Observant Eyes

 Expanding our Mathematical and Scientific Understanding of the World Around Us

This week in the Dolphin Class, we've been busy exploring the exciting worlds of movement, measurement, and patterns. Here's a peek at some of the fun and engaging activities we've been up to:

Movement Mania

Following on from the movement we observed during our pendulum and slope experiments, we have moved onto exploring a spinning action. Combining our science experiments with a touch of artistic creativity, we started another week making a controlled mess!

Our first activity saw us combining art and movement by squeezing a big glob of paint onto CDs and then spinning them! Rochelle had helpfully used her glue gun to stick a bottle cap on one side for the handle, and a bead or marble on the other side so that the CD had an axis to spin on. We used our fine motor skills to hold the handle with our fingers before twisting them round and releasing. Some of us found this a bit tricky to begin with but with some encouragement, tried and tried again until we became spinning experts!

Our next creation saw us experimenting with spinning paper plates on electronic clay wheels, adding a new dimension to this classic activity. After turning the wheel on, we had to dip our paint brush into paint and gently hold it in one place as the plate moved, ensuring a path of paint followed it in a circular motion. We all loved watching our creations whirl!

Pattern Power

Starting in Open Play, we took advantage of the quiet snack room by placing AB and ABC pattern cards out on the carpet. After choosing our pattern card, we needed to first try and match the bears to the coloured patterns, before trying to continue on the pattern without the help of the template. The following week, we introduced a similar game into our Arrival Play routine, but using connecting camels instead of bears to produce our patterns. 

During Circle Time we watched a pattern video where we had to help the main character find the next object in a variety of sequenced patterns. As a class we shouted out our answers and discovered that if we verbalised the elements of the existing pattern, it was easier for us to predict the missing part of the sequence. Another Circle Time game, involved using coloured balls and a ramp. In the first round, the teacher set out an AB pattern as she rolled the balls down the ramp. For example, blue, green, blue, green, blue, green. After the pattern was clear, everyone helped to shout out the next ball in the sequence. As both classes worked well as a group with their predictions, we were able to quickly move onto ABC and ABBA patterns. 

We have also been using our bodies to make patterns. During music and movement sessions in Circle Time, we've been getting up and moving using some of the songs below to help us make physical patterns. Another game saw us using actions cards. We had clapping, stomping, shouting hooray and putting our fingers to our lips to make a shushing sound. Volunteers came to the front of the class to choose and arrange the action cards in anyway they liked, before modeling the pattern for us. We then all acted out the pattern in a circle as a big group.

Measuring Up

As we continue on with our unit, How the World Works, we will be taking a closer look at measurement. As an introduction, we have had a circle time discussing measuring length. We used mathematical language like, longer, shorter, taller, wider, smaller, closer and further. We started our measuring journey by using both standard (inches) and non-standard (blocks) measurements. We discussed how the measuring units all need to be the same i.e. our foam blocks couldn't be different sizes. They also had to touch each other, and we had to start at either the top or bottom of an object before we measure it. During this time we measured two similar sized volunteers to see who was taller as well as some classroom objects. We made predictions as we went, guessing which items would be taller or shorter than others. We also used foam blocks to measure volunteers and discussed what it meant if someone had more or less blocks piled up than the last. We also had a look at one of our arrival play activities in this time. This game involves piling up mini blocks to compare the sizes of different objects. We reviewed all of the information we had learnt about measuring, and were able to answer the teacher's questions on the most accurate way to measure. 

This week we will also be investigating measuring in a return to cooking! As it is Pancake Day this week, we will be attempting to measure out the ingredients for a batter, mix it altogether, and cook it in a frying pan. The ingredients we will be using are above, so please let me know if your child cannot eat anything on the list. Please also provide a container (labelled with their name) that we can put their cooked pancakes in, should they want to take them home instead of eat them in the classroom. We will be carrying out this activity from Wednesday to Friday this week, however we will also make time for another batch next Wednesday should we be unable to get through everyone this week. 

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Google Photo Albums

AM Dolphins: How The World Works

PM Dolphins: How The World Works