Recently in Summer Weekly Plans 12 Category

"Exploring Nature" News for the Week of 7.2.2012
Shirley G. Moore Laboratory Summer School

Our third week was a hot one (!!!), but with a daily popsicle break in the shade and the sprinkler turned on full-tilt, we managed to beat the heat and continue our exploration of nature! Although it was only a three-day week, the children we still busy: there was more exploration (and fabrication) of Styrofoam boats as the children worked on larger collaborative boats; the persistent "big boat" group added another sail as well as got others excited by pursuing the idea of actually making that "big boat float...for real;" another group of children continued working on the plywood/milk carton boat with growing success; we even saw a resurging interest with the caterpillars and butterflies as new (tiny) eggs were brought in and hatched, creating a "Can you find the tiny caterpillars?" game amongst the children. With all this action, it's hard to believe we only have one final week to wrap all these explorations up! One major way to culminate many of these ideas will be with our trip to Minnehaha Falls on Wednesday. Hope you can make it!

As mentioned, one major explorative thread still being pursued by the children (which is now moving into more of an inquiry investigation as the children begin to ask and answer their own questions about how to make the best floating boat) is the Styrofoam boat making. Rather than continuing with individual boats, the teachers agreed the children were ready to bring their ideas together and work on a larger boat (with hopes/thoughts that it might also help spark ideas about how to help the larger plywood boat's buoyancy). Working together, the children designed and sailed their large Styrofoam boat - which might technically be a one-person raft as it held a child!

Another new boat-related development revolved around the "big boat." The children decided to rig another sail, however the biggest discussions revolved around answering the questions, "Can we make that boat float? How?" Putting water around it was the obvious answer, but with experiments at large group, the children quickly realized they needed something to hold the water around the boat, as "the water just soaks away in the sand, and won't make [the boat] float!" After an interesting discovery on the playground using a plastic bag and a smaller boat, the teachers brought out large tarps, and with a little help digging (as well as moving the big boat), the children got the tarp under the boat! Monday will be the "maiden voyage," so we'll see if the idea works!

With the additions of a dozen tiny monarch caterpillar eggs, and their seemingly daily hatchings, a reemerging interest in the insects appeared this week. The children enjoyed trying to find the "teeny-tiny catapidders," as well as seeing how much bigger the mature caterpillar got day-to-day. Discussions about butterfly lifecycles were-a-plenty. With one still in a chrysalis, we hope to have at least one more butterfly release before (if not on) Thursday!

The final area of exploration that had children thinking and working critically was the plywood boat. After last week's failed attempts of keeping the boat above water (however it was just as much fun below water as above!), a group discussed and thought "more wood...and more [milk] cartons" were needed. After screwing the boards together, the crew tested their boat. The more cartons and jugs dig help it float better, however one major problem kept "rising to the surface:" the cartons and jugs kept slipping out from underneath. Looks like we got some more work to do next week!

Highlights for next week, July 9-14
- The research with Lauren will be taking place this week. You will have a participation form in your child's folder if they played the games that day.
- Field trip Wednesday! Be sure to bring back your signed permission slips. Also, weather looks perfect, so for those adults joining us, you may want to plan on possibly getting a little wet that day. Lastly, since it looks like such a great day, you may want to stay longer...and you're welcome to do so! Bring a lunch and make a day of it. You may also want to coordinate with a few other families and make it a cooperative family-fun day!
- Thursday is our final day of the "Exploring Nature" summer program. It's been a lot of fun and full of exploration! For those not continuing to the "Investigating Nature" Science camp, have a great rest of the summer. Stay cool!

We'll see you tomorrow,
Amy, Bob, Elizabeth, and Ross

"Exploring Nature" News for the Week of 6.25.2012
Shirley G. Moore Laboratory Summer School

During the second week of the "Exploring Nature" program, the teachers have seen an interest emerge as a clear-cut favorite amongst the children: boats! All week the teachers discussed ways to bring in new materials to encourage further exploration related to floating, as well as asking the question "what materials/designs work best when making a boat?" for those children ready to go deeper into the investigation of (and eventual) making a real boat for people to ride on! These investigations and provocations also fueled the enhancement of the real dramatic play boat on the big playground: with a core group determined to make the old aluminum fishing boat into the greatest sailboat to ever sail the seven (sandy) seas of the Lab School playground! All of that and we hatched and released to monarch butterflies. We are definitely making the most of these fours weeks together!

As mentioned, boats have been very popular this past week. The teachers talked about all the ways we could explore the concepts of boats and floating. Our first provocation involved bringing in the water table, as well as introducing various floatable materials to the art table. We knew the children were getting interested in boats from last week's river play, however we wanted to go beyond the toy boats and invite the children to start creating their own boats using loose pieces...and they did! Seeing the materials, the children quickly started creating, and eventually found purpose for their boats as they started to pile the Fischer Price people on them and sailing them across the water table!

