Today we took a dive into the deep blue ocean!  We pretended to be a scuba diver and explored what was under the sea.  We made a diver's mask and flippers from cutouts, elastic and cellophane.  Scuba divers must wear gear including a mask, flippers, oxygen tank and wetsuit to protect and allow them to breathe underwater.  Some scuba divers explore underwater for fun while others scuba dive for research.  
​We also played with play dough and sea creatures.

X-ray fish are very small and have transparent skin. You can see their bones through their skin. They eat worms, insects and small crustaceans. Today we painted an x-ray fish. We used, paint, straws, triangles and paper.

We also enjoyed the park and a picnic! ​

This week we learned about large sea creatures. The oceans are filled with large and wondrous animals. These animals differ in shape and behavior.
Sea turtles are members of the reptile family. They lay their eggs in the sand. Sea turtles have a large shell on their back to help protect them. They are great swimmers and can swim far distances.

The children were given a soufflé cup, foam dot stickers, paper, markers and glue. They were encouraged to make their own sea turtle. They were not given any specific instructions. It was great to hear them talk about what they were drawing. Love seeing their creative minds at work!

Happy Friday! ​

Sharks are considered fish because they are cold-blooded. They don't have bones; instead they have cartilage that makes up their skeleton. They have a great sense of smell. Sharks eat seals, fish, and dolphins. Sharks lose and regrow many teeth over a lifetime.
Small fish can protect themselves from large predators by swimming together in a group called a "school." Fish will travel together because there is safety in numbers. During this Invitation to Create, children designed their own traveling school of fish using confetti and paper. They shared stories about their fish and any nearby predators. Some put fish in the sharks belly!

We played a shark teeth game. Each child took turns flicking the spinner and would identify the number. Then they would count out that many shell "teeth" and stick them in the play dough. ​

One of my favorite things to see is how much each child has developed since the beginning of the school year. This is just one sample of progress! Of course, we can't see side by side comparison for the social and emotional development but I am lucky enough to observe this daily with each of these children! ​