Kindergarten 2

"To leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people's trash." -Bill Nye Many people say that one man's trash is another man's treasure. The shirt, toy, or old furniture that we deem dispensable to us may be invaluable to others. I must admit, it's easier to throw away things and to replace them with something new, but the shift in perspective on how we view trash is crucial to saving our planet. According to this article from the Washington Post:  "The world generates at least 3.5 million tons of solid waste a day, 10 times the amount a century ago, according to World Bank researchers. If nothing is done, that figure will  grow to 11 million tons  by the end of the century, the researchers estimate."     That's a lot of trash. As the kindergarteners shift their focus for this unit and move toward using what they've learned to take action, we've shifted our mindset as a class in our use of materials. U

  “The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?” -Buddha There are many songs that have been written throughout time about love. Regardless of what decade it comes from, the messages and stories that these songs tell us remain relevant. Perhaps it’s because we’ve all experienced love in our life, or maybe, just maybe, our connections are deeper than that. I’d like to think of love as a universal language, one that unites and binds us as a people, and one that we all speak and understand regardless of where we come from.  This week, we all celebrated the day of love: Valentine’s Day. Origami hearts, cutouts, drawings of hearts and chocolates were abound in the Kinder 2 classroom as the children expressed their love to their teachers, parents and friends through little gifts. I asked the kindergarteners:  Why do we love these special people in our life, especially our parents? I love them because they cook for m