The Pre-K Mountain Lions 2013-2014

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Home > Project-based Learning > December

December

December 6, 2013

Baking Tools
Lily made trivets

Welcome back from vacation, everyone!  We’ve had a busy week back to school. This week we studied cooking utensils in greater detail by looking at examples of tools from other countries, experimenting with common baking tools in the sensory table, and making our own tools in the studio. Caitie brought in pictures from when she lived in Tanzania. The pictures were of people making and using some traditional kitchen utensils. This made us think about what we still need in our kitchen, and how we could use some of our studio supplies to make more food and utensils. We now have food-specific “stirrers” (Leo), “cook grabbers” (Murphy), trivets (or “things to put hot food on”) (Lily), recipe cards (Dylan), green tongue soup (Owen), and spaghetti and meatballs (Rowan)!  We now have some new soup-specific spoons (also called an “eyeball”) (Dylan), and pipe cleaner bananas (Elli R.), grapes, cheese, and steaks!  We used clay, old bolts and screws, ribbon, feathers, popsicle sticks, yarn, corks, bottle caps, and pipe cleaners to make a variety of creations.  We constructed “Christmas cookies” (Rowan), “pizza” (Dylan), “popsicles” (Owen), “cakes” (Laila), and “a mixer” (Leo).  It is amazing what you can create in the studio!  We are impressed by the innovation and creativity of our young bakers and designers.  

 

Making tools in the studio

USA- McREL- Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning Content Knowledge Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 (2012)
Subject: Arts
Concentration: Music
Standard: 1. Sings, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
2. Sings invented songs
Standard: 7. Understands the relationship between music and history and culture
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Knows that music is a part of daily life
Concentration: Theatre
Standard: 3. Designs and produces informal and formal productions
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Create props out of available resources to support dramatic play
Concentration: Visual Arts
Standard: 1. Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes related to the visual arts
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Experiments with a variety of color, textures, and shapes
Benchmark:
2. Creates three-dimensional structures and arrangements using concrete materials or manipulatives (e.g., blocks)
Benchmark:
3. Uses a variety of basic art materials (e.g., paints, crayons, clay, pencils) to create works of art and express ideas and feelings
Benchmark:
4. Knows the names of a basic of colors
Standard: 5. Understands the characteristics and merits of one's own artwork and the artwork of others
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Discusses and evaluates the intentions and meanings of his or her own artwork and the work of others
Subject: Language Arts
Strand:
Writing
Standard:
1. Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
Level:
Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Knows that writing, including pictures, letters, and words, communicates meaning and information
Benchmark:
2. Uses drawings to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas
Benchmark:
3. Uses forms of emergent writing (e.g., scribble writing, random symbols, random letter-like marks) to represent ideas
Benchmark:
5. Uses emergent writing skills to write for a variety of purposes (e.g., to make lists, to send messages, to write stories)and to write in a variety of forms (e.g., journals, sign-in sheets, name cards, cards with words and pictures)
Benchmark:
6. Uses knowledge of letters to write or copy familiar words, such as own name
Benchmark:
7. Uses writing tools and materials (e.g., pencils, crayons, chalk, markers, rubber stamps, computers, paper, cardboard, chalkboard)
Strand:
Listening and Speaking
Standard:
8. Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes
Level:
Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
4. Uses descriptive language (e.g., color words; size words, such as bigger, smaller; shape words)
Subject: Mathematics
Standard: 2. Understands and applies basic and advanced properties of the concepts of numbers
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Understands that numbers represent the quantity of objects
Benchmark:
2. Counts by ones to ten or higher
Benchmark:
3. Counts objects
Benchmark:
4. Understands one-to-one correspondence
Benchmark:
5. Understands the concept of position in a sequence (e.g., first, last)
Benchmark:
6. Knows the written numerals 0-9
Benchmark:
8. Understands that a whole object can be separated into parts
Benchmark:
9. Knows that numbers are used in real-world situations
Standard: 4. Understands and applies basic and advanced properties of the concepts of measurement
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Understands basic concepts of time (e.g., today, tomorrow, morning, evening) and the sequence of various events (e.g., what comes after lunch)
Subject: Physical Education
Standard: 1. Uses a variety of basic and advanced movement forms
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
7. Uses hand-eye coordination to complete tasks (e.g., string beads, do puzzles, copy and trace a variety of figures)
Benchmark:
8. Uses manual coordination to control tools (e.g., pencils, crayons, scissors) and manipulate objects (e.g., zippers, buttons, snaps)
Subject: Science
Strand:
Physical Sciences
Standard:
8. Understands the structure and properties of matter
Level:
Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Knows vocabulary used to describe some observable properties (e.g., color, shape, size) of objects
Benchmark:
2. Sorts objects based on observable properties
Standard:
10. Understands forces and motion
Level:
Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
2. Knows that objects can be moved in space in a number of ways (e.g., pushing, pulling, sinking)
Subject: Technology
Standard: 3. Understands the relationships among science, technology, society, and the individual
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Uses tools (e.g., hammer, email, telephone) that help humans do work and solve problems
Standard: 4. Understands the nature of technological design
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Knows that materials and equipment can be combined in different ways to make something new (e.g., building a tent using a sheet around a table, using molding clay to make pretend food)
Benchmark:
2. Knows ways to communicate design ideas (e.g., pictures, models)
Benchmark:
3. Knows that some things are natural and others are human made
Standard: 6. Understands the nature and uses of different forms of technology
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Knows different materials (e.g., glass, metal, plastic, wood) and their uses
Benchmark:
2. Knows that for certain purposes some materials work better than others

