For those of you interested in The Curious Classroom book study, you can find the details above. Each chapter outlines a different structure for teaching with student-directed inquiry and includes: Chapter 1: Demonstrate Your Own Curiosity Chapter 2: Investigate Ourselves and Our Classmates Chapter 3: Capture and Honor Kids’ Questions Chapter 4: Begin the Day […]
Archives for 2017
The Pumpkin Project
You might be surprised to see a post about pumpkins in June! Yet this project began way back in October when I brought in pumpkins and gourds for a math lesson and for the children to explore at the science center. By November, the children noticed that the gourds were starting to change color, […]
Kindergarten Plant Unit: An Inquiry-Based Approach
Inside: Discover how to use an inquiry-based approach to teach your traditional preschool, kindergarten, or first grade plant unit. The Plant Unit Kit Arrives Every April, the kindergarten plant kit arrives from our science department. Our plant unit includes traditional lessons, but I wanted to use a more inquiry-based approach, so here’s what I tried. […]
Kindergarten Poetry: Teaching with Choice and Voice
Inside: Learn how following student interest, along with opportunities for choice and voice, made for a successful kindergarten poetry unit. How Our Kindergarten Poetry Unit Began Our poetry unit began during indoor recess on a rainy April day, when a child asked, “Can I have a piece of paper so I can write a poem […]
The Slide Ceremony: A Kindergarten Graduation Alternative
Inside: Looking for alternative ideas for your kindergarten graduation? Try marking the transition to the next grade with a slide ceremony! Bloom Time Vs. Kindergarten Graduation Spring is the perfect time to end the school year as children’s growth mirrors all that is happening in nature outside your classroom window. Every June, […]
Finding Alternative Seating With Flexible Classroom Workspaces
Inside: In this post, I share ways to better use your centers to find options for alternative seating and flexible workspaces. Making the Most of Our Classroom Space One day it occurred to me that I was devoting a large part of our classroom space to a small portion of our day. Most of our […]
The Green Project
This project began in early March when the snowflakes and snowmen that hung in our room just didn’t match what was happening outside our window. The snow had begun to melt, the sun was shining and I was craving green! So I took it all down, sent the snow pants home (bad move because it […]
Kindergarten Bunny Brunch
Easter has a way of sneaking up on me and I often find myself scrambling to fit it all in before it’s time to move on down the bunny trail! Despite this year’s short notice (aka poor planning!), I still managed to pull a few “rabbits” out of my hat! The trick to these little […]