Field trip to Kadashi Russian Center…

In support of our “Where We Are in Place and Time” unit of inquiry, KZE students visited the Kadashi Russian Center.  They had the opportunity to experience a bit of life in Russia long ago.  Children learned some old Russian circle games and examined antique toys and household objects.  They all enjoyed the old-fashioned tea party at the end.

Here are some of their reflection:
I learned that people used five candles in each room back then. – Daisy
I learned that people built houses out of wood. – Emerson
I learned back then people built houses with wood. – Lizzy
Long ago, people didn’t have electricity so they used candles made of wax. – Kyle
We played an old rope game. Somebody is inside the rope and that person touches my hand, then I let go. Then I hold on to the rope again. – Trace
I learned that long ago, the houses were close together. We also played a rock game. We flipped the rock and tried to catch it. – Scarlett
I learned that long ago, people played rope games because they didn’t have many toys. – Lisa
I learned that people and animals live close so when it is cold, people can feed them and milk the cows. – Fatima
Animals lived in the small house that was next to the big house because the snow was cold. – Liam
I noticed that people and animals lived in houses because it was too cold for animals to be outside. – Michael

On the way back to school, some students made a connection when they spotted a big build board with photos of that area back in the 1910’s. They immediately recognized that “these are the evidences that showing what it was like back then.” Way to go KZE THINKERS!!!

The week of January 19 – 23, 2015

KZE students started ice skating during PE on Mondays. To some, it is their first time on ice, while to others, they are “Old hands.” However, they are not shy sharing their thinking about ice skating:IMG_0607

I don’t like ice skating because it is very hard for me. – Liam
I LOVE it because it is so much fun. I learn how to glide. – Emerson
I don’t like ice skating because I fall down when I go on the ice. – Scarlett
I love ice skating because I like go on the ice and walk. – Hannes
I like ice skating because it is fun when you get to practice. – Daisy
I learned how to ice skate. – Lizzy
I love ice skating because I learned how to skate fast. – Trace
I don’t like ice skating because when I fall down, it hurts. – Freddie
I love ice skating because I get to run around and it is fun. – Kyle
I learned how to kick the ball on ice. – Charlie
I learned how to play football on ice. – Lisa

Even though some like ice skating more than others, they all agreed that they need to practice if they want to get better.
Thank you to all parents who helped and will be helping with ice skating. Your support are much appreciated!!!

During our Unit of Inquiry this week, students enthusiastically shared letters from their kaymbu-image-20150122-1253grandparents. Through our discussion and sharing, especially because of the pictures that were sent in, students developed a deeper understanding of what the “Old Days” were like and identified what has changed between then and now. Thank you for all of your help at home facilitating this activity. Students also had fun exploring the “Then Museum” in our discovery room. They tried very hard to figure out some of the old toys/games and appliances/equipment with questions of “What does this tell us?”, “What do you think this does?”, and “How does this work?.” They tried to use their observation, communication, and critical thinking skills to make sense of the things that are not familiar to them.