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Poplar

Poplar Room is a Children’s House classroom on the Toledo Campus. Melissa Snyder and Amy Wagner are the classroom’s co-teachers.

The children were very busy learning about Africa!  We first looked at the green continent of Africa on the Continent Map.  We talked about how it touches two other continents but is mostly surrounded by water.  The continent was explored further by looking at the different land areas that make up the continent; desert, grasslands, and rain forest.  Below is a friend standing in front of a large map we made to show the different land areas.  A smaller version of this map was placed on the shelf for the children to color the different types of land in Africa.

The continent map of Africa and the control map was introduced.  A coloring page was placed on the geography shelf that resembled the map.  Following this presentation, we chose Nigeria to study in depth.  The following facts were given about Nigeria:

• Nigeria is located in Western Africa.
• The weather is usually around 90 degrees.
• Nigeria has only two seasons, a wet and dry season.  Each season lasts about one half of the year.
• Children in Nigeria go to school from January to December.  They go to school for three months and then off a month, 3 months, off a month…
• Age earns respect in families.  The eldest sibling is referred to not by name but as, “senior brother” or “senior sister.”
• Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa.

We also played a game called “Ayo” or better known as Mancala.  It is a very popular game in Western Africa.  It is pictured below:

 

 

Poplar Room had a busy two weeks learning about the seasons, clouds, and the water cycle.  We learned that the four seasons are spring, summer, fall, and winter.  We also talked about things that happen in each season.

After seasons, we learned about clouds and the water cycle.  Clouds are made of water and dust.  The children learned a song about the water cycle and they made water cycle bracelets to help remind them about the process.  Your children were exposed to some very tricky vocabulary words such as precipitation, evaporation, and condensation.

The children in Poplar Room began exploring South America.  We began with a presentation of the continent globe and map, focusing on the pink continent of South America.

We discovered that South America is directly below (or south of) the continent we live in.  A picture of the South America puzzle piece is pictured left.  We then focused on the continent map of South America and the 12 countries comprising it.

The children enjoyed learning the names of the countries in South America and pin pushing them out.  The flags of each country were introduced and many friends made posters or flag stands.

The different geographical land units were introduced, particularly the Amazon Basin and the Andes Mountains.  Animals of the rain forest were also explored.  The children could choose to pin push out  animals and make a poster.  Overall it was a fun unit.  Next stop….AFRICA!

 

Uh oh.  There are insects in the Poplar Room.  The children have been excited to learn about insects these past two weeks.  Plus, insects have inspired your children to do lots of research!  We learned that insects have three body parts, two antennae, six legs, sometimes wings, eyes, and mouth parts.  We also learned specifically about butterflies and the life cycle of a butterfly.  Two fun projects  we did were making a “shoe”fly to help learn about the parts of an insect and using pasta to represent the stages of a butterfly’s life cycle.  On a side note, a spider is not an insect and Melissa will never consent to having a tarantula as a pet in the Poplar Room.

This is an example of a “shoe”fly. The children traced their shoes/slippers to make the body of the fly.

 

Starting Date Moved Back a Week

Parenting Young Children – Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP)

Do you need a system for effective parenting? You are invited to attend a six-week STEP parenting class (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting). This class is targeted for parents of children from birth to age six (6).

The STEP class will be held on Tuesdays at the Toledo Campus in Central Park from 6:30-7:30 p.m. beginning on Tuesday, April 15, through Tuesday, May 20.

There is no cost for the class. However, each family needs a copy of “Parenting Young Children” at a cost of $15. The books will be distributed before the first class.

Sign up by contacting Kathy Heckert at (419) 866-1931 to reserve a space. Class size is limited.

 

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