As this artistic/creative exploration took place at the art table, we also saw children using the blocks to create larger boats in the back of the classroom. A "whaling boat" was created using the smaller unit blocks, growing in length and complexity each day - now with four masts, main sails, and "a keel to keep the boat from tipping over." We have also seen larger "fishing boats" made from the larger hollow blocks; allowing the children to ride on the boat and "fish" from it with the magnetic fishing poles and paperclip-fish.

The boat play has not been limited to the indoors...not by a long shot! With the sun shining all week, much of our boat play took place on the big river! Similar to the exploration of making boats in the classroom, the teachers decided to bring boat-making materials to the big playground and encourage the children to create new, steadier boats based on the newly-acquired knowledge from the boat-trials inside at the water table. Styrofoam proved to be the heavy favorite for making great boats, however, some children realized simply using the bottle caps themselves allowed for passage through the narrow channels upstream. However, as satisfying as the small boats were, it was becoming clear the children wanted make a boat big enough for them to ride on. Using the gathered milk jugs/cartons, the teachers helped facilitate the building of a larger boat: first starting with milk jugs and rope, and eventually working towards using tools and pounding pieces of plywood together. It's had one test launch (and needs a few repairs/additions), but this boat is getting close to being ready for the Lab School river!

While all this boat building took place at the river, there was a group at the other boat on the big playground that was determined to clean it out and turn it into a proper sailboat! After finding the right "mast" and securing (tying) it down, the children had the all-important job of picking out fabric for the sails. Once decided, the group worked together to "synch the rigging" and "hoist the main sail." The anchor was also attached, and it was clear the group was ready for journeys to far away places! We hope to see these journeys continue into next week...as well as any additions necessary to make such a voyage!

Highlights for next week, July 2-5
- Just a reminder: there is NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, July, 4th, however we will have school Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of that week...please let us know if your family is planning a trip/vacation during that week.
- Further exploration and investigation of boats will continue this week. If you have any experience/knowledge to hare with the children related to boats/boating (i.e. know how to sail, love to canoe, have sailed the globe in a personal catamaran, etc.) please let us know!

Have a great weekend and we'll see you Monday,
Amy, Bob, Elizabeth, and Ross

"Exploring Nature" News for the Week of 6.18.2012
Shirley G. Moore Laboratory Summer School

We managed to avoid the rain and be outside every day during our first week of the "Exploring Nature" program...and the children have been doing exactly that - exploring nature! This group quickly settled into the new schedule and daily routines that come with summer school. An equal comfort with the new teachers and classmates was also apparent, as many new friendships were quickly formed, and old friendships picked up right where they left off from the school year.

There have been exciting things happening on both playgrounds. During the first half of the morning, many of the children ventured out to the small playground. The "tall, tall grass" has lent itself to intriguing exploration and searches for different bugs and insects. So far the children have found grasshoppers, butterflies, and "other kinds of weird bugs." We added some provocations (insect specimens pinned to Styrofoam) to the science table in the classroom: helping build a sense of wonder about (as well as allow for an up close at) those quick-moving creatures we are seeing outside in the morning. Also this week, some new "visitors" arrived via Bob - a (very large) monarch caterpillar as well as two green chrysalises. On Thursday, while we were on the big playground, the last caterpillar joined the other two, and now we've got three chrysalises! We will continue to watch them closely, and chart how long it will take for these three to hatch!

During the second half of the morning, the big excitement is happening at "the river," located under the birch tree on the big playground. Right away, a majority of the children gravitated to this spot, actively digging and rerouting the water each day - resulting the in the creation of numerous islands, trenches, and channels! There have also been several dams erected to create mini waterfalls and pools. When the sun comes out, a favorite activity for many is making "big splashes" in the pooling river water...a true example of "full-sensory" exploration! The topic of boats came up while digging the rivers last week, and some children worked with Elizabeth to make a boat big enough to ride on! Although some more planning needs to happen, we have added the water table and buoyant materials to do some mini boat-making trials/tests.

The interest in moving/rerouting water also led to a walking field trip to the bridge behind the school. The children compared and contrasted their river from the playground to the Mississippi: noticing many similarities (i.e. islands, dams, dirty water, and foam in the water) and differences (i.e. faster current, "sparkles" in the water, and lack of erosion along the river bank). We plan to take another trip next week to get a closer look at the river - remember to bring your permission slips back!

Highlights for next week, June 25 - 28
- The sun! By the looks of it, the sun should be gracing us with its presence next week. Please be sure to send along your child's swimwear if it's not already here - that goes for sunscreen, too!
- We will venture to the other side of the walking bridge that spans the "Mighty Mississip' " and take a closer look at the river on Wednesday.
- We will have a new classroom volunteer joining us on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Her name is Anna, and she is a daughter of one of the researchers in the Institute. She was with us last summer and hoped she could join us again!
- We will also have a few research studies taking place this summer. More information will be sent out as they are about to start.
- Albeit 2 weeks away, there is NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, July, 4th, however we will have school Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of that week...please let us know if your family is planning a trip/vacation during that week.

Have a great weekend and we'll see you Monday,
Amy, Bob, Elizabeth, and Ross