What foods and activities keep us healthy?  This week we began exploring  ideas about healthy choices. We began by discussing healthy food. As a class we worked together to fill in each section of the food pyramid. We learned that a grain includes pasta, rice, and cereal. Did you know that ice cream belongs in the sweets category not in the dairy? The students are now working on creating their own food pyramid by filling in their favorite foods. On Thursday, Kindergarten and First Grade had  a Radiologist come to visit our school. The classes learned there were different tools used to photograph inside our bodies.  They viewed samples of x-rays, ultrasound, MRI, and CT scans.  Members of both classes correctly identified the tibia and fibula!  They were also able to identify hands, fingers, and the wrist correctly. When shown an MRI of the abdominal cavity the students were interested to see internal organs. When shown an MRI of a brain we learned, much to the children’s surprise, that our brains have two halves and have a special “bridge” that enables the two halves to communicate with one another.    The ultra sound we viewed showed a heart beating! Looking at slides of a broken finger and broken leg,  students pointed out  the broken bones.

Building on our Community Helper knowledge, the class worked cooperatively as a group to put together an x-ray version of a human skeleton.   Each student had their own piece of the puzzle and had to match their piece to the correct part of the body.  Our first attempt did not look quite right.   They agreed as a group to rearrange the various pieces. After we were satisfied with the result the children wanted to view the x-rays as a Radiologist would using our overhead projector. Following the class interest, we created a doctor’s office for the dramatic play area.    Everyone tried various roles, patient, doctor, nurse, support staff.    We will continue to expand their interest and knowledge of health related topics.   Next week we will learn about the different types of doctors and what they do.

This past Tuesday we had a fire drill. The students did an outstanding job going to our meeting place. They were excellent role models for the preschoolers in the other classes. I am very proud of our class. On Wednesday, we looked at a diagram of a house. We had to locate the smoke detectors and the family’s  meeting place. The students then had to draw a safe passage for each family member to the meeting place outside of the house.

During math this week on Tuesday and Wednesday the first graders had a 3D shape museum. The students invited the preschoolers to come to view the 3D shapes and what they look like outside of the classroom. The students each stood by one shape and explained the geometric name and gave examples of what it looks like. For instance, a cylinder can be a can of soup. On Tuesday when the kindergartners came into our museum they helped us find more shapes to add. The students discussed many examples of 3D shapes and continue to add more to our collection.

Looking ahead:
• Friday October 26th  Halloween Trick or Treat Open House from  5:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Have a great weekend!