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Work Snapshots
Scott Andersen | August 10, 2010 | Comment
I am posting some photos I took walking around the school this morning. I took this first one of the nature collage with tree bark, moss, and photos. It reminds me of fancy quilts I have seen. I hope you enjoy them. More can be found on our Flikr page.
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Little Rain Makers
Scott Andersen | June 21, 2010 | Comment
Our Early Preschool students (age 2) are still studying about water. Part of that study is about rain and the purpose of rain. This photo shows an activity the students did to simulate rain and what it does to replenish the earth.
I like several things about this activity. First, I like that it engages the students in hands-on learning. I also like that fact that it teaches the importance of rain. But most of all, I like that fact that this activity is likely to make a mess! Learning is messy sometimes. Finally, this activity is fun because it involves water. Our students have shown a clear love of learning (and playing) when water is involved.
Speaking of rain, I found this site that was wonderful images of rain…http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/09/07/35-brilliant-examples-of-rain-photography/. I thought you might enjoy it.
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Water, Water Everywhere!
Scott Andersen | June 9, 2010 | Comment
The exciting EcoAdventures have begun at The Grove School! Summer is here and summer usually comes with WATER! The first of our six biome adventures is Under The Sea. The photos here show some of the student work from the first few days of this biome. Most of the work featured here is from Ms. Sue’s amazing Pre-K classroom.
Students are shown making “raincoats” for their little furry friends. This experiment allowed the students to see if they could design a way to keep their furry friends dry. 
By the looks of the after picture, it would seem they did a great job!
Students also made a 3-D beach map showing the water and the sand. They have also designed a 
window aquarium with fish swimming around along with a wall model of a beach.
Playing in water is fun whether at the beach or in your classroom. Students this week have played with ocean toys in our water tables as well as participated in an experiment where they
predict which items would sink and which items would float.
The final photo shows one of our students peeking out of the porthole of a boat his class made with a recycled box.
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The Under the Sea fun continues through next week. The schedule for the remaining five biome adventures is as follows:
- June 21–July 2 Arctic Adventures
- July 6–July 16 Golden Sands and Desert Lands
- July 19-30 Where the Green Grass Grows
- Aug 2-13 Bees, Trees and Me
- Aug 16-27 Outside My Window
Based upon the first three days, I can’t wait to see what is in store for our students, teachers and families. This is going to be a BLAST!
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Dirty Water, Clean Water
Scott Andersen | April 16, 2010 | Comments (2)
Next to our children, water is one of the most valuable resources we have on this planet. Today in Ms. Sue’s Pre-K class, the students performed an experiment about ways in which we can clean water. Before even starting the activity, Ms. Sue asked the students to name and predicts methods that would clean dirty water. You can see some of their responses on the screenshot photo of the smart board in their class. Some of their ideas were to “scrape” the water, use a wash cloth, and to use “soap and water” to clean the water. As it turns out, the used a wash cloth over the top of another jar to ask as a filter to clean the water.
The students began their experiment by going outside to get the dirt so they could mix it with the one jar of water to make the dirty water. 
After stirring it up, the students then poured the dirty water through the wash cloth that was covering the empty jar. The students observed that a lot of the dirt and sand that was in the dirty water jar, was collecting on the top of the wash cloth. They observed that the wash cloth cleaned the water, but did not make it totally clean like it was before the made it dirty. Nonetheless, one of the lessons learned was that was can actually clean dirty water and that by experimenting, thinking and being creative, we can find solutions to real-world and important problems that we face.
Finally, the last photo shows some of the vocabulary and the writing of one of our Pre-K students. I find that a student’s vocabulary and their potential for learning dramatically increases as creative teacher like Ms. Sue, use engaging and fun strategies with their students.
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It’s Spring in the Classroom Too!
Scott Andersen | March 22, 2010 | Comments (2)
***UPDATED 3/26 with new photos. ***
Spring is here. Not only are we excited because of the lovely weather, but we are thrilled because of the great teaching and learning going on in our classrooms.
