What is pitch?

As you may already know, we have been exploring the ideas of music.  It started out with exploring our collection of instruments.  We spent time learning about them and made a book about our experiences.  The children have been using that book as a reference guide when working with the instruments.  I have brought in newer instruments and the children have been sharing their thoughts.  

While working with these things, the children have started to talk about the sounds they make.  We discuss high and low sounds.  So what does that mean in the musical world?  The word I have been introducing the children to this week has been "pitch."  A high pitch is a sound like birds chirping, female opera singing, guinea pigs squeaking, and jingle bells.  A low pitch is a sound like thunder, big drums, boat horns, and deep voices.

We spent Monday discussing this idea.  We have been doing it naturally, but now have introduced the term for it.  The autoharp was a great tool because it was one instrument that could make varied pitches.  

This is something that both the "researchers" and the "performers" of the classroom musical enthusiasts can use.  It leads me to think about the idea of pitch in every day life.  What sounds can we hear in our natural environment?  How can our voices make varied pitches?  Can we sing the same songs in a different pitch?  What kinds of music can we describe using that term?  

Pumpkin exploration

Because it is getting close to Halloween and Autumn is in the air, pumpkins are all around us.  The children have seen them in the environment at the store, at the orchard, and even on our shirts!  What exactly are pumpkins?  Where do they come from?  They are a part of our lives, so it is a great opportunity to really think about them.
I started off by reading a book that, in simple pictures, showcased how pumpkins grow from seeds.  We discussed that book often and referenced that throughout the week.  We then spent time just observing the pumpkin.  What does it look like?  How is it shaped?  What colors?  How does it feel?  We drew our thoughts.

"The pumpkin feels cold.  You crack it and take a bite."

"It's smooth and the stem feels hard."

We then opened the pumpkins.  Some children had previous experience with pumpkins and they were familiar with them.  Others, this was their first experience seeing the inside.  

"It feels like Juice!"

"It's sticky, it's wet, I'm feeling it."

"It smells bad, it sounds like a drum."

"It's full of stuff.  It's wet inside.  I'm scooping.  We are going to make apple pie."

"Both the inside and the outside are cold."

After spending time collecting the seeds, I got a chance to cook them.  I took pictures of my process for those who were not there that day.  We referred back to those pictures as we talked about how I cooked them.  Introducing new foods is always tricky, so I made sure to keep it exciting.  We tried the seeds together and talked about how they crunched.  

Hopefully your children  have been telling you about the seeds and how delicious they are!

What is inside the osage orange

During group time on Tuesday morning we got a chance to reflect on our observations form the week before.  We repeated the 5 senses to describe the orange again before I posed a question:

What is inside the orange?

"I think it's a skeleton.  It's a baby."
"A robot."
"Bumpy"
"A baby"
"It's glue.  It's sticky.  It's like squishy."
"I think it will smell dirty."
"I think it will smell clean."

After preparing the children during group time, they would visit the opened orange during small group explorations.  They were encouraged to describe it using the words they knew.

"Seeds"
"I thought it was a watermelon."
"It's cold.  My hands are sticky."
"It smells like soap.  Kiwi."
"It smells like watermelon."
"Oh wow!  It's green inside!  A seed!"
"Wow.  It's sticky.  I need to wipe my hands."
"It smells like bad."
"They're so hard I can't understand."

"What is that thing?"

One day a few weeks ago I brought in some tall leaves and plants I found outside.  We spent a few days looking at it and exploring it.  The children really enjoyed looking and talking about it.  It was a great way to use our observational skills and write about it.

This brought me to the idea of talking about our 5 senses.  We use them to explore new things and they are great strategies to help us observe.  I talked about it during our Thursday morning group time.  What can we do with our nose?  How can we use our eyes?  How do they help us think of words to describe new objects?  I brought over an osage orange often found outside during this time of year.  We talked about each sense and how we could use it for the orange (unfortunately not our mouth this time).

We had a chance to explain our thoughts with our words as well as writing/drawing.  Providing opportunities for using descriptive language is essential in order to expand our vocabulary.  

"It feels hard.  It feels rough.  It has big bumps on it."

"It feels like a ball."

"It looks like a pear."

"It feels dry."

"It's green.  It's good."

When we get the chance soon, we will open it and explore the inside to continue our observations.

"I think I see something!"

Last week on Monday I brought something to school.  I did not mention it to the children and did not tell them what it was.

I kept a clipboard with paper next to the tank for teachers to write down the children's words.  We did not tell them what was inside, but would only talk about what they/we saw.  

"I see a hole!"

"There's nothing.  There's a rock.  There's two holes!"

"The holes are clues."

"There is dirt, a plant, and pieces of wood."

One lucky child discovered a frog peeking out of a hole.  She told a teacher immediately.  From there, the news spread fast.  Like a game of telephone, there were lizards, frogs, fish, and caterpillars living in the holes.  Children were convinced there were creatures inside without even seeing them.  

"Why aren't they coming out?  The animals are hiding."

"I saw a frog hop!"

"If we stomp out feet they will come out from hiding."

"What's in there?  Is there a lizard?  It's hiding!  I found it!  There is a second one!  They are cute!"

I then "forced" the toads to come out of hiding one afternoon so I could take pictures and give some of the children an opportunity to see them.  The toads spend most of their time in the dirt, so I made a book of photographs to "prove" to the children what was inside of the tank.

It is hard to see from this video (it's pretty choppy), but this is one of the toads eating a worm from the bowl.  I will try to put up a new video if I can get it to work.

Beginning Instrument Explorations

Ever since the first week, it has been very common to see the children walking around and singing to themselves while they are working.  They have enjoyed learning new school songs during group times.  We have been exploring music in different ways.  So far we like it all.  I’ve been thinking of the interest among all of these aspects of music.    Do the children like to perform?  Do the children like to hear different sounds within music?  Do they prefer to move with the music?  I started off by using instruments as an integral part of this investigation.  Instruments allow the children to sing, dance, explore sounds, and perform for an audience.

