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No, this is not a blog entry about DESSERT FUN, it is about our students’ study of the desert biome.  As part of our summer program, EcoAdventures, students have spent the past two weeks studying about the desert.  Below are some photos of their work.  Enjoy!

Scott, a.k.a. Dr. Andersen, is our Head of School in Cary, NC. He brings 16 years of experience as a teacher and school/district administrator. He has also worked as a photojournalist and software developer.

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Yes, it can snow in July.  And no, it has nothing to do with global warming or cooling!

But it has everything to do with our EcoAdventures summer program. On Friday, we celebrated the end of our students’ two-week study of the arctic biome.

The students participated in a snowy Rock Penguin rock hop along with sliding down a “rock.”  They also enjoyed a sled dog race with a delicious frozen treat at the end of the race along with snow globe making and other fun activities.

Scott, a.k.a. Dr. Andersen, is our Head of School in Cary, NC. He brings 16 years of experience as a teacher and school/district administrator. He has also worked as a photojournalist and software developer.

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We are in the middle of our second biome study as part of our summer program, EcoAdventures.  Our students are currently studying about the Arctic biome.  As part of that study this week, our students held a Skype session with their sister class in Plano, TX.  During the skype session, the students introduced themselves and then studied various images on their respective SmartBoards.  The teachers facilitated a discussion between the students.

The photos show a life-size outline of an emperor penguin and also a polar bear cave the students made from recycled materials.  The video below is some raw footage from Ms. Alli’s class in Cary.

This was a fun use of technology to help the students learn more about their arctic adventure.  It was also a nice way for them to make connections with other students somewhere else in the world.

As we are beginning the process of using skype during our instructional day, we are also learning about teaching the children about webcam etiquette.  For instance, several of the children naturally wanted to be right in front of the camera, thus blocking the view for others.  (I don’t know where they get that!)

We will be skyping more with our friends in TX and hope to find other friends as well.

Scott, a.k.a. Dr. Andersen, is our Head of School in Cary, NC. He brings 16 years of experience as a teacher and school/district administrator. He has also worked as a photojournalist and software developer.

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Today students in Ms. Alli’s preschool class made sea foam and bubbles as part of their “Under the Sea” EcoAdventure.  The students stirred up the water to make the foam then used their wet hands to blow bubbles.  Reactions were mixed as some students liked getting their hands “slimy” with the sea foam more than others.

Nonetheless, it was a fun (and wet) activity on a warm Friday afternoon! Enjoy the photos and the video as a way to share the experience with our students.

More summer fun is on the way in next week’s Under the Sea adventures.

Scott, a.k.a. Dr. Andersen, is our Head of School in Cary, NC. He brings 16 years of experience as a teacher and school/district administrator. He has also worked as a photojournalist and software developer.

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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!

Scott, a.k.a. Dr. Andersen, is our Head of School in Cary, NC. He brings 16 years of experience as a teacher and school/district administrator. He has also worked as a photojournalist and software developer.

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Spring is here, which means it’s time to plan for summer fun.

If you’re considering summer enrollment for your child, we’re encouraging parents to sign up soon for The Grove School. That ensures your child’s participation in our amazing Summer Program, which introduces children to five of the world’s ecological biomes through activities, books and hands-on lessons.

We’ll use math, literacy, science, writing, drama and art experiences to investigate these fascinating parts of our planet. And there will be lots of ways for parents to encourage ongoing learning about the biomes at home and in the community.

The program runs from Monday, June 7 through Friday August 27, 2010 at both our Cary, NC and Plano, TX schools. There’s no extra fee for the program. It’s a part of The Grove School’s regular school-day curriculum.

Here are the topics we’ll cover. Click for more info on what we’ll learn in each unit.

Golden Sands and Desert Lands
Bees, Trees and Me
Where the Green Grass Grows
Under the Sea
Arctic Adventures
Outside My Window

Laura is our director of school operations. With 3 children of her own and a19-year tenure in the early education field, her expertise is helping to build a community of health conscious achievers with the capacity to love and appreciate the world around us.

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This is the sixth and final article in a series about The Grove School Summer Program. The program runs from Monday, June 7 through Friday August 27, 2010 at both our Cary, NC and Plano, TX schools. Learn more about the program.

Outside My Window
After learning about the Earth’s five biomes — deserts, forests, grasslands, tundras, and aquatic — this unit introduces children to ways of caring for and preserving our planet. The dramatic play center will become a recycling center filled with a variety of materials for children to discover, explore and dispose of in the appropriate recycling bins.

Literacy activities include making nature booklets and writing a class letter to the Earth. In small-group science activities, children will experiment with Earth-friendly energy sources such as the wind, and even plant their own marigold seeds.

What We’ll Read
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle by Rozanne Lanczak Williams

This book introduces the concept of recycling to children in a format they will enjoy — a song! Each page of the book contains a line of the song and shows how simple items children use every day can be reduced, reused, and recycled. Children learn how they can work together to perform the very important task of taking care of the Earth.

