Archive for category: Venning Road Center

The Preschool B class had so much fun discovering the wonders of China. We started this exploration through our study of panda bears. While examining these wonderful mammals, the children wondered why we couldn’t go to China to visit them.

I quickly explained how we would need to travel to China with a passport on a plane. We got out our globe and found the continent of Asia. As a class, we discussed how the continent is all the way around the globe.

Through our research, we discovered that China is 7,682 miles away. The students became very interested in the far away country, so we decided to explore it in greater depth.

First, we began discussing the Great Wall of China. We discovered that the Great Wall is over 4,000 miles long and 10 soldiers wide. We lined up 10 children side-by-side to get an idea of how wide it really is.

They were even able to design their own Great Wall by using blocks and natural materials. After this initial investigation, the children started to show a heightened interest in the architecture of China and wanted to continue down this path of discovery. We added to our great wall by creating the forbidden city. The students were divided into groups, and each one selected a landmark to replicate.

As the class continued to expand upon their knowledge of China, they began researching it through art and science. In art, they started to investigate the habitat of the panda bear. The students created their own habitats using transparency paper and natural materials.

After discussing the vibrant green vegetation, which pandas live in, the students began discussing Chinese gardens. As the students examined several photos of China, they became intrigued by the beautiful gardens and landscape.

The class had so much fun learning about the exotic plants, which thrive in the country, such as orchids, bamboo, willow, plum blossoms, cherry blossoms, and hibiscus.

We noticed that many gardens have ponds full of koi fish. The classmates were instantly fascinated by the koi fish and happily discovered the meaning behind the koi and why they are found in so many Chinese gardens.

The Preschool B class realized that koi are so prevalent in China because they symbolize that great achievements are possible with hard work. Legend says that koi fish used to climb up big waterfalls and are known to live longer than any other fish in China. After extensive research, we found out that koi fish are a mix between a goldfish and carp.

To conclude our studies, we created our very own koi pond for the classroom, this finished masterpiece can be found in the project pod.

To help enhance the children’s understanding of healthy foods, Chef Cindy led them in an exercise to create delicious banana roll-ups.

All of the ingredients were child-friendly, allergen-free, and placed in bowls in front of the children. Each child followed directions to lay out a soft tortilla shell and take a dollop of sunbutter. Chef Cindy then explained how to spread sunbutter onto the tortilla like icing on a cupcake. They pressed lightly and tried to cover the whole tortilla.

Each child counted the number of banana slices that matched their age and placed the slices on top of the sunbutter. It was interesting to see how each child counted in different styles (aloud, by pointing, etc.).

They then rolled them up to finish their snacks. As they were putting it all together, Chef Cindy spoke to them about healthy ingredients, nutrition and the importance of food as fuel.

The children also learned that banana sandwiches were Elvis Presley’s favorite snack! After cooking, the children ate their snacks with their friends in the Discovery Room.

The children became so excited to cook with their friends that we have decided to make this a monthly occurrence!

Our exploration into plant life began in September and was sparked by a vase of fresh flowers in the room. Many of the children would comment regularly on those flowers. We embarked on an adventure, which began with flowers but naturally moved to seeds and leaves.

Our journey started with examining a wide variety of colors, sizes and shapes of flowers. We touched them and smelled them and inspected them with our magnifying glasses. We tasted different edible flowers like the cauliflower and broccoli flower. A collage of all of the parts of a flower was created as we pulled them apart and glued them to our canvas. Works of art were generated as we used blossoms, petals, buds and leaves of different flowers to paint with. Different mediums and recyclables were utilized to create pictures and models of flowers. Discovering the magnolia blossoms and other flowers around the campus thrilled us with a sense of adventure.

When the gumballs and acorns began to fall from the trees on the playground, our exploration turned to seeds. We collected acorns and planted them in a type of terrarium which hang on our wet room windows. Our nature walks became a treasure hunt for a new kind of seed. The children examined the seeds under the magnifying glass and we talked about how different seeds are transported in different ways to different places by different means. Each new seed was added to our seed collage. Tasting some seeds from the pumpkin and sunflower expanded our tastes and helped us realize we like to try new things.

As the colorful leaves began to fall from the trees, our plant life journey turned toward exploring leaves.  Playdough, chalk and aluminum foil are wonderful vehicles to create leaf impressions. We painted our brown leaves the beautiful fall colors of orange, yellow, and red and used them as leaf stamps. Toddlers discovered that scrunched leaves make a beautiful mosaic. We answered the questions, “Do leaves breathe?” and “Does water move through a leaf?” by conducting science experiments.

We recently discovered a pinecone in the pine straw and so our journey into plant life meanders onward. We have been searching for the seeds in the pine cones and observing how they float to the ground. What can we build with them? Do they float in water? Can they help us predict the weather? The curiosities of a two-year-old are never ending!