Looking Back

A mini photo collage that warms my heart, just because.

Making Paper

We did this activity as part of our study on solids and liquids. It was also a great tie-in with our recycling theme the following week. I try to consciously incorporate "bridges" most weeks -- activities that suit our current focus but also link to whatever we're planning to cover the following week. It gives the children an additional reference point to help them connect with new learning.

After morning circle, we spent some time tearing old paper scraps (more leftovers from this project) into very tiny pieces and left them to soak in a tub of water.

A few hours later, the paper had absorbed a decent amount of water (and those big pieces in the photo above had been re-shredded!). I used an immersion blender to pulverize the wet scraps a little at a time. The children thought it looked like ice cream! (But we all agreed it was probably best not to take a taste.)

Unfortunately, there are no photos of the blending step, as I was teaching on my own this particular day. However, the fact that we managed to finish this project, just one teacher and 22 little ones, tells you how fun and easy it is!

Finally, we spread our paper mush out on some towels and patted it out like a pizza crust. We also pressed dish towels on top to absorb the excess water. Once our paper "dough" was nice and flat, we placed another thick towel on top, as well as some heavy bins. Two days later, voila -- we had paper! Not sure what we'll use it for yet, but I'll be sure to share once we figure it out!

Story of the Week: Stars

We spent last week exploring solids and liquids. Towards the end of the week, Salwa and I co-read the book Stars by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Marla Frazee.

Because this book is a bit longer and requires some deeper thinking on the part of the children, it was easier for them to engage when listening in both languages. I'd start by reading a page in English, then Salwa would translate and clarify.

We found Stars to be a very soothing book; our class was drawn in slowly, calmly, one page at a time.

After reading we posed a question to the children: What is a star?

The children knew stars were neither solid nor liquid, and it was interesting to watch them contemplate the possible answers to the question. We touched briefly on the idea of gas (which we explored again the next day . . . but more on that later!). The idea wasn't to reach a concrete definition or give them any kind of direct explanation -- we just wanted to get them thinking and hopefully asking more questions.

As a follow up to the book and discussion, we explored a new-to-us process: bubble painting! 

We mixed dish soap, paint, and water in a small container, then used a straw to make colorful bubbles.

After giving the children plenty of time to explore the bubble-making process, we gave them star cutouts to make prints with the bubbles:

It was a great way link what we already knew about liquids with a new concept (our breath as the gas that makes the bubbles), and in the context of a beautiful story and project.

Yet another one we just can't wait to display!