Listening is an important part of communication, especially during emergencies. This week, everyone practiced a safe fire evacuation. When they heard the whistle and the word “FIRE,” they covered their mouths, listened carefully to the instructions, and walked calmly and safely out of the building. Afterward, the group reviewed the OHASHIMO steps to help them remember what to do in such situations.

Later, students communicated with each other and researched small creatures in the library. Once they chose helpful books together and looked at pictures from the trip to Nakano. Then, they decided which insects to build with clay, draw, and present during Show and Tell to share what they like with friends. Later in Phonics, students blended words, like ants, frogs, and bugs aloud to learn about small creatures found around ponds. After listening to the sounds out loud they worked together to match and color the pictures.

Listening is also helpful when identifying the small creatures all around us, so the students practiced listening to recordings of different creatures in a couple of games of Insect Bingo and Number the Creature. They worked in teams to guess sounds like chirps, buzzes, or clicks, and match the bugs’ sounds. They even discovered that some insects make sounds that are very similar to each other or completely unexpected! Next time they go outside they can look and listen to find cool bugs!

After sounds, it was time for a little sight. They inspected their Spider plants closely and saw tiny roots starting to poke out. They are hopeful that the plants will grow long and strong roots with good care and water.  They also checked out some super small caterpillars to see if they were eating, crawling or sleeping. But, they must check again when they get bigger!

As part of their ongoing exploration of the role of using their senses  to learn about nature, the Shooting Star class has collected recycled materials to create musical instruments to play in a story time. Each student chose and decorated their own instrument. Some of the sounds of animals and insects can even be created with their instruments. They will experiment with the sounds and use stories to follow along and mimic different animal and insect noises.