What is Underneath?

This term our kinder inquiry project is titled ‘What is Underneath?’ We began with a class discussion and drawing of all the things we thought might be under our skin. This was a fantastic insight into their prior knowledge. The children were most interested in bones; how they look and how they move. We borrowed a skeleton from our local high school, which the children named Frank, and did some amazing sketches. We used a variety of materials to create skeletons; foil, clay, pasta and collage. Some of the children finally created a beautiful wire sculpture which is hanging in our kinder. The children then began to discuss how our brains send messages to make our bodies move, and how this relies on the heart to work. We had many theories: that we have an extra bone that is sent around our body, that our legs can read or that we have a special gel that tells us what to do.

Black, White and Light

At the back of my kinder classroom we have a bag area and some sitting space. This year with a relatively large class I felt that the space was not utilised to its potential! With some guidance from my teaching partner, and 20 minutes after school, we created a beautiful space to play and discover. Next I think we might introduce the book Cat and Fish Go to Sea written by Joan Grant and Neil Curtis.

Hearts

This week we tried something a little out of the box! My teaching partner assured me that the kids wouldn’t freak out… Me, on the other hand, she could guarantee!!

She brought in some lamb hearts for the children to look at, touch and draw. I felt a little sick touching them but, hey, I find it hard to dice chicken for dinner!! The children had no problem discussing, feeling and exploring the lamb hearts. After we had documented all of the comments they made in small groups, we came back together as a class and looked online at some heart animations. As we watched the animations we came across the sound of a heart beat. The children lay down with their hands on their hearts and listened to the beating of their own heart.