Kindergarten
Belonging & Contributing
K: Belonging & Contributing
As children progress through the Kindergarten program, they:
1. communicate with others in a variety of ways, for a variety of purposes, and in a variety of contexts
3. identify and use social skills in play and other contexts
4. demonstrate an ability to use problem-solving skills in a variety of contexts, including social contexts
5. demonstrate an understanding of the diversity among individuals and families and within schools and the wider community
22. communicate their thoughts and feelings, and their theories and ideas, through various art forms
25. demonstrate a sense of identity and a positive self-image
26. develop an appreciation of the multiple perspectives encountered within groups, and of ways in which they themselves can contribute to groups and to group well-being
27. recognize bias in ideas and develop the self-confidence to stand up for themselves and others against prejudice and discrimination
28. demonstrate an awareness of their surroundings
29. demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect the environment
30. demonstrate an awareness of themselves as dramatists, actors, dancers, artists, and musicians through engagement in the arts
31. demonstrate knowledge and skills gained through exposure to and engagement in drama, dance, music, and visual arts
Nature Journaling: I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of...
Nature Journaling is an incredible tool, that allows students to gain a deep connection to the natural world through observation. It allows them to become aware of the nature in their own school yard or community.
At this age children will have a greater focus on the statement "I Notice..." & "It reminds me of...". Depending on the age and ability of the child, words, pictures and numbers will be used more than others to make their observations. For deeper conversations educators will engage in back and forth conversations with the children and can help scribe their thoughts and feelings to their journal pages. With permission Bethan Burton has allowed us to link to her website as she has written a blog post for Teaching nature journaling at all ages.
Here are some more of Bethan's ideas to get you started.
It is going to be MESSY at this age and there will be lots of play!
Engage the fives senses (whenever possible)
Make leaf prints ( paint the leaf and press the print into the journal)
Make leaf rubbings
Trace the items they are looking at
Make hand prints with mud
Add leaves into the journal using tape
Count the birds/squirrels/insects etc. - make a graph
Use chalk to follow an ants path on the ground and then have them transfer that into the journal
Here is a downloadable lesson from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. All resources shared with permission. "I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of..."
GIVING FEEDBACK here is a fantastic resource from Jack and Emilie
NOTE: You are encourage to spend time in the outdoors Nature Journaling. However, you can also bring nature inside, look out your wonder window, have a refrigerator Safari or even observe a house plant or pet.
How Do We Compare?
Go on a walk with an adult or caregiver, look outside around your home or look out the window. Notice the differences and similarities you see between how your family and your wildlife neighbours interact with the land. Organize your findings using a chart or writing things on paper. List what is the same and what is different. Consider the following examples:
How do each of you use the trees?
How do each of you use the plants and soils?
How do animals help the land?
What can we as humans do to help the land?
What other differences or similarities can you think of?
Here is a downloadable lesson from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren; shared with permission. Comparison
Silly Names!
It's time to get your "silly" on!
Go for a walk or look out your window and make up a new name for a living thing you see. Think about what the living thing looks like or feels like to help you come up with a name. Below are some ideas to ask yourself, is it:
Prickly
Soft
Fluffy
Colourful
Slimy
Wiggly
Long or short
Fast or slow
Or anything else you can think of
Be creative and have fun!
Look at the pictures on the left for some inspiration.
How can you represent your living thing to go along with the name you have created?
NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity above to give the journal entry a fun title!