When the class was working on color mixing, the kids sometimes found that blue and yellow didn’t always look “green.” It might be greenish, but it would sometimes be a little too blue, sometimes a little too yellow. As teachers, we have felt that way in trying to find the right balance between “the academic”…

The students’ Week 4 explorations of the tree branch blocks provided the perfect segue from our counting explorations in mathematics to applied counting skills in measurement. Kindergarten and first grade measurement starts with nonstandard units (using concrete objects rather than units of measurement) to measure and compare weight, length, height, and capacity. Students used the balance scale…

Connections time this week built from our exploration of the senses to the skill of observation. Students used an apple (inside and out) and a tree outside (viewed from different points of view) to talk about how we look at multiple points of view and multiple data points to ask questions, form hypotheses, and draw…

During our connections time, the kids explored the remaining senses: smell and taste. We discussed how those senses can keep us safe. We also talked about the memories that a smell or a taste can bring. The scents of vanilla and cocoa made us all think of a baking experience – and the people with whom…

Having your child as your student provides some unique challenges, but also some unique delights, that Teacher Lindsey and I are experiencing. For this week, the highlights have been listening to the descriptions of our day filtered through the boys’ retelling of the day to the rest of the family. Victoria Vowel Owl. Victoria was…

Each morning at The Kineo School, we begin by putting away our bags and lunches, swapping shoes, and then checking-in at the reading corner. We start the day with reading time, and we have already discovered that the kids often gravitated toward nonfiction books and magazines. They were using their background knowledge (for example, about…

Of all the subjects to teach, writing can feel the most daunting. Writing, especially in early elementary, is motor skills/strength, letter formation, sound/letter relationships, sentence structure, storytelling, writing process, writing traits, and motivation and purpose. Add to that, writing is capturing your thoughts on paper where anyone can read them – a very vulnerable act….

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of events, wonderful little events, providing the energy and motivation to do the hard work to get our school pilot year ready. The order of these will probably get all jumbled in the re-telling, but here goes. Serendipitous moment (SM) #1 – A local Facebook group shared…