January 27 - February 2, 2024

This week in kindergarten, we continued our study about Animals in Winter. We added to our bulletin board of animals over and under the snow. We looked at animal movements, their tracks in the snow, and their behaviors in the woods. 

We are animal track detectives in-training. Our winter walk this month made us curious about some bunny tracks on the hill and a paw print perhaps of a dog or 4 legged mammal by the playground. This led us to the story Whose Tracks in the Snow?

We combined science and math to explore animal paw prints. Students compared the paw print sizes of a bear, wolf, and fox. Then they used non standard measurements of their hands and math cubes to measure them. This task integrated measurement and numeracy by counting the blocks and comparing them using phrases like "bigger than" and "smaller than." Then students used animal track sponge stencils to make some tracks to hang on our classroom walls!

We continued our theme of winter animals with a Jan Brett book: Annie and the Wild Animals. Annie is a little girl who lives in the forest with her cat Taffy. When her cat disappears, Annie leaves corncakes in the snow to try to find a new friend. The animals were too big, grumpy, and wild to be a pet. A wonderful surprise awaits Annie at the end of the story. Ask your child what was the surprise for Annie.

The story, Winter's Gifts is about an Indigenous girl who celebrates the gifts of winter with her family and friends. The gifts of resting, remembrance, and gratitude can transform the way we see the world. In art, we expressed the beauty of winter animals in the style of Canadian Indigenous artist, Norval Morrisseau. 

After reading our story, we asked the children what are the winter gifts that the earth gives us. Here are some responses:

"Mother Earth gave us dark. The sun and the moon gave light."

"The world gives us snow."

"The earth gives us trees and grass to live."

"The Earth gives us night to rest our bodies."

"The sun because it gives us food."

"Mother Earth gives us the world."

Learning about Indigenous culture is an important part of our work in Kindergarten. We have been having some meaningful conversations about what we are learning...recording student voices as part of that work always seems so impactful to us as teachers and parents...check out what Kindergarten students are saying about what they notice about the Indigenous art created by Morrisseau:

Artist: Norval Morrisseau

"The Indigenous art is very colourful!"

"There are dark outines!"

"We need to put the layers like them. Big, medium and small."

"Thunderbirds are important to him!"

"They're coloured."

Here is a little sneak peek of what we created, but stay tuned for the final expression of our work!

We have been discussing Indigenous people and culture this week. Here are some of the things the students said they have learned:

"A long time ago, people lived here before us."

"Indigenous people came from here first. They made our world."

"Indigenous people were here before Canada was named!"

"They are the people that were here first!"

Ask your kiddo if they remember the acknowledgement of the land we have been practicing? You can practice together using this resource from the Calgary Public Library:

Land Acknowledgement (CPL video)

February 2 is often called Groundhog Day. This fun tradition tells of a groundhog (aka wood chuck) emerging from its burrow during hibernation to predict the weather for the next six weeks. If he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, then we will have an early spring. Our own "Balzac Billy" will be making a prediction from the Blue Grass Nursery. Watch the news with your child to see what weather he predicts. 

https://www.todocanada.ca/groundhog-day-alberta-join-balzac-billy-2024/

Check out our directed drawings of a Groundhog. What's your prediction: "Shadow or no shadow?"

This week, we worked hard on building burrows, dens and tunnels for our winter animals! 

Our winter corner is finished....for now. 

Lively Letters - a life changing strategy to hear, recognize, and say the letter sounds in our alphabet! Mrs. Sutherland introduced the letters "p" and "b" this week. Students identified many words that began with these 2 letter sounds like pink, Paw Patrol, big, box, beavers. Have your child tell you some more words that start with these sounds. We are continuing with the letters "t" and "d."

PE. Mission Impossible was great fun in PE this week! Check out our impressive controlled movements moving across, over, under, and through. A big thanks to Mr. Collins and Grade 6 helpers who set up and maintained the course.

Important Kindergarten Dates

LINK to our school  calendar

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13- 

Wear YELLOW in support of International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day 

Kindergarten Friday Class Calendar

Our Emails

Mrs. Oster: rdoster@cbe.ab.ca 

Mrs. Sutherland: klsutherland@cbe.ab.ca 

Mrs. Wiskar: mjwiskar@cbe.ab.ca