The last two Studies of the school year were are full swing this Spring in Manchester's Universal Preschool classrooms. The Exercise Study was first up with a focus for students on exploring what exercise is all about. Our young learners are in constant motion from the moment they wake up. The Exercise Study supports how children naturally want to move so we utilize investigations to provide various opportunities to learn about different types of exercise, the places people might want to exercise, as well as the kind of equipment used.
To deepen their understanding of exercise, teachers provided a variety of firsthand experiences that allowed them to observe, gather data, meet people who exercise and explore challenging exercise movements. There were even concepts related to physical development, science and social studies. Students asked questions of their teachers about what they wanted to learn more about what exercise was. This led to the students learning about different type of exercises, the importance exercise has on a body, vocabulary words about exercise such as endurance, strength, balance and flexibility.
From Workout Wednesdays that included obstacle courses, stationary bikes, and child yoga to the kitchen where students tried different healthy foods and learned about how food fuels their bodies for exercise. Mrs. Yunginger's class even had a special visitor from a parent who is a personal trainer!
Once the Exercise Study concluded, students dove into the Water Study this week with a Water Study Field Day at Whiting School.
In the classroom, water is used in multiple ways: self-care routines, drinking water, watercolors in art, cooking, and exploring a water table. During this study, children can explore and describe water’s physical properties and uses; discover how water is used, and can experiment with how it changes between solid, liquid, and gas states.
The Water Study Field Day was a fun introduction for students to this Study. Students were able to explore water with their friends, family and teachers through Water Balloon Toss/Hot Potato, a Human Car Wash, Water Relay Races with a Sponge and Bubble Freeze Dance!
Through the end of the school year, the Water Study will continue to explore all areas of development and learning that are supported through a variety of experiences and investigations; find sources of water around the school; explore how it is used to clean, create, and play; conduct experiments; learn the importance of water conservation; and how water is used in their daily lives. This study provides meaningful experiences for literacy, mathematics, the arts, and technology.
