A Bixby Summer

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Bixby Teachers

As members of the Bixby community, we’re all aware of the value of the education our children receive during the academic year. In addition to this, summer camp at Bixby provides an experience that is enriching in a different way.

During the academic year, there are many demands on our children’s time during the school day: moving from class to class, switching gears from subject to subject, and the tasks and assignments within those subjects. But there are many activities at Bixby outside of the academic experience that the students love including lower yard, inventing games with their friends, playing with all of the giant gym props, swimming, and running free through the sports fields. While there is time to enjoy these different areas and activities during the year, there is more time to do so during the summer and we’ve found that our children enjoy this ability to have more free play in the Bixby environment.

There are different camp themes that are offered each summer and there is some instruction and organization around the themes. However, there is also much time for unstructured play where the children can engage in all sorts of pursuits. In some cases, they may play games that have a set of rules and in other cases they’ll devise their own games, much as we remember doing when we were kids. One specific thing that our children have enjoyed is the ability to interact with children from different grades, as that brings a different perspective for all involved and may not occur as often or as easily during the academic year.

In short, Bixby summer camp allows our children to enjoy the different themes that are introduced every week as they get to learn more about the world around them in a relaxed way. Equally as important, they get to interact with their friends from the Bixby “neighborhood” and they get to do so for longer, and on a different level than they do during the school year.

We look forward to our children participating in another summer of Bixby camp and hope that other Bixby families will be able to enjoy this dimension of Bixby, as well.

-Bixby Summer Team

Bixby Portfolio Night

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Bixby Teachers

Portfolios are an integral part of the Bixby experience. In preschool, each child’s group time teacher spends countless hours collecting artwork, documenting developmental milestones, and capturing the uniqueness of each child’s Bixby experience throughout the year. These beautiful gifts are just as much for the children as they are for the parents, as they are heavily loaded with pictures, so each child understands what each page is about through visual representation. In Preschool, these books start with the children when they begin Preschool, and leave with them when they graduate, so most cover 2-3 years of development and experiences. You can often hear children ask to look through their portfolios during the day as an open activity.

Last night as families arrived, the children showed their parents where to find their portfolio. The families then found a cozy spot inside or outside to look over their work. It was a special time for the children to sit with their families and share all that they have done and enjoyed about school that year.

With the beautiful weather, we were able to have many of our families join us outdoors where the sun was shining bright! Many children got to play in preschool yard with classmates, siblings, and parents after taking those quiet moments of reflection with their families. It was a very happy social environment filled with laughter and memories of the growth of our students. We thank you for taking the time to join us, and for being apart of our wonderful community.

-Shannon

¡Nos vemos, hasta luego, adiós!

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Bixby Teachers

The year is coming to an end and it is time to say adiós. It has been an honor teaching Spanish to your children!

To close, the fourth and fifth graders are doing a unit titled “The Origins of our Families.” They are researching the roots of their families and will give a small presentation to their classmates about the countries they come from. This is a fun way to learn about the culture of other countries, their flags, and their geography. We are also discussing the importance of learning a second language when we are children. The students came up with interesting ideas on why it is so important!

The first, second, and third graders are closing the year with new songs. They are also learning to answer a few common questions, like ¿Quién es tu amigo?, ¿Cómo está tu amigo?, and ¿Cómo es tu amigo?

All students are also learning a poem. If you come to our Friday Assemblies, you will hear all of them reciting it and also singing songs in Spanish.

Summer is long and it will be difficult for your children to keep what they learned this year in Spanish. To help them practice, they have been preparing a CD with the songs they know. The kids really love listening to themselves! If you are interested in getting this CD, send me an e-mail. It is free.

Have a safe and refreshing summer!

Hasta el proximo año,

-María

Earth Day, Everyday

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Bixby Teachers

Earth Day in the Preschool was yet another reason to get out and enjoy our amazing outdoor classroom that we value so highly. This year, Earth Day coincided with our Group Time day in the Preschool. Each group took advantage and celebrated with the children while encouraging deeper connections to this amazing planet we call home.

Our youngest group, The Rainbow Fish, read Eric Carle’s “The Tiny Seed”. This is the story of a little seed that weathers the elements on the path to becoming a seedling. Many analogies surface throughout the story depicting how all living things persevere through challenges throughout their life. After reading the book, the young gardeners proceeded to the preschool yard to plant sunflower seeds in various locations. Will the seeds survive the birds, weather and children playing out in the yard? As we continue this long-term project we will explore concepts learned in this story and provide relevant activities that support growth in the areas of Science, Math and Social-Emotional development. The anticipation of tall flowers adorning the yard has already got these children longing for warm summer days.

