Baby Chicks Rule and Simple Machines

Dear Parents,

On Monday we used two pulleys to pull scarves back and forth in the big room. Children worked in groups of three using fine motor skills to clip scarves to a rope with clothespins. We pulled the strings to lead the scarves across the room to friends. 

We read Toolbox, Farm Animals, Machines, How To Hatch, Some Babies Are Wild, The Big Book of Real Building and Wrecking Machines, I Am A Little Cat, and Out of the Egg.

We used our sense of touch to  guess what was in the feely box. One person guessed a shovel. It was another tool. We sang Johnny Has One Hammer and used our hands, feet, and head, as hammers. 

We played with our two toolboxes in the big room. There was some hammering and sawing on the stage, suddenly everything needed mending.

By Tuesday, eleven baby chicks had hatched! The last one hatched when we weren’t looking. We waited impatiently for them to dry and turn fluffy before moving them to the brood box. Most friends wanted turns to pet them. We reviewed our baby chick rules and sat down criss-cross applesauce to take turns holding them. 

While half the class was tumbling with Larissa and Ebony, the rest of us spent time with the baby chicks. Some children were gentle enough that the baby chicks fell asleep on them. A few children preferred looking at the baby chicks, rather than holding them - although after warming up, they too wanted to pet them. 

On Friday, while some children played with our pretend tools, everyone had a chance to use a real hammer and nail. We talked about the nail being a wedge and the hammer being a lever to pull the nail out. We pointed out the differences between the real tools and our toy tools. Someone told us about their dad using a real hammer at home. 

While all of this was happening, Ricardo, who works for the church, came into the big room with his real hammer to add some shims to our windows so they wouldn't blow open. It was perfect timing with us using our tools, and Ricardo using his to fix a real problem! Several children beamed while watching him work.

We reviewed our pictures of six simple machines on the wall and have been on the lookout for them around our classroom. We counted wheels and axles on our tricycles, toy cars, and in books on buses and trucks. 

Have a simple weekend,

Therese

Simple Machines and Baby Chick Eggs

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year!

We began our week thinking about machines we know. We looked around the classroom, and in our mind’s eye, to see machines in our homes and neighborhood. We made a list: vacuum, excavator, incubator, fan, oven, record player, clock, refrigerator, toaster, car, cd player, coin machine, bicycle, washer, dryer, and blender.

On Tuesday, children who wanted to, tried to pick up a teacher. After many attempts, we used a simple machine to pick up a teacher--a lever. The children took turns standing on the end of a long large piece of wood to pick up teachers and each other. Someone shouted, “It’s like a see-saw!” Indeed it was!

Our first gymnastics class with Larissa and Ebony was swell. The children told us they pretended there was a pizza clock.

On Thursday we introduced another simple machine--inclined plane. In the big room everyone took turns rolling cars down the inclined plane which some said was like a ramp. We asked the children if the cars were faster, or slower, if rolled frontward? backward? sideways? with one car, or two attached together? three? Someone wondered about upside down too. We played in groups of three. There was lots of excited yelling and running back and forth. 

We looked at our jungle gym to see what part of it was also an inclined plane. Two children pointed to the slide!

Farmer Eric and Farmer Katherine came to drop our eggs off (gently). We turned them three times each day and made sure there was water in the trough. Farmer Eric said his rule was to not “push and shove” when looking at the eggs. We put reminder signs next to the incubator: Do Not Touch and Do Not Lean on the table. And: Shhhhhhhh, Baby Chicks Sleeping.

We made a list of Baby Chicks Rule in preparation for our baby chicks, who will begin hatching on Monday.

This week we read Machines At Work, Barnyard Banter, Rooster’s Off to See The World, From Egg To Chick, Farm Animals, Where You Came From, Boomer’s Big Day, The Little Engine That Could, Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening, and more. 

On Friday we used our inclined plane again. Everyone took turns rolling balls down. Someone had the idea to roll the balls up the inclined plane. We used a different set of cars to roll down too. Again, the inclined plane produced lots of laughter and running back and forth. 

We welcomed our new friend to our class, and have been singing the Good Morning Song to help her learn our names.

It was a good solid first week of 2026.

Have a new weekend,

Therese