preschool – FRIDAY BLOG

The Owlets have been busy learning all about California through a joyful, hands-on mini-inquiry inspired by curiosity, creativity, and discovery. Their exploration began in early January with a classroom art project focused on California poppies. After closely studying photos of the state flower and noticing its bright orange and yellow colors, the Owlets used liquid watercolors to create their own vibrant poppies. Although poppies typically bloom in the spring, they bloomed early in the Owlet classroom!

The inquiry officially began with the book Welcome to California, which introduced students to the basics of the state and continued to serve as a reference throughout the project. The Owlets eagerly shared places they have visited across California and quickly realized just how diverse the state’s landscapes are. To bring this learning to life, they worked together to create a large map of California, discovering coastal beaches, farmland, snowy mountains, forests, and deserts along the way.

In small groups, the Owlets used a variety of materials to represent where each landscape is located on the map. They also examined real photos shared by Owlet families and practiced matching each image to the correct region.

The Owlets also learned about California’s weather patterns and the animals that live in each region. They noticed that the desert is hot and home to animals that wouldn’t survive in cooler mountain climates. While studying the California state flag, they spotted the large brown grizzly bear and learned that grizzly bears no longer live in the state. This led to an exploration of animals that currently call California home, including black bears, foxes, coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, and quails. Students were especially excited to discover a few “hidden” quails right in their classroom.

The inquiry wrapped in elements of California history as well, including a discussion of the Gold Rush and how people once traveled to the state in search of gold. Through art, literature, mapping, and imaginative play, the Owlets have built a strong foundation of knowledge about California—its landscapes, animals, symbols, and history—while nurturing curiosity and a love of learning along the way.

#SaklanHandsOn

Last week, the preschoolers were very excited to welcome their parents, buddies, and other community members into their classroom for their Nocturnal Animal Project Culmination.

The Owlets spent two months learning about nocturnal animals after a student brought up the concept during circle time at the beginning of the year. The other students had a lot of prior knowledge about animals and were very interested in learning about animals that are more active at night, so the teachers designed a project based on their natural curiosities.

As part of their project, the Owlets took on the role of surveyors, going around the school to ask other classes an important question: Which garbage collector is your favorite—raccoon, opossum, or skunk? After gathering all the votes, they counted them together as a class. It was a close race, but in the end, the preschoolers discovered that Saklan’s favorite animal is… the raccoon!

During the project, the Owlets created an Owlet Wildlife Center, after learning about Lindsay Wildlife’s Rehab Hospital. During their study they learned an important lesson: once an injured animal heals, vets usually release it back into its natural habitat. With this in mind, it was time to return the now-healed animals in their care. Maggie’s hippo and Shay’s hairy cow were delivered with care back to their “homes.” Maggie and Shay were so happy to be reunited with their stuffies, and the Owlets were just as excited to see their hard work pay off!

To get ready for the culmination, the Owlets reviewed all the facts they had learned by creating colorful infographic posters. Their attention to detail was spot on as they helped color the giant animal drawings, carefully choosing the real-life colors of each animal. In addition to coloring the posters, they did some fun math with them, measuring the length and width of the animals using unit cubes.

Finally, all their learning and hard work came together for their Nocturnal Animal Culmination, which was a great success! Teachers, parents, and buddies were all very proud of the Owlets. They were amazing tour guides, confidently sharing everything they’ve learned.