Stone Soup
I would consider our first attempt at making soup a success! A couple of weeks ago, I read the book, Stone Soup by Jon J. Muth to the students. This is a Chinese folktale about three monks who teach a village a lesson about sharing and happiness. The monks trick the villagers into each contributing an ingredient to the “stone soup” they are making. In the end, the villagers come together to enjoy the soup that they all worked together to make. The soup was so tasty because they all contributed something and because they celebrated...
read moreYear of the Rooster
One of our fantastic teachers, Lori Rice, lived in China for a while. So who better to give the children a lesson about the Chinese New Year? Because this year is the Year of the Rooster, the related art lesson was painting a rooster using a fork to make the texture of the feathers.
read moreNot Just Playing Around
Why should schools incorporate drama into their curriculum? Obviously plays are fun, and (most) kids enjoy doing them. However, there is much to be learned from these mini-productions. This year, we continued our tradition of putting on a winter performance for our parents and added a performance for the preschool students at the Presbyterian Church. So how do plays help children develop as young learners? Planning – The students are in charge. We are just here to help them realize their vision. The students planned out the sets, props and...
read moreOld Salem
Our field trip to Old Salem in November was so much fun! The students learned about history and spent time in the gardens. While at Old Salem, one of the farmers pulled a salsify root and explained to the kids that it is also known as the oyster plant because of its oyster-like taste when cooked. He let us bring the salsify back for that week’s “New Food Friday”. Per the Old Salem farmer’s suggestion, we turned the salsify into fritters, just as the original Old Salem settlers would have done so many years...
read moreCivil War Reenactment
Below are some photos from our field trip to the birthplace of Major General J.E.B. Stuart, CSA to watch the Civil War Reenactment.
read moreLearning through the 5 senses
On Friday, October 21st, the students set out into the woods to learn about trees through their five senses. It was the perfect day as it was the first day this year that it has actually felt like fall. The air was crisp, the leaves were beautiful, and I was so excited that a couple of the kids asked me if I had too much coffee that morning. We walked the trail from Grassy Creek Vineyard to Byrd’s Branch Campground to learn about different types of trees, specifically conifers. As a special treat, Mr. D and Mrs. Lori were joined by Rick...
read moreJournaling for Kids
Journaling is a great activity for kids of all ages. Kindergartners can enjoy doodling, practicing letters or pasting in pictures. Older kids can choose to do an art journal, a writing journal or a mixture of both. This is a way for kids to get their creative thoughts onto paper. On our JOURNALS FOR KIDS Pinterest Board, we have shared some fun ideas. There are also many other excellent resources out there for helping your child get started. Here are just a few: The Benefits of Journaling for Kids Journaling for Kids 5 Reasons Why Kids...
read moreTry it. You might like it.
This year, we are starting something new. It’s called “New Food Friday”. The idea is that, each Friday, someone (a parent, student, volunteer or teacher) will bring in a food for everyone to try. It will be something that most of the students probably have not tried before. This should be a really fun addition to our classroom, but it is also an important learning tool. Here are some of the benefits: Trying new foods expands their palates and helps them discover new flavors. This will encourage healthy choices. Eating...
read moreWe Learned A Lot About Our Team
Saturday was the BIG day…the NC Science Olympiad. Families from our little school-that-could departed for Lenoir Rhyne University at 6:30 a.m. This was our first year competing. We had told ourselves for months that we were just doing it for the experience and that, if nothing else, we would learn a lot. We were by far the smallest team (in both number of students and stature). Typically, Science Olympiad teams are made up of 18 students in 4th , 5th and 6th grades…maybe a few 3rd graders. Our team included all 11 of our students,...
read moreTaking Control of their Education
Setting goals…we all do it to some degree, right? We set short term goals like folding the laundry before we go to bed or going for a run every morning or finishing that book we started. We set long term goals for our careers or our families. But how did we learn to do that and when? As adults, we know that the skill of being able to set a realistic goal for yourself and to plot the steps to achieving that goal is critical to success in life. So how does this factor into early education? At the Yadkin Valley Community School, we believe that...
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