Instagram Challenge 2015

In 2014 many teachers and students from Stevenson School participated in the #eduphotoaday Instagram challenge. It was designed by teachers, Erin Clark and Jeff Hoeppner. You can check out their project and others that were inspired by it here. Everyone really loved participating and an amazing community of learners was developed as a result,

This year, Ms. Dowd (Linwood School) and I, have created our own Instagram challenge.

Instagram #kphotoadayjune

The kindergarten students have come up with a word for each school day of the month of June. Each day the students will work together to represent that word in a photo and share it on Instagram. The fun part is that lots of other classes will be doing the same project so we will all be able to compare photos.

The Rules

We want our students to learn how to use social media appropriately so we have a few rules that must be followed.

1.    Things not People (pictures of faces are not allowed)

2.    Be Interesting

3.     Tell what is happening (without using names)

4.     Nothing gets posted without showing Mrs. Lowe

5.     Share the love by liking and commenting on other photos.

S (These rules were inspired by the ones posted here)

Want to see our photos?

Follow us on Instagram: Our username is MrsLowesClass Please send me an email at clowe@sjsd.net with your username so that I can make sure you're not a stranger. Also, we will only follow other classes so that I can make sure our feed is safe and appropriate for student eyes.

Check our blog: Our photos will all be showcased at the top of our blog in case you do not have Instagram.

Follow the #: If you are on Instagram, you can search the #kphotoadayjune to see some of the other photos.

 

Adventures in Italy-Part 1

This is a blog post from Mrs. Lowe and Ms. Dowd (Linwood School)

Our adventure began on Saturday afternoon when we flew out of Winnipeg...three planes, two busses, two trains, and a taxi later, we finally arrived in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

We were so excited to get here we couldn't wait to go explore this new city. We were amazed at the beautiful architecture and the fabulous weather. 

On Monday, we were introduced to the Loris Malaguzzi centre where we are doing most of our learning. We are meeting and networking with amazing educators from all over Canada.

Over the past two days, we have visited many different learning centres. We have participated in rich dialogue with the teachers at these early learning centres. We are taking many notes and are doing our best to sketch all the different learning environments. 

(To respect the rights of the children, we have been asked not to take pictures.)

In the evenings we have been exploring the city and all of its shops, people and tasty treats!

Dear Room 8 Kids, I miss you very much and hope you are learning a lot and having fun!

-Love Mrs. Lowe 

Grocery Store Inquiry

Earlier this week we were making our Play Plans when two girls in our class announced that they wanted to play grocery store in our house. I asked them if they had everything they needed and they started to list some objects that would help them. Soon they had written a whole list!

The next day I gathered as many of the items from their list as possible and rearranged some of the furniture in our house. When the students arrived they were SO excited to see that we had a grocery store in our classroom. At Thinking and Learning time, everyone wanted to play in the store.

We decided we should give our store a name and put up a sign. We also made a small restaurant next to the store and one student set up her own bank so people could get the money they needed to buy
groceries.

In just a few short days the students have already learned a lot. They are able decide on a store manager, set the timer to time shifts, take turns with the cash register, and sort food into baskets. I can't wait to hear about what they learn in the next two weeks.

Speaking of the next two weeks, as many of you know, I will be in Italy on a Reggio Emilia Study Tour.

While I am away I will do my best to update the blog with updates, photos, and reflections about all of the things I am learning in Italy. Please check back soon!

Music Monday

Launched in 2005 by The Coalition for Music Education, Music Monday is the world’s largest single event dedicated to raising awareness for music education. Each year, hundreds of thousands of students, educators, and music makers participate in a simultaneous nationwide concert performance of an original song written by a Canadian artist.  www.musicmonday.ca  /   www.musicmakesus.ca

Thanks to Ms. Rempel and the students of Stevenson School for such a beautiful performance.