Ms Collins Loves Books

When we returned from Christmas holiday we did a social studies mini-unit about needs.  We discussed the basic needs all people have for food, air, water, shelter, clothing and safety.  Then we talked about how once your basic needs are met, you need to meet your emotional needs to feel happy.  The emotional needs are Belonging, Freedom, Power (feeling good at something), and Fun.  We talked about a different emotional need each day, and brainstormed ways we could fill that need.  We discussed how everyone fills their needs in different ways, but we need to make sure that they way we fill our needs doesn’t hurt anyone else.

First of all, Happy New Year!  We’ve been back for two weeks and we have been busy at school, even though I haven’t put up a post.  I will try to do some catching up this week!

Winter weather has finally arrived in Vancouver– it must be because we made some wintery art last week.  We used torn tissue paper to create the soft look of a winter scene.  We brainstormed possible things you might see in winter, then students were able to make their own choice for the subject of their art.  The only requirement was they had to have a background and a foreground.  We had a great variety of images.  See a few below!

Continuing our gingerbread activities, yesterday we baked cookies.  (Thanks to the moms who helped!)  Students got to roll out the dough, cut out a gingerbread boy or girl, and decorate it before it went in the oven.  We used the scraps to make a giant gingerbread man, and left him cooling in the staffroom after school yesterday.  When we went back this morning to eat him, all that was left was a crumb!  But there was also a note saying “Run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man.  Look in Jeff’s Office”.  Our gingerbread man had gone on an adventure!  Fortunately, he left notes so we tracked him to the library, the dance studio, the art room, and finally into the office.  Mrs. Bayntun said she smelled something really good yesterday when she was working, and what did we find hiding under her desk?  The gingerbread man!  We ate him as soon as we got back to the classroom so he couldn’t escape again!