Category: Owlets

The Owlets read the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes about a girl with a very long name – 13 letters! The class honed their letter and name recognition skills while creating name flowers, adding a petal for each letter of their name. During this activity, many of the Owlets used scissors for the first time! When practicing new skills, the teachers use language like “This is tricky, but you can do tricky things” and “The more you practice, the easier it gets.” 

The Owlets also got the opportunity to build their names with letter blocks. They learned that the longest name in their class is 8 letters, while the shortest name is only 3 letters.

These name and letter activities were not only fun, but also provided opportunities for the Owlets to work on their fine motor skills.

The Owlets have been practicing new school routines this week. One of the most important things they practice throughout the day is hand washing! First the Owlets shared what they already know about germs, including that:

• They make us sick.
• They are small.
• We wash them off.

The class then watched a short video to learn a little more about what germs are and how they get into our bodies. Finally the Owlets got to do a messy experiment to practice great hand washing!

The teachers put oil and cinnamon on the students’ hands and told them to pretend the small specks of cinnamon were germs.

The students were then asked to wash their hands to try and get rid of the “germs.” The Owlets learned that they couldn’t get all the germs off with only water; they needed to use soap and scrub all over. They also noticed that sometimes when all the germs on their palms were gone, some were still hiding in between their fingers and on the backs of their hands!

This hands-on activity has really helped the Owlets understand the importance of thorough hand washing to keep themselves and their friends healthy!

The Owlets have been busy biologists this month! After learning about different animal classes, the Owlets each got to nominate an animal that they wanted to research. Before choosing the first animal to study as a class, they watched a video to learn about Jane Goodall, a real animal researcher who studies chimpanzees by observing them in the wild. They also learned about other ways of doing research including using nonfiction books, internet resources, and talking to experts. 

The Owlets then voted to learn more about turtles! They read nonfiction books from the library that taught them turtle facts, including what turtles eat, where they live, and different types of turtles. The class watched this video to learn more about turtles and tortoises. The Owlets then strengthened their fine motor skills by painting turtle shells and decorating them with hexagon shapes. Lastly, each owl decided if their turtle would have flippers to help it swim or feet to help it walk on land like a tortoise.

The Owlets then got to vote for the next animal they were interested in learning about. The overwhelming winner was sharks! Ms. Jessica checked out books from the library that showcased different types of sharks, from the 30-foot whale shark to the 7-inch dwarf shark. The class read If Sharks Disappeared by Lily Williams and learned how important sharks are for our oceans and the world as a whole. The Owlets were very excited to cut out shark fins to make shark fin hats! While practicing their cutting skills, the students also discussed what type of shark they would want to be.

#SaklanScience

The Owlets have been busy bees this month continuing their study of spring, plants, and pollinators!

The Owlets noticed that the seeds they planted earlier in the month have been growing! They discovered that of all the seeds they planted, the radish seeds sprouted the quickest. While the students have taken their sprouts home, they still have radish, carrot, onion, sunflower, marigold, snap peas, and green beans planted in planters in their classroom and around the yard, and they continue to observe how they grow!

The Owlets read Bee by Britta Teckentrup, and learned that bees and other pollinators have a very important job to help plants grow. They watched this video about how bees make honey, and then used paint and bubble wrap to make honeycomb patterns on hexagons.

The class then watched this video to learn more about pollen, and why some people get allergies during spring. They looked at different flowers and saw the pollen on each one. The Owlets then got the chance to use a microscope to look at pollen from different plants!

#SaklanHandsOn

It’s starting to feel like spring in the Owlet class! The Owlets have been learning about seeds and plants. The students looked at seeds and flowers under magnifying glasses. They identified and sorted different types of seeds. And each student even got to pick a seed to plant and tend to!

After choosing to plant either radish, green bean, or zinnia seeds, the Owlets then made a prediction about which type of seed would grow the fastest. The majority of the class guessed that the green bean seed would grow fastest, but they have to wait and see!

The class watched this video to learn a little about how a seed grows into a plant. The Owlets now know that even though they can’t see their seeds growing just yet, there are roots beginning to grow under the soil. They also read the books A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston and The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss to explore seeds further.

Up next, the Owlets will learn more about plants, flowers, and pollinators.

#SaklanHandsOn

This month, the Owlets have been talking about authors and illustrators. They learned that an author is the person who puts the words in a book, and an illustrator makes the pictures for the book. So far, they have studied two authors who are also illustrators. First, they read books by Eric Carle, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Grouchy Ladybug and A House for Hermit Crab. The Owlets then created art inspired by Eric Carle’s illustrations. 

The next author/illustrator the Owlets learned about was Mo Willems, who wrote The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, We’re in a Book! and Should I Share My Ice Cream? The Owlets then began working on a multi-step painting project to create some of Mo Willems’ characters, Gerald and Piggie. The next authors they will learn about are Laura Numeroff (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie) and the duo of Margaret and H.A. Rey (Curious George). 

#SaklanCreative