Post Earth Day left me pondering our relationships to nature in the age of technological advancement. As technology continues to saturate our daily routines, there is an urgency to create balance, especially during the formative years of brain development. Our collective goal in the preschool is to provide that balance by presenting authentic ways for the children to interact with the magnificence of their natural world. We are fortunate to have such a unique campus to support this goal at Bixby.

As I searched about connections in nature with children, this article popped up. By having trees, grass, gardens, wooden structures and numerous natural spaces for children to explore independently, we can set the stage for a healthy life long relationship with our natural world.

Perspectives from the youngest children in the preschool;

How do you celebrate and care for our planet?

“Planting flowers”

“Going to the Moon”

“Having Trees”

“Make Art”

“Riding a Train”

What happens outside in the spring?

“Flowers grow up”

“Worms come in spring time”

“Snakes come out”

“It rains”

“The trees get flowers on them”

“Flowers grow in the garden”

-Megan

The Fifth Grade Play

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Bixby Teachers

The Fifth Grade Play is an exhilarating Bixby tradition that’s existed as long as I can remember – literally. I remember watching the fifth graders perform it every May as we ascended through Bixby, wondering if our class could ever put together such a grand production. I remember marveling at the maturity of those fifth grade actors. I remember the buzz of excitement in the gym, which had been transformed into outer space, Sesame Street, or a kingdom at the bottom of the sea.

I remember the excitement of collaboration, of sifting through our overflowing ideas for the best nuggets. I remember writing our lines, memorizing them and our cues, making the sets and props in the art room. I remember the hours and hours of practice. I remember the nervous excitement as the play approached, the fear that something would go horribly wrong, and the electricity in the gym as we walked on stage. I remember the glorious pleasure of hearing our parents giggle at the jokes we’d created. I remember a deep satisfaction and camaraderie when we bowed at the end, knowing we’d created something together, something wonderful, from scratch.

I’ve been fortunate to be able to work on the Fifth Grade Play as a teacher for the last three years, cultivating the immense creativity bursting from the Fifth Graders into a production they can share with Bixby and their parents. Danielle and I have served merely as scaffolds for the imaginative canvas the Fifth Grade has painted over these last few months. Everything in the Play – the plot, characters, lines, costumes, sets, and props – has been created by the students. Our school performance will be Thursday at 2:30, with Fifth Graders returning at 5:45 with their families for our evening performance. I’m looking forward to that nervy, thrilling buzz in the gym Thursday afternoon and evening.

-Tom

*Pictures from the performance coming soon!

Who Am I?

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Bixby Teachers

The second and third graders have enthusiastically immersed themselves in the Hero Study by independently reading biographies of interest and then dressing up as their heroes. After presenting three thoughtful and informative clues to the fifth graders and some parents, they asked the audience, “Who Am I?” Much fun and learning took place as we guessed their identity and gained knowledge about: Leonardo da Vinci, Dr. Jonas Salk, Jackie Robinson, Anne Frank, Malala, and many other inspiring people. Students are continuing the study by writing Who Am I? books or illustrated timelines. They will also begin creating educational board games about their heroes in Colleen’s writing classes.

How will you make the world more beautiful?

For Earth Day, first graders read the book Miss Rumphius and learned to ask more wh- questions about books. Who is the main character, what is the problem to be solved, where are they, when is the story taking place, and how was the problem solved? In keeping with the main message and spirit of the story, they planted lupine seeds to make our world (at Bixby and at home) more beautiful, as did Miss Rumphius.

Photo by: Ning Mosberger-Tang

“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” ~Emilie Buchwald

Reading aloud and discussing books with your child “little and often” is key to developing their skills, understanding, and vocabulary. The habit of reading just 10-20 minutes most every day for first and second graders and about 30 minutes for third graders now and throughout the summer will help them maintain and enhance their skills. It also fosters a love of reading and warm family memories. Look for more information on library reading programs this summer in their Friday folders next month.

-Connie

It’s a Project!

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Bixby Teachers

As we approach the end of the school year, we look back on all the experiences we have had together exploring and mastering many skills and concepts. While we still have time, I search for new ways to apply that learning in order to deepen understanding and connect the knowledge so it sticks, and I remember that John Dewey once said, “Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results.” Thus, I introduce a project to not only meet learning goals but also to add opportunities for deep, creative thinking and real world application to the math classroom.

Designing townhouses can be a creative way to connect many math concepts. To introduce this project, I show students real examples of real architectural plans. They begin by drawing the townhouse front according to guidelines designed to reinforce fraction concepts and precise measurement skills because the house fonts must all fit next to each other to make a townhouse community. Next, the young architects design the floor plan of their house using a grid. One house included a secret laboratory, a bowling alley, and a swimming pool; they clearly have a lot of fun designing their dream homes. Each room is labeled with its purpose, dimensions, and type of flooring (wood, tile, carpet, or concrete). Even the more mathematically intense portion is engaging as students as they find the area of each room and the cost to put in the flooring.

