There is magic in sharing personal stories that go beyond books or storytelling. Perhaps it’s the special way children feel when they know that others are listening to a story about something that was their own unique experience. In the Polka Dots classroom, we make time to share quotnewsquot every morning during morning circle. Kids…
With the current school year coming to an end, I know that parents are feeling excited and anxious about sending their soon to be kindergarteners off to school in the fall. Are they ready? Do they have the right skills? While many of us focus on the basics of letter and number recognition or reading…
“Infinity is not a number, it’s a concept!” exclaimed one kindergarten student. “What’s a concept?” questioned another. Over the past month, there has been a lot of chatter between the Sprouts about exactly what infinity is. I decided to take some time in math class the next morning to explore infinity in more detail. I…
How can we encourage kids to think critically from an early age? Through an activity that every child is already an expert at – asking questions! The trick is to go beyond simple “what” questions and start asking more complex “how” and “why” questions. I decided to use the book One Plastic Bag to help…
Yesterday, the K-2 group ventured out downtown to learn more about Chicago’s rich architecture and food. We have been studying the history of Chicago all year and this was the perfect way to cap it off! We took the CTA bus down to the new Chicago Architectural Center. We were met with a docent to…
Being that it’s poetry month, my Kindergarten-first grade class started reading more poetry over the past two weeks and we have started writing our own poems! The kids are so creative and motivated, it’s a treat to see. We started with acrostic poems. Acrostic poems are very concrete and accessible for students writing at all…