The Boat Challenge, Flexible Seating, and Farewell Europe!

What a fun week! On Monday, the kids participated in "The Boat Challenge!" With a partner, they were asked to build a boat that could sail from Europe to New York and carry cargo. The kids had a ton of fun and worked so well together! Thank you to Anahi's mom for all of the great photos!

This week we also tried out some new seating options! Our classroom now has exercise balls, a few stools, a wobble chair, and three floor cushions for sitting at a low table. I've given the kids some freedom in choosing where they work during reading and writing time, and I've been amazed at the results. Some kids work best sitting on the floor on cushions or on the carpet, some like to lay on their tummies, some stick to working in a chair or stool at their regular tables, and some like the exercise balls because it allows them to wiggle a little and helps them to focus! We are looking into trying out some more seating options, so please let me know if you are interested donating to our classroom! :)

Who says you can only work in a chair at a desk? Indigo made a list of places to work!

We also talked a little bit about Groundhog Day on Monday, and we wrote opinion pieces about whether we wanted the groundhog to see his shadow! Their writing was too cute! Looks like Spring is coming early! :)

This week was our last week studying Europe! We played Woodland Jeopardy on Friday (I also threw a review category in there, the bald eagle from North America). The kids learned so much about the animals of Europe and I was super impressed at all they remembered about the bald eagle from our FIRST unit this year. Wow!

Get ready for the African savanna, zoologists!