Kindergarten

April/May 2026

This month we:

• Learned about the role of a scientist and the tools they use.

• Learned how plants and animals change their environment to meet their needs.

• Celebrated a whole school GLOW Week during the PSSAs.  

February 2026

This month we: 

Continued our computer science unit.  Students worked together to answer clues to open a "break-out box", using their knowledge of subtraction.  Once we opened the box, we met our newest coding robot- Ozobot! We explored line coding and even used color codes to help our robots move fast and slow. 

Additionally, we discussed good media and online habits.  As we learned the best habits, we worked together to create paths for Ozobot with our answers. 

January 2026

This month we: 

Kindergarten students met Bee Bot.  This small, unplugged robot teaches directionality, sequencing, debugging and so much more! To begin our lesson, we read a story called Bug Dance (Stuart J. Murphy).  In this story, various insects learned a coding dance.   We taught ourselves the dance and finally our Bee Bots got to dance.  Everyone was highly engaged and working hard on identifying directionality!  

December 2025

This month we: 

• Learned how and why crayons were invented. 

• Began our coding unit with unplugged coding. We became robots and got to practice coding a robot (directionality). 

November 2025

This month we:

• Explored push and pull. 

• Built mazes to change the speed or direction of a ball with a push or a pull.

October 2025

This month we:

• We explored solving problems using our engineering skills! 

• Read the book 21 Elephants and Still Standing and made our own bridge for 21 bear counters. 

• Learned about, planned, and built our own arches. 

August/September

The beginning of the school year included learning routines, STEM behaviors, and the role of an engineer. 

Some of our favorite activities included:

• Analyzing how bridges work after we read The Three Billy Goats Gruff.  Students worked to design, test, and improve their bridge designs.  

• Exploring inclined planes (ramps) after reading Ricky the Rock Who Couldn't Roll.  Students planned, with a partner, how to make a nonsymmetrical rock roll.  Students later tested their rocks using a ramp in the classroom.

Students have been having fun as they learn and begin to demonstrate the essential skills of the engineering design process.