We began our "Ants" theme this week, and are learning the parts of an ant's body along with multiple other facts. We know there are over 800 different kinds of ants, and that there are ants that can dive, swim and live under water. We learned that ants are extremely beneficial and turn over ten times more soil than an earthworm.
What green thumbs they have!
Beautiful May Flowers on their calendars!
Math/Science:
We conducted an experiment using different kinds of food we left on a tray outside, to discover which were most preferred by ants. We learned that ants liked the fruit (strawberry) and other sugar snacks (including cookies, milk duds, M&Ms, and frosting to the more salty snacks of gluten free pretzels and cheese). Each student presented to the class on the parts of an ants body, pointing out the antennae, thorax, abdomen, head and legs. We made a classroom chart about the things ants CAN, NEED, HAVE and EAT. The most comical was reading about their favorite snack of aphid's sugary poop.
We are using seeds and flower pictures for a counting game this week. Any items used as manipulatives help them understand the one to one correspondence. We read "Remainder of One"
Our ant farm is providing daily entertainment as we watch the amazing insects create their tunnel system which in nature would allow the queen to lay many eggs a day and then house all of the larvae, pupae and eventually adult ants. These intricate systems are necessary for the eggs to all have their different compartments full of "food" provided by the worker ants. Our ant farm was designed by NASA scientists to test ants in space. The gel allows the ants to create their tunnels in the absence of the pull of gravity in space. The gel is both their food and water. They have also created an ant graveyard where they move all of the dead ants to clear their tunnels of bacteria.
Language Arts: We have added more words to our writing center and have also been working in our word books this week. Spelling out names, including first, middle and last and finding things that begin with each, as well as saying each vowel and the different ways the vowels may sound. We use "Flippy Dolphin" to try a different vowel sound if the first one didn't work.
Our third grade reading buddies came to visit this week. They read books with us and the children completed journals by coloring a scene or character from the story and writing about it.
Fine Motor:
We made our own ant farms, carefully counting out how many ants we would have and then deciding to pair them or have them crawl in single file.
The children used pom poms to decorate May calendars making bright colored May flowers! They labeled their flowers using either inventive spelling or writing center words. The coordination required holding a clothes pin is a bit different than the tripod hold when writing, so tested another skill as they painted.
Regarding summer activities to avoid the "summer slip", I am a big fan of visiting the library weekly if not more often. It's a great time where you can find books in a new environment and take time to relax and read awhile while there, making it more interesting than at home. Typically story and reading time only happens at bed time for JK and K kids, so the library is a great way to incorporate daytime reading! Hunt for letters and letter sounds in words, challenge them to find words that begin and end with the same sound(s) and use reading strategies to decode words. Look for signs as you are going places. Count and write! Set up a writing center and make it fun with books and gel pens etc. Have them climb trees and do the monkey bars and peel oranges to develop their fine motor skill muscles. Throwing and catching a ball helps with their reading and writing. Balancing and walking on a "balance beam" also helps with their reading and writing, by having them cross the midline.
Have a great weekend!
Ms. Massey
