This week, as we have been coming closer to the end of our unit of inquiry on animals, we have been delving deeper into the relationships between humans and animals. This means, what humans do for animals, what animals get from humans, and what humans get from animals.
We did a lot of play-based inquiry this week where we used the lovely big models of animals we painted ourselves and started taking care of them. We brushed them, fed them, and gave them water. (Pretend water!). Using our imaginations in this way allowed students to really think about how people connect to animals, and what the jobs of real farmers might be like. We even used some real animal food to give to the models, like wheat, straw, and beans. Students were so interested in this process, and picking out the tiny beans gave us a chance to practice our fine motor skills.
After inquiring and investing about large farm animals, we then started looking the humble honey bee. Last week we ate pancakes and drizzled sweet honey on top. This sparked the conversation “where does honey come from?” And “how do bees make honey?” We watched a video together about how bees collect nectar from flowers, and use that to create honey. Then, to reflect and digest what we had seen, we each made a craft piece of a big honey bee. While making it, students talked about bees buzzing from flower to flower, and how bees make honey for their babies. The results were fantastic, and each bee buzzed its way around the classroom looking for flowers!
We had some clear days this week, so we took the opportunity to play outside as much as we could. One of the really fun ways we got to move our bodies was buzzing around the playground as bees, and some of the bees stung Mr Jimmy! Ouch! Some bees even went searching for flowers!
Finally, we have also been continuing our phonics studies by looking at the letters of the alphabet, exploring the shapes, and being creative with our crayons to see how it feels to write. Students were also free to trace the shapes of the letters using whiteboard markers. Even at three years old, we try to give students as much choice, freedom and agency as possible in their learning. You’re never too young (or old!) to learn how to learn!
