I am working with a kindergarten class at Martha Lake elementaryToday did not involve too much from me because I am in process of observing what goes on in the classroom, and getting to know the children. I am trying to remain focused on the topic of Environmental Education, and I find myself trying to think about what I would do with a classroom of my own.
The kids are young and it does not take long before they are anxious to move their bodies into a space that is not their own. It is very fun to watch, and I cannot wait until I am able to help Mrs. Douglas in teaching the children about the importance of understanding the environment. I am also curious as to how much information the children will be able to retain based on their age as well as their attention level. They do have a huge window in their classroom that they are able to look outside through. Thankfully they have trees and grass and the outdoors to look at instead of numerous buildings and cement and cars. I think that this will help keep the children on task and not focused on gray scaled living. I think it helps to have trees and nature to look at when you are trying to remain focused on a certain problem or task.
I am excited to jump in and help whenever possible. I enjoy working with young kids. They are so eager to learn something when it is new and exciting. Education is so important when it comes to understanding something important, and understanding the environment is something that they will need to fully understand, especially as they get older and the earth becomes more polluted. I hope to learn how to teach young kids that through my experience and understanding that I have come to learn.
Today was a basic day, besides the rain that was pouring down all day. The kids are still struggling with time away from school due to teacher in service learning that lasted almost a full week. Mrs. Douglas is struggling with keeping the kids focused and on track during school. It doesn’t help that next week they will have another day off. Mrs. Douglas is starting to introduce rocks to the class. She has many different types of rocks that the kids will be able to touch and play with. They will experiment with the different types of rocks and how they react to certain stimuli. They will experiment with what happens to the rock when it is placed in water; it turns color and the feeling of it changes while in the water. They will see what happens when you rub two rocks together, and have an understanding of what sand is. The kids will have the opportunity to learn about all of the different rocks and how they are formed, and how they fall apart or become smaller. When I first heard that Mrs. Douglas was going to teach about rocks I was a little thrown back. I didn’t see the importance of teaching about rocks, but once you understand rocks it opens the doors to understanding many other aspects about the outdoors. I hope that I am able to work one on one with some of the students so that I can have the experience of working through this project. Once again this project is simple, and fun. The kids will be able to learn about our earth and learn how to take care of it better for their future. It also sounds like such a unique project and opportunity.