V. – Um, because of the ground.  Because of the water from the clouds. 

Ms. I – Why would it be raining and not snowing?

G.V. – Because it’s going to be summer.

M. C. – Um, I remember that I was playing with the hammer. Um, I was banging the little logs. 

Ms. I – Why did Ranger Dan show us that?

M.C. – Maybe so we could try to play with that.

Ms. I – What did those materials help people do?

M.C. – To do the sugar bush.

Ms. I – What else do you remember?

M.C. – I remember there was snow.  There was so many trees. I can’t count them.  Um, they look like a forest.  No leaves on the trees, on the ground.

Ms. I – Why weren’t the leaves on the trees?

M.C. – Cause I think it’s almost summer.

Ms. I – Is there anyone else who would like to share their experience of the Sugar Bush?

A. M. – Because the wind was blowing the leaves, it was windy and the leaves were going on the ground.

Ms. I – Do you think that all those leaves on the ground were from the fall?  Why?

A.M. – Yes, because it was windy and then the ground turned muddy.   I rememeber when I was cutting wood.  It was fun because I liked it.  Because it was, when I was cutting the log, my hands were sticky.

Ms. I – Why?

A.M. – Maple Syrup. 

A.V. – There were a lot of trees.  There were small trees too.  It was a little bit cold cause it’s almost spring.  The snow was melting, so the ground was muddy.  

The Art of Chinese Writing

Art Inquiry Continued

Our Art Inquiry took an unexpected turn.  While focusing on watercolour painting, one of our students painted an image that reminded us of traditional Chinese writing.  The students were intrigued by this style of writing, which was the inspiration for our new table. 

The original art piece that inspired our new learning table.

   

The intention of this table was for students to explore, through their play, a variety of textures, colours and scents, while they strengthened and improved their fine motor development. Writing was also a focus at this table.  We provided students with an English alphabet sheet and a Chinese character sheet (which included matching pictures and English translations).  

Our table has been a huge hit with our students.  When we originally planned for our Art Inquiry, we never imaged a Chinese writing table.  It was the creation and interest of our students, and our own reflections about this inquiry, that led us in this direction.    

  

One Paper, So Many Possibilities

I took this picture earlier this week and wanted to share it with you.  The image shows one of the students in my class writing on a class list.  I had outdated copies of my class list from the first week of school.  Rather than putting these papers in the recycling bin, I decided to place them in the Creative Minds Centre (aka, the art centre).  The students quickly found these lists and were curious about what was on them.  Ms. Marrella and I purposely didn't tell the students they were holding copies of our class list.  We were curious about what the children would do with this new type of paper. 

As the students were looking at the paper, trying to figure it out, one child was able to recognize his own name.  Excitement was in the air as a few more students were able to find their names on the list.  The children quickly realized they were holding a paper with everyone’s name on it.  Ms. Marrella and I noticed that the students used the class list for a variety of purposes.  Some students walked around the class asking other students to identify their names on the list.  For students who couldn't identify their name on the list, they began to search for the first letter of their name (These students were engaged in reading and letter and sound ID).  Other students used the class list to take surveys related to favourite toys in the class (These students were engaged in writing and math).  Some students ignored the class list and used the paper for their own cut and paste creation (These students were engaged in creative expression and fine motor development).

It was great to see how one piece of paper could be used for a variety of purposes.  The children discovered the class list on their own, were naturally curious about what it was, and were able to use it for play (play-based learning).  Play looked different for different groups of children, and in the end, learning was taking place! 

What Does Writing in Kindergarten Look Like?

Parents are often curious about what writing looks like in Kindergarten.  Should a kindergarten student be able to print letters correctly?  Should they be able to write a sentence?  Should children be able to spell words correctly? 

Writing is a skill, and just like any skill there are several stages of development that one goes through.  For example, when babies learn to walk they go through several stages of development which include sitting, rolling over, crawling, etc.

Writing in kindergarten is all about guiding children through the stages of writing development.  It is important to provide young children with encouragement and confidence while they develop the skill of writing. 

A few years back I received a resource titled Kid Writing written by Eileen Feldgus and Isabell Cardonick.  This excellent resource outlines the stages of writing young children go through.

I have received permission from the author Eileen Feldgus to share with you the stages of writing development. 

STAGES OF WRITING DEVELOPMENT

Level 1: Emerging/Scribble

This is the beginning level at which your child scribbles.  You may not be able to tell what the picture is about, but it’s important to praise your child’s beginning drawing. 

The flower is growing.

Level 2: Pictorial

At this level, your child begins to draw a somewhat recognizable picture and may not tell about it.  He or she may also imitate writing. 

There are webs in Spidertown.

Level 3: Precommunicative

Your child may now be printing his or her own name or an occasional known word and may be writing strings of letter like forms or a series of random letters.  Sometimes he or she may attempt to read the message back, but you probably can’t read it. 

I have a goldfish named Arielle.

Level 4: Semiphonetic

At this level, your child begins to use some letters to match sounds, often using one beginning letter to write a word.  He or she usually writes from left to right but may reverse some letters.

I found a lamp and a genie came out. 

Level 5: Phonetic

Now your child writes most words using beginning and ending consonant sounds and spells some frequently used words correctly.  He or she may begin to add vowel sounds, but they are often not correct ones.  At this level, your child may begin to leave spaces between words.  It’s getting easier to read your child’s writing. 

Once upon a time, there was (were) four butterflies. They went on an adventure in the woods.

Level 6: Transitional

At this level, your child is writing words the way they sound, representing most syllables in words.  He or she may sometimes be adding an extra silent e at the end of a word or doubling letters when they’re not needed while trying visually to remember how spelling works.  Now your child usually leaves spaces between words and is spelling many words correctly as he or she writes more than one sentence. 

Please note that for this blog post I have included six of the nine stages of writing development.  I have found the first six stages to be of most use for me when teaching kindergarten. 

One of my students during a shared writing activity.