Highlights of the Week

This week we completed our robots! Each robot seems to have it's own unique personality. Children are naming their robots and imagining jobs their robots could perform. They were inspired by Rosy the Robot from the Jetsons and a few short video clips of robots that could vacuum, prepare food, carry people and play in a band.

We had a guest Irish Step dancer teach us the sideways seven step,  a circle dance and how to count to 10 in Irish.

Whole oats were in the media table with sifters, funnels and measuring cups.

Photo Highlights of the week

Zoom, zoom, zoom and the Snow Dragon

We have been working hard building cars.  After the boxes were glued together and painted, it was time to add the windows, wheels,  axle and pin (to keep the wheels from falling off).  With the help of a teacher, children drilled holes with an electric drill and used a hammer to attach wheels. Children enjoyed using the cars with ramps in the block area.  Ramps were also used for body surfing.

Simple Machines Continued

We have continued investigating and exploring with simple machines. Photographs this week are of the Ball Machine, taking apart machines, riding on the scooters and painting the cars children made out of boxes. We will add wheels and axles next week. As you can see form the photographs children are engaged in a variety of experiments, testing out the laws of physics and motion.  There was a great deal of problem solving, negotiation, collaboration and cooperation while they were playing with the simple machines.

The Marble Machine

Levers

This week we learned about levers. Children identified and practiced using levers,  the claw of a hammer, a can opener, nutcracker,  scale and  see saw. Children learned that a lever has a bar and a pivot. At the end of the week we discussed what children had learned about using the see saw. Comments included, "It goes up and down", "If it doesn't have a fulcrum, it would be a bench." "Sometimes you were both the same. That was easier than if one of us was heavy and one of us was light.""I learned how to hold on." "I used my feet to get up."

Children constructed mini-catapults. We had a group launching this week, which was great fun! Ping pong balls were flying and bouncing.

A car jack mounted on a piece of wood was brought into the classroom. A cement block was attached. Children practiced cranking the jack up and down. Using the crank was challenging.  After lifting the block with their hands, and then with the jack, children, appreciated the function of a simple machine. It makes the job easier and sometimes more fun!

Push and Pulley