Living in Yesterday and Today #5 - Life of Early Humans

Owen brought a stone tool from home to show the children. It sparked the Water group's curiosty of early humans. How did they build things with tools made out of sticks and stones. The children turned themselves into cavemen and women to experience what it was like to live like cave people. We went into the forest and found materials that we think can help us build a house. The children gathered sticks, barks and leaves. We tied the sticks together with tree bark and used a rock to hammer the sticks into the ground. and the children used leaves and wood pieces to decorated our house.

Living in Yesterday and Today #4 - Extinction and Preservation

Making the salt dough.

The children were so interested in finding gold that they started looking for gold during their morning playtime in the forest. During their dig, a child cried, "I found a dinosaur bone!" This made the children wonder what happened to the dinosaurs? How were people able to find their bones?

Making the dinosaur imprints.

We researched the topic by watching videos from Brainpop Jr. The children learned that the dinosaurs died and through the process of fossilization people were able to know of their existence. We discussed the different theories (asteriod, volcanic activity, ice age, disease, and the gradually climate change) as to how the dinosaur became extinct.   We furthered our discussion into the animals that have become extinct (e.g. dodo birds) and ones that are endangered. We talked about the change of the animal's habitats and what people can do to prevent other species from going extinct. 

Baking the salt dough fossil.

Lastly, the children made their own dinosaur fossilss out of salt dough. The loved it and commented that the colour on the fossils really looked "old".

Living in Today and Yesterday #3 - Celebrating the Year of the Dragon

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. The Water group children discussed some of the customs and traditions that chinese people still do and don't do for this special holiday. Most people cleanse their houses before the new year to sweep away any ill-fortune and make way for good incoming luck. Many will decorate their windows and doors with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune", "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". The most exciting thing for the children is receiving money in red envelopes (hon bao). One thing that many people in the city do not do much of anymore is lighting firecrackers at midnight. 


In connection with our Barkerville project, the children made red envelopes and put gold pieces in their "hon bao" because long ago chinese people use gold nuggets as their currency. Furthermore, one of the dishes that many Chinese people eat during the new year is dumpling because it resembles a gold nugget. Then the Water group cooked some dumplings to shared with the other groups, hoping the dumplings will bring them good fortunes and wealth. 

Living in Today and Yesterday #2 - Barkerville, BC

Barkerville 1865

"People have to be strong
in the olden days to break
the sticks."

The Water Group started to look at Barkerville, a historic town in British Columbia. It was the main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush around 1860s. We focused on the buildings and discussed how they differ from the buildings that are built nowadays. The children noticed that the structures were all made of wood back then and not very colourful. The roads were muddy and bumpy and people made steps and ramps in front of the houses. 

To further this idea, the children reconstructed Barkerville. They made buildings and other structures out of different kinds of sticks. The miniature town will be displayed in the science room. 

Living in Today and Yesterday #1

We have begun our new unit: Living in Today and Yesterday (Then and Now). The children will explore the similarities and differences between the way people lived long ago and the way people live today.


The Water Group brainstormed what they know about the past and made comparisons as to what they did as a baby and to what they do now. We read the book When I was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoir of her Youth by Jamie Lee Curtis and the children made their own book telling their own changes of growing up.

To further the concept of looking into the past, we created a timeline. The children pretended to travel into the past by a time machine to find the year they were born. As we were traveling in the time machine,  the children chanted enthusiastically, "Traveling, traveling, traveling to the past".

How We Decorate Our World? #5-Decorations tell stories

The Water Group started to explore various decorations from different culture. Last Tuesday, we took a walk to Musqueam to view a modern day Coast Salish monument of The Runner (designed by Debra Sparrow) and a house post carved by Dave Louis Jr. The children learned that the Coast Salish people use these decorations to tell stories. The Runner is to whisper the knowledge and history of the Coast Salish people from generation to generation and the house post is to commemorate an event, person, family or as welcome figures. Then the children made their own welcome figures for their rooms so others feel welcome when they view their rooms.

How We Decorate Our World? #4-Creating connections with others through our decorations.

Last week, the children have shown understanding that each person's perspective might be different or same when we look at decorations.  The children explored with the concept of how decorations tell human stories and help us know one another (connection). What are the stories associated with our decorations and how do these help us connect with one another?

Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's painting "The Bedroom", the children started to design their own rooms made out of cardboard. The children built furniture out of twigs, decorated their walls and floors with wonderful designs and made blanket or pillows to make their room look comfortable. By looking at each others' rooms, we get to know more about that person. The children made connections by sharing and using designs that they like in their own rooms.