Week of 8-29-2014

 

It was a special birthday for Alpha teacher, Meaghan Fenech, when her students and parent representative surprised her on her birthday with the help of her assistant teacher, Ms. Rosoff. The children decorated a frame containing a photo of the class holding a birthday sign to present to Ms. Fenech along with cupcakes for snack that everyone enjoyed. 

 

 

The Experiential School students had their first visit to the library this week. With the help of her puppets Mr. Clean Hand and Mr. Dirty Hand, Mrs. Smay taught the children about book etiquette.  The returning Experiential School students were thrilled to see Mrs. Smay again, and our new students were excited to meet her and experience our wonderful library. Everyone is looking forward to their first book checkout next week. 

 

 

The PE coaches quickly become some of the Experiential School students’ favorite people! This week, the coaches visited Alpha and played a name game that involved rolling a ball across the circle, not so easy for three-year-olds but they persisited! When Coach Wolfrath arrived to pick up Mrs. Jotch’s class for their first “real” PE class, one of the children exclaimed, “I just love that guy!” 

 

Anyone can move paint with a paintbrush but this week the Junior Kindergartners discovered that they could create interesting effects in a more unusual way. Paint, pipettes and straws were the instruments of discovery as the students figured how to use them to create interesting effects on paper. Using pipettes requires fine motor control and coordination to draw the paint in and then squeeze it out in with control. Once the paint was on the paper, it took some experimentation to figure out at what angle did it work best to successfully move the paint by blowing through the straw. The students made lots of observations, including what happened when the colors ran into each other. 

 

 

Cutting is an art and a skill that takes a great deal of practice, from holding the scissors and coordinating the opening and closing of the blades to holding the paper being cut. Practice, though, can be fun and provides lots of material for creative projects as the JK students demonstrated when they used all of the cut paper to create colorful and creative designs. 

 

Hands on!

In the Experiential School, students are literally up to their elbows in a variety of tactile materials and artistic mediums. This week, in Alpha, it was shaving cream and fingerpaint. Though both were used in the same manner, the children discovered that they have very different properties. 

 

 

Tuesday night, the Alpha and JK parents had the opportunity to hear about their children’s days at school. The teachers provided schedules, explanations and insight into the curriculum and experiences planned for the students this year. Parents are always welcome and are encouraged to visit, watch and participate in the action and fun in the Experiential School of Tampa Bay! Conference schedules are posted for anyone who was not able to attend. 

 

 

As Experiential School students engage in activities, the teachers observe and engage them in conversations about their activities and actions. These observations provide authentic information to the teachers about the children’s skills and their understanding of and ability to apply concepts to relevant situations. It can be a simple as noting when children string their beads randomly or in simple or complex patterns, talking with a child about the shapes they used in a special design, or asking them how many blocks high their tower is. All of this information helps the teachers in their planning so they are able to differentiate their activities, provide appropriately challenging materials and situations, and extend the children’s thinking through skillful open-ended questions.

 

 

Children never tire of visiting housekeeping or other dramatic play areas as it gives them the opportunity to  “try on” roles of people in the world around them. It also provides them time to practice empathy, sharing and practical life skills, such as dressing themselves, setting tables, and taking care of others (the dolls). 

[more photos from the week here]