Students have had many experiences that enable them to develop the area formula for themselves, but multiplying two-digit numbers by two-digit numbers to find the cost of flooring using deeply discounted materials provides more challenge. The technique of multiplying parts and adding them together is clearly apparent when working with a grid and gives rise to developing their own use of the distributive property. For example, if a room that is 32 square yards needs to be covered with carpet that costs $12 a square yard, many students will multiply the 30 x $12 to get $360 and 2 x $12 to get $24 and then add to get a total of $384. Other students my notice that calculating $10 per square and $2 per square and then adding the totals to find the cost also works. The project gives students a lot of opportunity to find efficient methods since many houses have 30 rooms. Finally, students add lists of two to four-digit numbers to find the total cost of each page, each floor, and then of the entire house. They joyfully tell each other the price of flooring a certain room and compare the costs of flooring their houses since they are not spending real money. Then they interpret the results. One child noted, “Your house was really expensive because you had a lot of wood floors!”

Students show pride in precise and innovative work and delight in applying skills in a meaningful way. As John Holt says, “Learning is not the product of teaching. Learning is the product of the activity of the learner.” Bixby learners worked through a lot of problems in designing their houses; the experience seemed to result in not only deepening mathematical skills but also in persistence, attention to detail, and self-evaluation. Projects can certainly be a fun and efficient way to meet a lot of learning goals.

-Dana

Preschool Art Show

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Bixby Teachers

“ What did you call it?” “It’s an animal!”

“I love these patches.” “Those aren’t patches. Those are paper!”

“How did you make that?” “We painted!”

Such a great tradition; a celebration of art, community connection, and more! This year marks the 11th year of the Preschool Art Show, and it was just as spectacular as the very first.

The Art Show provides each student with an opportunity to showcase and share their creativity, design, and expression of art with their family and friends, all while enjoying light refreshments and conversation. Taking a step back and watching this happen, one can quite easily see the face of the child light up; they go into detail about how they used the paint brush to create a specific line, or how they were laughing with their friends as they strung the beads onto the wire. This is such a beautiful and wonderful thing; children reflecting and giving in depth meaning to all that they have created. This years show included paintings, drawings, photography, sculptures, and more.

I leave you with this parent quote, as we concluded the evening…

“I thought I was already in love with Bixby, until tonight…and now, this Art Show makes me feel even more in love with Bixby. I am so thankful for all of the hard work the teachers have done to make this night so special!”

…and the amazing work of a child. Priceless.

A Hundred!

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Bixby Teachers

In many schools “a hundred” is a reference to the 100th day of school project. This often translates into a less engaging project around displaying one hundred things in some way in the kindergarten or first grade classroom. As I reflect on many years in a multitude of schools, another kind of “a hundred” comes to mind: A cornerstone to progressive, student-centered education, – “The hundred languages” poem by Loris Malaguzzi.

I first encountered this poem in my graduate school program many years ago. It resonated with me because it describes in a powerful form a perspective of children as learners and individuals that demand not only our attention, but also deserve our thoughtfulness. It calls upon our readiness to engage as collaborators in their learning. It leads to the realization that reciprocity is at the core of meaningful relationships that make room for deeply-engaged learning much beyond our school walls. Sadly, “The school and the culture” that is described in this poem is a more common phenomenon than we may think-regardless of pedagogical practices or program descriptors – but I am glad to share that at Bixby School “the hundred is there”!

-Patricia

Science Inside and Outside the Kindergarten Classroom

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Bixby Teachers

Nothing thrills a teacher more than hearing your kids get really excited about a project. Children absolutely love science! When children are engaged in science, there are no disruptions because they are so busy exploring. Hands on science and inquiry allow students’ questions and curiosities to drive curriculum. This week was full of excitement!

Chick Eggs

The chick eggs have arrived in the kindergarten classroom! They have been in the incubator for 12 days and should begin to hatch around April 26^th. The Kinders are extremely excited! Kathy taught us how to candle the eggs. We actually got to see the embryo moving inside the egg!

Owl Pellet

We dissected a Great Horned owl pellet. The kids were both amazed and grossed out at the same time. They were really engaged and thrilled every time we identified a bone. The major components of the pellet were 2 skulls (mice or voles), pelvic bones, femurs and a variety of other bones.

Bridgewalk Pond

What an awe-inspiring visit to Bridgewalk Pond this week. Kudos to the kindergarteners for entering the pond silently (we have been practicing for months). Finally, we got to see three muskrats for the first time this year! We also listened to the song of the Red-Winged Black Bird. The students were ecstatic to go back to the classroom to record and write about their findings. Children who are often exposed to natural settings improve their capacity to focus and enhance their cognitive abilities.

-Lisa