The last few weeks in PreK for our youngest grandsons has been full of learning. I’m sharing images with a few brief comments.
A few weeks ago we sampled, measured and sketched drawings of different kinds of apples. We read the Gail Gibbons book about apples (I chose specific pages to share as it’s a lengthy book). Then we viewed this video of workers picking apples in a way other than climbing a ladder. Both boys were fascinated by the machinery and how the men put the apples in a front pouch until it was full and then unhooked the pouch and poured the apples into a large wooden crate. They asked to watch the video over and over.
Once we read the book, and viewed the video, we took about half a dozen Gala apples and made applesauce. It was delicious and Jack and Owen were so proud they’d made their own applesauce from real apples.
We started on the first day of our PreK school year by planting a fall garden. There’s been a ton of exploration and discovery around seeds, soil, parts of a plant and how gardens take daily maintenance. We measure the plants as they grow (non-standard measurement), sketch the changes in our science notebooks and talk a lot about what we’ll do when we harvest our produce. We are planning to eat some and take some to our local food bank. The idea to share came from Gardener’s Supply #gardentogive project.
Before we actually started digging and planting, I wanted to build sufficient background knowledge. The boys and I viewed this video of a time lapse bean seed growing. They have watched this video over and over again and never tire. It is a brilliant view of seeds, root growth and seedling formation.
The best investment I made early on was this set of cardboard blocks. Jack and Owen spend a lot of time planning, negotiating, problem solving and creating on the rug in our living room. This block center facilitates such rich language between the two of them.
Our construction center looks different each week. Sometimes it’s creating with small blocks, creating structures with materials from a sketch or diagram. Recently, the construction center provided a task to match washers and nuts to the correct size bolts.
We write every day. On most days they label pictures they’ve drawn or sketch and dictate to me what they’d like the caption to say. Every day before going home we reflect on our day and they choose one learning moment they want to draw in their green journals. The first day of school they decorated their green journal because it would be the one they took home to share their learning (no more saying “I don’t know” when parents ask about their day.) They draw and then I write down what they’d like to saw about the drawing of their learning memory for the day. I read what they said, they read it, and I encourage them to read it to family members once they’re home. Last week, Owen decided to create a veggie patch in our yard as we’d been talking a lot that day about our own fall garden. He asked for paper, marker and a stick so he could make a sign. “4 Sale. Fall Vegetables.”
I learn so much by observing the learning each day. So much of the time I have underestimated what they are able and ready to do. The boys surprise me every day. I spend my evenings looking over notes I’ve made about their learning, reflecting on what that informal data tells me, and adjusting my plans for subsequent days.
These students, my grandsons, tell me often (by their actions, their questions, their visible learning) what I should provide in the learning environment next.
They are willing learners. And so am I.