Through this exploration of instruments, the teachers have been investigating the sounds that are made.  We may not know the names of instruments, but we can explore with them to try out different strategies.  “It sounds tick tock, like a clock.”  “These are cymbals, but you can also sing music into them.”  

The plan is to keep exploring with instruments to see what we know, what we learned, and what we would like to know in the future.

Classroom Tour

Hello and welcome to your new classroom!  I thought I would take a few pictures to give those who haven't had a chance to come visit a virtual tour.

When you come to school, you will have a chance to sign in and find your cubby tag.

This is where you will choose a place to put your things.  Each child gets a top square (where your cubby tag goes) and shares the bottom half with someone else.  During the day you will keep your belongings here.  If you create something and want to take it home, this is where you will put it.  When it is time to go home, you will grab your things and put your cubby tag away so it is ready for the next child!

This is a place you can always go to to create with paper, scissors, crayons, markers, and all sorts of things. 

The sand table is a great place when you want to feel something interesting.  You can scoop, pour, squeeze, separate, and dump.

This is an empty stage ready for all kinds of things.

This is the block shelf.  There is an area in front of it to build.  I wonder if you can think of something that could fit inside those baskets...

This is the kitchen and dramatic play area.  There are dress-up clothes, babies, food, and even pots and pans!

This is the art studio.  A lot of really cool things can happen here.  This is where we can explore and really think about new materials in different ways.

This is the bathroom we share with Ms. Lenihan's class.

And last but not least are "the girls."  These are guinea pigs names Penny and Ellie.  They are very curious and we will be spending a lot of time talking about how we can treat them and take care of them. 

I can't wait to see all of you soon! 

May 14th 2013

As you know, the children have been showing a great interest in painting.  I am sure you have been taking some home with you!  What you will often see in their works of art are paintings with a variety of colors.  As a classroom, we have been discussing the importance of mixing colors.  The children have been experimenting with mixing colors of paint.  

Last week my co-teachers and I studied the way the children were painting.  We noticed the children knew how to mix colors on a palette.  Only providing the primary colors, black, and white, we started to paint.  The children really enjoyed mixing colors to see the results.  They knew mixing would create new colors.  The first two attempts we provided black, which turned a lot of their colors very dark.  This showed me that the children needed to be more intentional with their mixing of colors if they wanted to paint.

As a whole group, I started the discussion of painting strategies.  One thing we talked about was the washcloth and wiping off our paintbrush when we wanted to switch colors.  What I found is the children would go from color to color and dilute the primary colors on their palette.  We also noticed that the children did not have a "defined" place for their new colors they made.  We talked about where we could make new colors on our palette.

The children then got a chance to work on color mixing with the inspiration of our basket of flowers.

 

April 16th 2013

For those of you who don't know, Mrs. McAuliffe has been incubating Duck eggs for weeks. Her classroom has been planning and studying the egg growth and designed a home for them when they hatched.  Our classroom has been talking about the eggs and predicting what would come out of them.  We would take trips to the incubator to check if anything was happening.

Over the weekend, Mrs. McAuliffe was keeping the teachers updated as they started hatching.  We were fortunate enough to have quite a few on Monday and have been talking about them ever since.

"I thought they would be smaller.  They look squishy!"

"They're so cute.  I bet they are fluffy and soft.  They have flippers."

"Where did the eggs go?  The mom is on the farm.  They have big noses."

"They are eating with the beaks."

"I thought they were going to be white!"

"I thought they were going to be blue, but they are so cute.  They have web feet so they can swim."

"I wish we could hold them."

If you're interested in seeing them, you can see if it is a good time to walk down and check them out with your child.  And there is always the Exhibit night on the 24th from 4:30-6.  See you there!

April 15th 2013

Join in the Celebration with

The University of Michigan-Dearborn’s

Early Childhood Education Center 

Early Childhood Program Exhibit

   Wednesday, April 24, 2013   4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

 

· Visit the Early Childhood Program Exhibit  to view classroom artifacts.

· View classroom investigations documented by the Lead Teachers and School of Education  practicum student interns.

· Enjoy light refreshments in the Gross Motor Room. 

Held at The Early Childhood Education Center

18501 Rotunda Drive Dearborn, MI 48124

For more information, please call (313) 593-5424

April 5th 2013

 Hello, my name is Ms. Jessica Stafiej and I am working in Ms. Kurtjian’s classroom with your children this semester.  After working with the children for about a week, I have seen an interest in painting. The interest in painting began focusing on color mixing. I noticed students were working on painting projects with primary colors but were surprised when they created secondary colors, unsure of how they made these colors.




 To begin the project, the students began painting with different combinations of primary colors to concretely understand how to make secondary colors. After this exploration students worked on mixing all primary colors, finding brown. Students then worked with white and black paint. At first they worked on making grey, and then worked on lightening and darkening colors. Student’s exploration continued through mixing his or her own paint colors to use in paint exploration.



Students are working on developing a variety of skills. This includes: body awareness and motor skills by using their arms to control where the paint goes on the paper as well as hold the paint brush in their hand. Students are exploring their interest in art by using materials in the classroom to create their own masterpieces. Students also practice their color recognition by discussing the colors as they work on their projects and exploring new color combinations. Students have also been developing communication skills by talk to their peers about their projects as well as asking them for materials.

 

During these explorations, I noticed students being very interested in two main things: painting families and painting with partners. These two threads are something I plan on working with in the next couple weeks in the semester. Please feel free to send in family pictures for your children to work on painting with. We would love the extra visuals to work with to help create family portraits.