Tools, Water, & Flour

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The sensory table was a busy place on Thursday and Friday.  We experimented with a variety of kitchen tools to mix water and flour together to create different consistencies of batter and dough.  We evaluated different tools and discussed which specific utensils are best for which job:

 

A flat rubber spatula is “good for putting on jelly, spreading things” (Ellie S.) and “scraping the bowl” (Elli R.). 

 

A fork is good for pancake batter, good for getting lumps out.  A spoon is good for wet stuff (Elli R.).

 

A whisk is for stirring, and it not good for thick dough (Ellie S.).

 

A tool for mixing bread is a wooden spoon (Kate).

 

The egg beater/hand mixer “gets the lumps out” (Kate), but “the dough gets stuck on the beater when it is thick” (Owen)

 

The pancake spatula doesn’t work because the water falls through the holes. The beater works because it is faster.  I have one of these (hand mixer) and Jacob and I lick the beaters.  A wooden spoon goes really slow. (Carly)

 

The different between batter and dough is there is more water in the batter. Dough has more flour than batter. (Dylan)

 

Hands are the best tool for dough. (Owen)

 

The whisk is good for batter. (Lily)

 

A hand mixer is a good tool for batter too. (Dylan) 

Experimenting in the sensory table

12 Days of Baking

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We also practiced our 12 Days of Baking song for the concert on December 17th. We’ve finally learned all 12 days, and we’ll practice twice a day for the next two weeks! We practiced writing the numbers of the twelve days and we will use them in the concert to help us remember which number and baking project comes next.  Writing the date during morning sign in has helped us learn new numbers.  It was fun to write these numbers really big onto brightly colored paper.

Writing numerals

December 13, 2013

Gingerbread
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This week, we studied gingerbread houses.  Early in the week, we watched a short clip from the History channel to learn more about gingerbread houses.  Did you know that gingerbread houses originate from Germany and the Brothers Grimm fairy tales?  We used the ideas we saw in the video to construct our own gingerbread models in the studio.  The various materials in our art studio fostered incredible designs and creative uses of ordinary items. “Gingerbread” designs created in the studio were: a tree house (Owen), jail (Dylan), villages (Carly, and Leo & Henry), house (Emmett) and a castle (Bennett).  After consideration of each design and interviews with each student, we decided to build a gingerbread tree house.  Building with baked goods is exactly the kind of challenge these Mountain Lions love, as it combines our expertise of building with our knowledge of baking.

Gingerbread video viewing & designs

Gingerbread Dough

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On Thursday we made gingerbread dough from scratch.  We followed the new recipe step by step and reviewed how we read the ingredients listed: “C” means cup, “t” means teaspoon, and “T” means tablespoon.  We tried out Erin’s Kitchen Aid mixer, which is “so shiny” and “so pretty” and has fun buttons and levers to use.  The dough smelled delicious as the allspice, cinnamon, ginger, molasses, and sugar whirled around in the bowl.  To make our gingerbread design, we cut out cardboard to build a model treehouse. This way we would know how big our gingerbread pieces needed to be. The students labeled the parts of the treehouse, “railing, side, front, back, roof, and chimney.”  Our dough stayed in the refrigerator overnight and on Friday we rolled out the dough, cut out the shapes we needed to make the treehouse, and baked them in the oven.  Next week we will decorate the tree house and make the other parts we need. 

