3: The World Is Awesome

 “The world is just awesome.” 

-Discovery Channel

Throughout time, humans have embarked on an extraordinary journey of exploring and discovering how the natural world works. Scientists such as Galileo, Newton or Einstein were empowered by their curiosity to find answers through experimentation and observation; their research paved the way for humanity to understand and appreciate the principles that make life possible on Earth.

In the IB, the transdisciplinary theme, How the World Works is designed to help students understand the natural world and its laws, as well as its interaction with human societies. Under this theme, students become scientists in their own right, often exploring different scientific principles that teach them to ask questions, create hypotheses, experiment, and make conclusions.

This week, the kindergarteners put their scientist hats on and began their inquiry on How the World Works. We started off by exploring the world around us. We unlocked a new word: MATTER. 

We took a walk around the school and Rokko Island to discover more things that are made up of matter. 

We discovered that matter is everything around us. It is in the toys we play with, the sand in the playground, the water we drink, and even the air we breathe. It is everywhere!

We wanted to experience matter first hand. We used our senses to explore the different forms of matter and to see how much we know about the simple things that make our world awesome to live in.

We discovered that our senses are powerful tools that help us learn. 

We used Ms. Pam's mystery bag full of fun and quirky mystery things to see if we can use just our hands to guess what's inside. 

We were able to guess almost all of them! 

We also discovered that things come in different shapes, sizes, and textures. We found out that if we played with these things in the past, we don't need to see them with our eyes anymore to guess what they are. Our brain is pretty cool that way.

We used our hands again to see what will happen if we mix different kinds of matter together. We collected some sand, rocks, crumbs and weeds and we mixed them with water and cream. We made a gooey mess but our hands were happy and our smiles were wide.  

We learned that sometimes, when we mix things together, it's difficult to separate them or take them apart.  After this, we tried mixing some of the things we found in the classroom such as sand, toys, clips and some pins. 

 We discovered that when things are solid, it's easier to separate them. We even found a fun way to separate metal things without using our hands. 

Can you guess what tool we used? 

We also collected a few things from our classroom to see how we can sort them out.

We discovered that some things have similar properties. Even if they look different and are used for different purposes, they have connections with other things based on what they're made of, and what they look or feel like. 

After a whole week of wearing our scientist hats on, we learned so much about the world we live in. We experienced first hand how the world works through the things around us. 

This week, we also revisited one of the most important lessons that we can learn in life: 

to be kind. 

For our Story Workshop, I asked the children:

What is your KIND story?

I shared with them my own story of how the teachers have been kind to me in school. I shared with them that for every kindness that you receive and give, you will feel happier.

Using some of the loose parts in the classroom, the children began to share their own story of kindness. 

Have a look at all the beautiful stories they made.

AMARU

This is Amaru. These are cuckooruku (roosters). Amaru likes taking care of them. He made them stay in his house. 

VERONICA

This is a rabbit, duck, cat, goat, goose, sheep and cow. They are animals They live in a farm. The animals are kind to each other. They play together. They like playing on the slide even at night. 

AIKI

The sheep and the cow are friends. They like running in the farm. They like playing with the chickens and the horse. They are kind to each other.

LOUIS

This is a farm. The horse, cow and chicken live in the farm. One day, Emma went camping in the farm. She gave the animals a bath. She gave them water. She also gave the trees water. She was very kind to the animals and plants.

EMMA

This is Emma and Mama Yoshie. We are looking after the animals together. We have a duckie, cat, sheep, chickens and pig. We love the animals. 

TAMAKI

This is my daddy. He is taking care of the chicken. He is cutting the food for the chicken. They have carrots and potatoes. He lets the chicken live in his house. For dinner, he gives the chicken some green pepper. The chicken are happy. Daddy is kind and happy. 

SUZU

This is a duck. The duck is hungry. Daddy gave the duck a cookie. Mommy gave the duck fruits. Friends gave the duck seeds. The duck is full. Everyone was kind to the duck.

KAI

It was a rainy day. The moon is full and big. Ladybug is a girl. It's a farm with a lot of animals. There"s a rooster, a rabbit, a cat, a sheep, a horse, a dog, a goat and a cow. There"s also a tree and one person. The person is grown up, it"s a boy. He is kind to the animals and he gives them food. They eat carrots, cabbage, meat and sausages. There"s also a green diamond in the sky.

DANIEL

This is my mommy and me. I love my mom. There's also my brother and my dad. My brother and me play together. He's nice to me. My mom cooks for us. I love her white and yellow cake. It tastes yummy!

LUNA

This is a farm. This is a duck, bird, and chickens. They play together. They play hide and seek. They are having fun. They are kind to each other.

It was a week of discovering the world and the things in it. We all agreed that the world is indeed awesome, and that there are so many big and little things that we have yet to discover about it. 

But for me, what makes the Earth even more spectacular is its people, and the stories of kindness they experience with one another.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Your Kindergarten teacher, 

Pam

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