Sky Color

Have you seen this book?  I love Sky Color, by Peter H. Reynolds.  All of his books are inspiring and speak to creativity.  We read this book in  kindergarten  last week and started really looking at the sky.

Winter, in the Pacific Northwest, does not always lend itself to a sky study.  We check the weather every day and, just about every day, it's gray with water falling from the sky.  It's a dreary place in the winter, so we turned to photographs for inspiration.

We talked about all of the different colors we see in the sky and then looked specifically at winter sky scenes.  Then we broke out the watercolors. 

Most kids stayed in the cool blues and purples, but a few wanted to add their own touch.  Who am I to say a sky can't be green?  I think Peter Reynolds would be proud.  In Seattle we call this Seahawks Sky Color.

Photos of the finished art project are coming soon!  Happy painting!

Documenting Learning in Kindergarten

I love using photography to document student learning.  During our tree unit, I've been snapping pictures every time I get the chance.  I've been taking pictures of the kids at work, observing, describing, and writing in their journals.  One of our parents made a tree for our bulletin board and I thought it would be a perfect place to share our kids' learning.

When the activity is finished, I try to have the pictures printed as quickly as possible.  Then, I ask students to tell me about the picture, describe what they see, and share any new learning.  This time for one on one conversation really helps me understand where they are in the learning process.  Some kids are full of scientific facts that they have learned, and can't wait to share!  Other kids use more descriptive language that we have been trying to incorporate into our Observe and Describe time.  

It's been a great process for the kids, as well as for me.  I enjoy hearing what they have to say!

We are really enjoying the tree unit!