Last week the girls and I had a discussion about what the natural and physical world meant. After I asked them what do they think they want to learn about from the natural and physical world. Then they both created a list of ideas. Their interests were in the areas of...
-Plants
-Bees
-Robotic toys
-Rain

Since spring is here and plants are beginning to grow, I decided to start there. So this week we built a seed house.

I am a firm believer in positive thinking. 
Therefore, I am a firm believer in creating a positive environment for kids.
The more positive you put into their life, the more they will believe in themselves.
Let's give kids positive statements to help them believe in themselves.
​Help them to be successful in all areas of life.

Now people define success many different ways. But to me, success means stepping out and trying something new. Accomplishing a goal that you set for yourself.  

For young kids, tying your shoes is a big accomplishment - but it is also very challenging. Michelle, from Full House, got extremely frustrated trying to learn.  She had given up and decided to throw all her shoes with laces out….until her uncle stopped her. They had discussion about the process of learning and how we don’t just stop – we persist! After that, her mindset shifted and she kept trying.

Have you had conversations with your kids about success?

​It's important we talk to kids about the work we put into being successful. Success doesn't happen without hard work, mistakes and - well the list is endless. If we don’t have conversations with our kids about the process of learning, they won’t know that success comes from hard work. It’s easy for anyone to see the end result of something and never think about all the work that goes into it beforehand.

To promote life long learners, we need to have those conversations and empower our kids to take risks and learn new things. It’s through the whole learning process, good and bad, that we expand our minds and grow.

Until next time,
Jackie 

Out of the many things I'm passionate about - inquiry is one that is close to the top of my list - it's a big list but it's up at the top. The whole idea of  encouraging students to question and wonder is so exciting to me. Or maybe it's because I didn't always find that policy, "No question is a stupid question" to be true as a student.

Regardless, I have always held inquiry at the top of my list. So when I began my second year teaching young 5s, I knew I wanted to integrate inquiry even more into our curriculum. I just was not sure how. However, I watched my students closely and used them to guide my inquiry exploration. 

You may ask, "How did you do that?"

​Art: the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.