It was all things rocks this week in the Hippo Class. We began our week by observing different rocks- how are they the same, how are they different, how do they feel, how heavy or light they are, what colors do you see....... We added a few more facts for the hippos, such as rocks are really old, there are three different types of rocks, a geologist studies rocks, and rocks can be found in many different places. Thank you parents for helping your child find rocks to bring to our classroom. We used these rocks and many others to paint, sort, pretend, play games, go on a rock hunt in the classroom, match the letters in the word OLD ROCKS at the easel, decorate, build, match rocks to an outline, to outline numbers, count rocks on a truck, match letters, push pebbles in a tennis ball can, observe, weigh, etc. We even used the word "rock" and came up with rhyming words and pictures that start with these letters. Our sensory table contained rocks and construction trucks. In addition, during our gym time we practiced using our gross motor muscles as we played Magic Rock. We also played a game called Geologist, Geologist, Who Has Your Rock? Lastly, we made stepping stones with concrete mix, water and rocks! (goals-fine and gross motor, sensory, matching, observing, letters/numbers, comparing numbers, rhyming, participating as a member of a group, respectful behaviors, taking turns, answering questions, confident behavior, showing curiosity, following directions)
In order to show the three different types of rocks, we showed a picture of a volcano with magma then showed how it hardened and became a lava rock (I had a real one). We melted butter and it hardened to represent an igneous rock. We also observed a sedimentary rock made from sand and pebbles. Finally, we all stepped on slices of bread stacked together to show how metamorphic rocks were formed by adding pressure (our feet). It was fun watching and learning some "wow" words-IGNEOUS, METAMORPHIC, and SEDIMENTARY! In addition, we watched a video on being a rock detective. You may want to watch it again with your child. It goes over the three types of rocks.
In order to show the three different types of rocks, we showed a picture of a volcano with magma then showed how it hardened and became a lava rock (I had a real one). We melted butter and it hardened to represent an igneous rock. We also observed a sedimentary rock made from sand and pebbles. Finally, we all stepped on slices of bread stacked together to show how metamorphic rocks were formed by adding pressure (our feet). It was fun watching and learning some "wow" words-IGNEOUS, METAMORPHIC, and SEDIMENTARY! In addition, we watched a video on being a rock detective. You may want to watch it again with your child. It goes over the three types of rocks.
Our letter this week was V for volcano, vase, and violin. We made the letter by showing the peace sign with our fingers. We also made a big V with our arms. Our 2nd steps lesson focused stating the problem and calming down when we are having strong feelings about our problem.
Questions to Ask your Child:
1. What does a geologist study? (rocks)
2. How many types of rock are there? (3)
3. Are rocks new or old? (old)
4. What did Sylvester turn into in our story about the magic red pebble? (he turned into a rock)
5. Where do lava rocks come from? (a volcano)
5. Where do lava rocks come from? (a volcano)
7. What did we we do to the bread to change it to a metamorphic rock? (we stepped on it)
8. Is a diamond a rock? (yes)
Books we read:
Let's Go Rock Collecting
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
If Rocks Could Sing
Let's Go Rock Collecting
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
If Rocks Could Sing
Ricky, The Rock That Couldn't Roll
Kindness Rocks
What Does It Mean To Be Kind?
YouTube Video Be a Rock Detective! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNs1gqkYerg
Rock Song: (To the tune of "Three Blind Mice")
Rocks are hard
Some are soft
Rocks are old
They cover all the world.
Some are very big rocks and some are very little rocks.
Some feel smooth and bumpy.
All rocks are old.
Rocks are old!
Rock Song: (To the tune of "Three Blind Mice")
Rocks are hard
Some are soft
Rocks are old
They cover all the world.
Some are very big rocks and some are very little rocks.
Some feel smooth and bumpy.
All rocks are old.
Rocks are old!
Coming Up Next Week:
St. Patricks Day, Ireland, Spring
Things to Do At Home:
Continue collecting rocks to add to your shoebox. Also, try drawing with a rock on a sidewalk or driveway! Use a magnifying glass to observe the properties of your rocks.
Reminders:
***Passport Day, March 7th
***Spring Beak, Monday 16-20
***No School-Professional Development Day, Tuesday April 7th
***Parent Teacher Conferences-Monday, April 13th and Wednesday, April 15th
Sign ups will come soon.
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| Show and Tell |
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| Show and Tell |
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| We made stepping stones with concrete and water. |
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| We traced these numbers by placing pebbles on them. |
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| Observing rocks with a magnifying glass. |
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| We recognized and matched the numbered rocks with the numbers in the egg carton. |
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| We were geologists working to find rocks with our hammers and chisels. |
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| Which is your favorite rock? |
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| We are practicing recognizing our last names. |
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| We made a rocket! |
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| Our 3 types of rocks. |
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| We built with blocks and rocks. |
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| It was fun to make a pet rock. |
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| The students used different colors to paint these rocks. They also practiced writing their names. |
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| We named the letter on the rock and matched it to the rock on the chart. |
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| We painted and cleaned rocks with water. |
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| We used our fingers to push pebbles in a tennis ball can. |
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| We are making a metamorphic rock by applying pressure using our feet. The rock went from 6 inches high to 1 inch high. |
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| The hippos painted rocks then sprinkled glitter on them with Micah, our high school student. |
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| G for Geologist |
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| Here is our dinosaur bulletin board in the hallway. |
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| Finding rocks on our rock hunt. |
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| We made a rock painting with rocks, paper, paint and coffee cans. We had to shake the can to make our picture. |
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| We used binoculars to be a geologist. |
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| Everyone decorated their rock box using a variety of materials. |
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| Our sensory table contained rocks, trucks and scoopers. |
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| Playdoh and flat rocks. |
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| Trucks and rocks |
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| The students matched the rock to it's outline. |
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| Show and Tell |
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| The students picked a rock from their box to observe by looking at size, color, weight and texture. |
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| We matched the letters in the word, OLD ROCKS. |
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| We practiced making the letter N using bones (q-tips). |
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| Filling up our 100's chart with rocks. |
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| We weighed and sorted rocks by size. |
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| Playdoh, rocks, tools and geologists. |
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| We counted rocks for our trucks. |
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| We practiced beginning sounds in words. |
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| Show and Tell |
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| Gym fun! |
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| Magic Rock, Magic Rock, turn into a ...... |
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| Making house in art class. |
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| We played Geologist, Geologist, Who Has Your Rock? |