Culminating Event — School Cleanup

In this final unit’s event, children will put what they have learned about caring for the Earth into practice as they participate in a school-wide cleanup effort. Children will also help sort recyclable materials in the classroom recycling center to be taken to a real recycling center. Children will learn an ecology pledge encouraging them to continue to help take care of our special planet.

Linda is a program development senior specialist and holds a master's degree in Early Childhood Education. She loves the fact that The Grove School curriculum and learning environments help children take care of themselves, one another and the natural world.

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This is the fifth article in a series about The Grove School Summer Program. The program runs from Monday, June 7 through Friday August 27, 2010 at both our Cary, NC and Plano, TX schools. Learn more about the program.

Arctic Adventures
During this unit children will have many opportunities to learn about the frigid climates of the Arctic and Antarctic tundras. They will discover how animals are able to survive the harsh tundra weather through large-group discussions such as How Tundra Animals Stay Warm. Children will practice fine-motor skills as they write or draw pictures in their journals of an imaginary journey as a polar bear. Math skills will be expanded on as children sort items in ice-cube trays and measure ingredients for sugar cookies.

What We’ll Read
The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins

At the very bottom of the world, in a place called Antarctica, the Emperor penguins rule. In his book The Emperor’s Egg, Martin Jenkins describes the life of the world’s most devoted father: the male Emperor penguin. Children will be amazed to hear how he stands in the cold for two whole months with nothing to eat, all while balancing his baby’s egg on his feet and keeping it warm by tucking it up under his thick tummy feathers.

The Emperor’s Egg is a fun, fact-filled book sure to capture every child’s interest during the two-week unit about the frozen tundras.

Culminating Event — Arctic Games

The culminating event for the unit Arctic Adventures will find children slipping, sliding, and sledding in their own Arctic Games! Children will work together to learn fun winter games such as the Dogsled Race and the Penguin Snowball Pass, which they will play during the Arctic Games.

Linda is a program development senior specialist and holds a master's degree in Early Childhood Education. She loves the fact that The Grove School curriculum and learning environments help children take care of themselves, one another and the natural world.

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This is the fourth article in a series about The Grove School Summer Program. The program runs from Monday, June 7 through Friday August 27, 2010 at both our Cary, NC and Plano, TX schools. Learn more about the program.

Under the Sea
This unit is awash with fun opportunities for your child to learn about the water biome. Large-group discussions include differences between saltwater and fresh-water bodies of water, whether or not water animals make good pets, and fun fish facts. Since many children are fascinated by sea creatures, they will have fun practicing measurement concepts in activities such as How Big Are Whales? Science concepts will also be introduced in water-related activities such as testing objects that sink and float, and experimenting with funnels. Throughout the two-week unit, children will have many opportunities to explore an under-the-sea environment — complete with treasure chest! — in the dramatic play center.

What We’ll Read
The Ocean Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta

“A is for Atlantic Ocean…B is for Bluefish….” In The Ocean Alphabet Book, children are invited to come along on an alphabetical journey through the North Atlantic Ocean. While having fun identifying different sea life from A to Z, children are also making connections between letters and their sounds. Each page answers ocean-related questions and gives fascinating details about sea life.The book’s watercolor illustrations in ocean-color hues of blues and greens are inviting elements for readers of all ages.

Culminating Event — Water Day

Splish! Splash! Sploosh! The Water Day event at the end of this unit is sure to provide wet and wacky fun for all. During this event, children will demonstrate different water-related activities they have enjoyed over the past two weeks. Will this object sink or float? Let’s test it! Let’s make bubbles with our hands! Here’s how!

Linda is a program development senior specialist and holds a master's degree in Early Childhood Education. She loves the fact that The Grove School curriculum and learning environments help children take care of themselves, one another and the natural world.

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This is the third article in a series about The Grove School Summer Program. The program runs from Monday, June 7 through Friday August 27, 2010 at both our Cary, NC and Plano, TX schools. Learn more about the program.

Where the Green Grass Grows

During this unit children will have fun learning about different grassland environments and the wonderful animals that live in the grasslands through a variety of small-group and large-group activities. For example, children will draw pictures of and practice writing about an imaginary walk in the grasslands in their journals.

They will also explore measurement in the activity The Length of a Giraffe’s Neck, and graphing and patterning in the activity Animal-Coat Patterns.

What We’ll Read
We All Went on Safari — A Counting Journey Through Tanzania by Laurie Krebs

This delightful book by Laurie Krebs takes children on an exciting counting adventure through the grasslands of Tanzania. As children help count the animals from one to ten that they encounter during their Tanzanian journey, they also learn how to count from one to ten in Swahili. Informative and entertaining, We All Went on Safari — A Counting Journey Through Tanzania is a book children will delight in hearing again and again.

Culminating Event — Wildlife Safari

To celebrate the end of this unit, children will have opportunities to express their creativity by making their own animal masks. They will also be encouraged to wear their masks during the event and pretend to be the safari animals their masks represent.

Linda is a program development senior specialist and holds a master's degree in Early Childhood Education. She loves the fact that The Grove School curriculum and learning environments help children take care of themselves, one another and the natural world.

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