Movement and Snow Inquiries!

Today has been a busy day in kinder!  We had one inquiry group investigating how things move.  We explored measurement (how far things went, when vehicles were too big to go under bridges, etc.), directions as we avoided obstacles and thinking about a variety of items that move.  Students created beyblades and observed them spinning, designed cars out of Lego, made ramps that needed to be sturdy, and created train tracks using oral language to tell stories about their stops.  After their inquiry time, they drew and wrote about their experience and shared what they investigated with the group.

Our snow and ice inquiry group investigated a wide variety of things outside!  We began by making the connection of penguins on icebergs to the big chunk of snow in the water that we stood on.  Many of us acted like penguins.  We observed what happened when we threw snow into the water.  Some students discovered that snow in pilons turned into a cone shape and were able to name that shape.  "That is a 3D shape!" said L.M.  Others then joined in.  We also connected our ramps that we had been building and sliding on in the classroom to making slides outdoors.  We discussed speed and measurement as we talked about how far we had slid.  Another group discovered poop/dirt in the snow and had many wonderings about what kind of animal had left it.  We brainstormed some winter animals and may be on the look out for them.  This group also came in to journal about their experiences outside and shared with the class.
Stay tuned!