 

We hope our gingerbread tree house will have the following items next week:

Elevator door (Owen)

Chimney (Rowan)

People to stand inside and outside (Leo)

Tree roots (Dylan)

Snow (Lily)

Window (Henry)

Red stockings (Owen)

Gumdrops (Smith)

Sprinkles (Laila)

Sides with little pieces of different kinds of candy (Dylan)

A candy bird (Carly)

Food

Pets

Door

Couch 

Making gingerbread

December 20, 2013

Gingerbread house and ornaments
Hard at work

This week we worked on our gingerbread tree house.  We made icing out of powdered sugar, shorting, and water.  Then, we glued our gingerbread pieces together with the frosting.  Friends took turns holding the pieces in place so that the “frosting glue” would stick.  We had an unfortunate collapsing roof incident and had to improvise with a new design with a flatter roof than we had planned on.  Next we made lights, wreaths, trees, roots, a ladder, elevator door, and a shingled roof out of a variety of candies.  It looked beautiful and delicious!  We are really impressed by the self-control exhibited by students during the project…it was so hard not to lick fingers and eat the candy!  But, we were able to restrain the urge and work diligently on our masterpiece.  On Friday, our book buddies came by and marveled at our beautiful tree house.  They were very impressed!

Gingerbread Tree house Construction

Baked Ornaments

Making ornaments

On Thursday and Friday, we worked on a baking project that is not for eating!  We still used all the skills we have learned from baking, including: following the recipe, measuring the ingredients precisely, operating the mixer, rolling out the dough, and putting the baking tray in the oven.  We made the ornaments out of a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, applesauce and glue.  They smell amazing!  We hope you enjoy hanging this special ornament on your tree.  This kind or ornament should last for years to come, and Caitie still has one that she made when she was in preschool. Happy Holidays!

Making Ornaments

USA- McREL- Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning Content Knowledge Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 (2012)
Subject: Arts
Concentration: Visual Arts
Standard: 1. Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes related to the visual arts
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
2. Creates three-dimensional structures and arrangements using concrete materials or manipulatives (e.g., blocks)
Standard: 4. Understands the visual arts in relation to history and cultures
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Know that art exists from a variety of places and periods of time
Subject: Mathematics
Standard: 5. Understands and applies basic and advanced properties of the concepts of geometry
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Knows basic geometric language for naming shapes (e.g., circle, triangle, square, rectangle)
Benchmark:
2. Understands the common language used to describe position and location (e.g., "up," "down," "below," "above," "beside," "inside," "outside")
Benchmark:
3. Knows that geometric shapes can be put together or taken apart to form other shapes
Benchmark:
4. Understands that a shape’s orientation in space can change
Standard: 8. Understands and applies basic and advanced properties of functions and algebra
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Understands simple patterns (e.g., boy-girl-boy-girl)
Benchmark:
2. Repeats simple patterns
Subject: Physical Education
Standard: 1. Uses a variety of basic and advanced movement forms
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Coordinates movements in space to accommodate objects and boundaries
Benchmark:
2. Demonstrates a sense of balance (e.g., stands on one foot, walks on a balance beam)
Benchmark:
6. Demonstrates strength and control to accomplish a variety of tasks
Benchmark:
7. Uses hand-eye coordination to complete tasks (e.g., string beads, do puzzles, copy and trace a variety of figures)
Benchmark:
8. Uses manual coordination to control tools (e.g., pencils, crayons, scissors) and manipulate objects (e.g., zippers, buttons, snaps)
Subject: Technology
Standard: 4. Understands the nature of technological design
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Knows that materials and equipment can be combined in different ways to make something new (e.g., building a tent using a sheet around a table, using molding clay to make pretend food)
Benchmark:
2. Knows ways to communicate design ideas (e.g., pictures, models)
Benchmark:
3. Knows that some things are natural and others are human made
Standard: 6. Understands the nature and uses of different forms of technology
Level: Level Pre-K (Grades Pre-K)
Benchmark:
1. Knows different materials (e.g., glass, metal, plastic, wood) and their uses
Benchmark:
2. Knows that for certain purposes some materials work better than others
Author: Erin Tanzer
Last modified: 6/9/2014 11:30 AM (EDT)