This post shows photos and videos from our preschool classroom. They are in the middle of their PLANTS unit of study. As part of their work, they have been planting flowers, making a flower shop and studying the life cycle of plants. 
They also have been planting and caring for the vegetables and herbs in our organic garden. This first photo shows an art project that they have worked on everyday during the unit. Look carefully and you will see the petals of a flower. When done, these petals will be peeled off, leaving behind their impression on the paper. The petals will then be posted as well.
The next photo shows the “flower shop” in the classroom. The remaining photos show a flannel board, a vase of flowers, the word wall that goes with this unit, and some organic carrots the students are growing.
The video that is at the bottom shows a student independently using the flannel board to describe the plant life cycle. Listen carefully and keep in mind the words and pronunciation are those of a three year old. Note how he works to sequence the components of the life cycle.
His description was based along activity in his class where Ms. Alli covered, in a variety of ways, the components of the plant’s life cycle. I visited one day when she was using the smart board to draw a cross section of what a plant looks like both above and below the ground. She had the students help her draw the roots which were under ground.
Check out the video too…remember to listen carefully.
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What’s up at The Grove School of Plano?
Wendy DeSpain | March 3, 2010 | Comment
Early Preschool is learning about the sky and going on picnics while using children’s literature as an anchor. Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten are discovering different methods of transportation while focusing on the letter of the week and building vocabulary through experiences and literature.
Also, all classrooms are busily planting! It is time to get our onions, radishes, lettuce, basil, peppers, okra, tomatoes, and flowers as well as lima beans, snap peas, corn, pumpkins, squash, beets, oregano, dill parsley, leeks, cilantro, and carrots in the ground! We’ll be moving some from the greenhouse to the planting beds soon too!
Here’s a video of our recent planting activity:
As parents, many of us have watched in wonder as a lullaby or a gentle rocking motion turned an inconsolable infant into a sleeping bundle in someone’s arms. Actually, it’s no mystery why babies are comforted by music and rhythm. Even before they are born, infants are comforted by the steady heartbeat and rocking motions of their mothers’ bodies. After they are born, these same rhythms continue to console them. Babies begin responding to music in other ways, too, such as swaying their bodies and imitating the rhythms and sounds they hear.
As children grow, activities involving music naturally foster pre-language skills—listening, being attentive, and concentrating—which lead to anticipating what comes next and being able to follow directions. In addition, the rhythms and melodies of music help children anticipate and recognize when it’s their turn; as children grow, they will be ready to take their turn. All of these things and more help build the foundation for learning conventional communication and social skills. Music “works its magic” when we involve children in musical play activities that encourage:
• physical contact
• repetition
• taking turns
• nonverbal responses
• vocal play
• action as well as speech
• an awareness of appropriate timing for action and/or words
Music can work its magic with your child anytime—during mealtimes or other daily routines such as riding in the car, bath time, and bedtime.
Play is one vehicle through which young children learn about their world. Play fosters children’s development in many areas: social and emotional, language and communication, cognitive, and physical. As children grow and change, the types of play they engage in also develop and change—beginning with simple manipulation of objects and moving toward imaginative play and sophisticated games involving others.
Where children play can also affect the type and quality of their play. Indoor play often allows for a more structured and controlled environment, but the less structured environment of outdoor play is also beneficial. Outdoor play offers unique opportunities for growth unmatched by play indoors. Recent research shows that time spent in natural environments influences children’s ability to be sensitive, expressive, and creative in their later years.
Many of the developmental skills children acquire naturally through play are enhanced in outdoor environments. For example, large, open outdoor spaces encourage active play and whole-body movement such as running, jumping, climbing, and lifting. Children’s cognitive, or intellectual, development is fostered when they explore, experiment with, and create using open-ended materials found in nature, such as water, dirt, sand, and leaves. There are also fewer restrictions when play occurs outdoors—adults are often not as concerned about any messes or spills children may create.
