It’s Green! It’s Humid! It’s a Rainforest!

Kindergartners have been enjoying our new rainforest study. This week we investigated to find out what is a rainforest? Students practiced locating rainforests of the world using our color-coded biome map. Young conservationists found ways that they can live in harmony with nature in efforts to save our rainforests. Earth Day gave us the perfect opportunity to discuss why it is so important to do our part to help save beautiful rainforests. Students shared ways they could help save our rainforest including: turning off lights when we leave a room, save water by taking smaller baths or turning off water while we brush our teeth, plant a tree, recycling and picking up litter. Next week, learning Centers will allow students to further explore our rainforest study. In our art center students will illustrate themselves in the rainforest with a black crayon and paint lovely pictures with watercolor paints and make red-eyed tree frogs. In the imagination station center, Kindergarteners will have a chance to pack for a trip to the rainforest. Students will read rainforest books in our reading center and illustrate rainforest predators on a class chart. Finally, in our science center, students will learn about various rainforest animals. Ask your young scientist what they learned about the rainforest this week!

We Are Problem-Solvers

This week brave writers explored persuasive writing by finding problems and writing in many different ways to reach their readers. Inspired by The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, students have been searching for ways they can make our classroom, school, and world, a better place. Kindergarteners shared ways to solve problems such as messy cubbies, cleaning the art center and litter on our playground. When writers see a problem, they think of how to fix it, and then they write about it! By making signs, letters, songs, lists, or petitions, our students are eagerly convincing their audience into action!

Earth Day

This Friday was Earth Day! Although your planet savers are conscious of ways to protect the earth everyday at The Cooper School, we did an extra special celebration of Earth Day on Friday. During Whole School Morning Meeting,  I asked the students to brainstorm several ways that we could observe Earth Day at school. After compiling an amazing list and then voting, the student body decided that we would keep all the lights off in the school for the entire day! What an exciting way to preserve resources. There were definitely moments on Friday where we almost forget and started to turn the lights on, but we made it!  Working and learning with the lights off even ended up being very peaceful.

In addition, kindergarteners participated in some special activities throughout the day. Problem solving kindergarteners worked in groups to create signs to persuade TCS students to keep the earth happy and healthy. Their topics were conserving water, composting, and keeping beaches clean. Kindergarteners delighted in this activity and worked together harmoniously to create amazing persuasive writing. Kindergarteners learned about “where does garbage go” and what a landfill is and how it is created. Kindergarteners learned that rubber tires do not break down in a landfill and that they can be reused as a tire swing, playground, or a road. Kindergarteners put cheerios in a cup to represent tires in a landfill. Then to reduce and reuse, children smashed the cheerios down to a fine powder, added water to make a paste and created a road. What fun we had!!! Ask your child how they can help the earth at home.

Important Dates:

• Friday, May 6th – Grandparents Day/Pass It On (11:30 Dismissal)
• Sunday, May 15th – TCS Picnic @ Magnolia Plantation
• Monday, May 30th – Memorial Day (No School)
• Friday, June 3rd – Last Day of School (11:30 Dismissal)