May Class

Today we had only two families at the library.  Andrea read Horton Hatches the Egg to us and we had a good discussion.  Great story!

For stations Andrea brought a seed experiment that her family did this month.  They planted bean seeds in paper cups with potting soil.  One of the cups they watered regularly but kept in a dark cupboard.  One of the cups they kept in sunlight but didn't water.  One of the cups they watered and kept in sunlight.  The results were very interesting.  I don't know what the time frame was.  The unlighted plant was long and pale with pathetic leaves and a weak, floppy stem.  It looked like it was searching for light.  The unwatered plant had barely surfaced from the soil and was green.  The lighted and watered plant was a healthy green, had a strong stem, broad leaves, and it was shorter than the unlighted plant.  Andrea initiated a discussion with the kids on the differences between the three plants and then the kids got to plant 3 cups for themselves to duplicate the experiment at home.

I brought things to estimate.  I brought a clear plastic container with about 100 dried beans in it, a plastic bag with about 30 blocks in it, and a smaller bag with about 20 plastic baby forks and spoons in it.  I also had a paper with prompts and a timer so kids could see how many times they could jump up and down or touch their toes or say Peter Pumpkin in a minute and how long they could hold their breath.  I encouraged the kids to guess how many things were in the containers and then count them.  I also encouraged them to guess on the physical feats before they attempted them.  The 100 beans were a little too much for the oldest kids.  The physical feats were a great way to use up energy.  I think I'll do another version of this station someday.