Children’s language and communication skills are enhanced when they share and describe their outdoor observations. For example, one child may be fascinated by the fact that water disappears when he or she pours it in sand. Another child may wonder why a ball rolls effortlessly down a slide but a shovel doesn’t. As they search for answers and explain their discoveries to others, children use new and different vocabulary to express their thoughts and ideas about their outdoor surroundings.
Outdoor play also provides children with new opportunities to experience the impact and consequences of their own behavior among their peers. Outdoors, children can be noisier and move their bodies in ways they might not while inside, which might affect how they do or do not get along with each other in social settings.
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Eco Friends: intro and philosophy
Linda Loop | October 27, 2009 | Comment
Eco Friends is a science- and ecology-based curriculum strand designed to meet the content standards established by state and national boards of education for early childhood instruction, in particular children two through five years of age. The lessons in Eco Friends introduce young children to the four main fields of science – physical, life, environmental, and earth and space. Children will also learn about the scientific method and the six basic science process skills: observation, communication, comparison and classification, measurement, inference, and prediction. Through interesting, interactive, hands-on activities using multi-sensory teaching methods, young children involved in Eco Friends will explore, discover, and make sense of the world around them.
Philosophy
Teaching science to children involves teaching skills more than facts. Children learn best through experiences that interest them or that apply directly to them. They are naturally curious and want to know how things work, why things happen, and what is happening in the world around them. Science activities meet this need in children by providing them hands-on opportunities to get involved. Science in early childhood is not only about ‘doing’ science activities as an integral part of daily life, science learning should be woven into everything the children do.
There are three important areas of science that should be included in science learning: the scientific process, science knowledge, and scientific attitudes.
1. The scientific process involves asking questions and seeking the answers to those questions–-a skill that is used regularly in all aspects of life.
2. Science knowledge encompasses the basic concepts of science, or what is known about the world.
3. Scientific attitudes focus on dispositions to science, such as curiosity, imagination, and respect for doing things in a specific way to validate results. (Virginia Standards of Learning, 2002)
Learning the scientific process should command significant attention when educating young children. Just as children must learn to crawl before they walk or run, certain ‘skills’ need to be learned before children can make sense of the scientific process. These ‘skills’ are referred to as science process skills, and they form the foundation for teaching science. Most scientists recognize six science process skills. Ironically, these skills are used by children and teachers everyday in various capacities, but are not always associated with science learning. When the connection between these skills and science learning is made that children become actively involved in science.
Listed below is a brief description of each of the six science process skills included in the Eco Friends curriculum:
Observation. Using the five senses to watch things with a purpose in mind; finding out about objects or events and what makes them unique or similar.
Communication. Describing characteristics, properties, and changes in objects or events; using language (both spoken and written) to share information and ideas with others; using graphs, charts, and drawings to document information from observations.
Comparison and Classification. Noticing similarities and differences among objects or events and sorting, grouping, or ordering them based on those properties and attributes; includes recognizing and following set patterns.
Measurement. Understanding quantity, size, and volume and comparing an unknown amount with a known unit; using measurement tools.
Inference. Explaining or interpreting observations; drawing conclusions from events.
Hypothesizing and Prediction. Making an informed guess based on observations; formulating a belief of what might happen based on evidence, observations, and inferences and that can be tested through experimentation.
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Eco Friends: science and ecology
Linda Loop | October 27, 2009 | Comment
Ecology is defined as “a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments.” At The Grove School, children learn to take their environment into consideration every day through the materials they use, the activities they engage in, their awareness of their surroundings, and their interactions with others.
By providing opportunities for children to explore and experience nature in appropriate ways, we instill in them a caring and respect for their environment. Environmentalist Carol Petrash sums this up by saying, “Environmental awareness will come naturally to children when it is integrated into the early childhood classroom and home as a way of life” (Earthways, 1992).
Environmental awareness is imbedded in the Eco Friends lessons. As the children learn about animals, plants, themselves and the world around them, we are instilling in them a respect for each other and providing them with tools to care for each.
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