The children have been excited learning about volcanoes over the past few weeks. This week, we explored through using a different type of medium, known as Craypas or oil pastel crayons. We used Craypas to create a picture of a volcano. Craypas were created in Japan in the late 1920’s. They are made from a combination of coconut oil and a type of stiffening oil base. The word Craypas was created from two words: Paste and Crayon. The children used various colors of Craypas to create and label the different parts of their volcano. Each child drew a picture that included a magma chamber, a conduit, vents, a crater, magma, and lava. The children used their fingers to smudge and blend in different colors creating a vivid effect on black construction paper. 

The children have been learning about the scientific method and what an experiment is. We started an experiment using four different colors of water and placing a white carnation flower in each one to see if they would change to the color of the water. The colors were blue, green, red and clear. Then we had a class discussion on the scientific method, which involves making a hypothesis or guess on the experiment being conducted and then testing your experiment to get results. Each child and teacher made a hypothesis after being asked the question, “Do you think the flowers will change into the color of the water?” The children looked at the experiment daily until on Day 7 they noticed that the flowers were starting to change color. Today (Day 14), we did a final class observation on the flowers and were able to conclude the results of our hypothesis. The results were that the carnations turned slightly into the color (i.e.: red, blue, green) they were in. The children drew a picture of their observation and wrote their results.

 The thematic unit we are studying in Room 8 is Volcanoes. As an art project, the children created a mosaic of a Volcano using small pieces of construction paper. Mosaic art is the art of putting together little pieces of materials (i.e.: construction paper, glass or stone) to create a picture. The children worked together as partners to collaborate with one another on the logistics of the scenery, what time of day it is and whether it is an active, dormant or extinct volcano.  Then they used little pieces of construction paper to create their mosaic art.

Gung Hay Fat Choy or Happy Chinese New Year! Welcome to the year of the Dragon. Every year we celebrate Chinese New Year at CUPS with a Chinese Lion and Dragon Dance. Some children partook in the festivities by dressing up as Chinese dolls or wore the color red.  On the morning of January 23, each class sat in our court yard to watch the Lion and Dragon Dancers dance and collect leisee from  all of the children.  Leisee are red envelopes that are filled with money and represent luck and wealth in the coming year. In the Chinese culture, the dragon is the deity of water to ensure that there will be no drought. The lion, on the other hand, helps ward off evil spirits since it symbolizes power and courage. In Room 8, we had our own Lion Dance. Each child had an opportunity to play an instrument or take their turn in one of our two Lion Heads. If they were chosen to be a dancer, one child was the tail and the other the head. As each child played an instrument, the Lion dancers would dance around the circle to entertain their friends. For lunch, we tried two Chinese delicacies: Nian Gao, or Sticky Cake, and dried-candied fruit like pineapple, papaya and coconut. The candied pineapple was a hit. Chinese New Year is a multi-cultural event that exposes children to new customs and culture. Also, it offers a glimpse of how people live on the other side of the world. Through this experience, the children gain respect for things that are different.

Every year we have our annual Christmas Chapel in December at our Central Union Church Sanctuary. Christmas Chapel tells the story of the birth of baby Jesus, Mary (Jesus’s mother), Joseph (Jesus’s father), the three kings and their journey to Bethlehem. The children in Room 8 & 9 each took part in the story line by playing a character and singing songs. The Room 8 children were assigned the roles of Joseph, angels, narrators, donkeys and cows. The children were given the task to rehearse, dress in costumes and deliver a line to an audience filled with CUPS families. This helped them to feel comfortable speaking in front of large audiences and gain confidence in performing. Today, the children had an opportunity to watch a video of Christmas Chapel. They were excited to see their friends along with themselves. They sang along to each song and cheered and clapped every time they saw one another. It was fun for the children to see all their hard work come to life.

My favorite part is when I walked down the isle playing my drum.

My favorite part is when the donkeys walked down the isle.

My favorite part is singing the song “We wish you a Merry Christmas.”

My favorite part is when we sang the song Silent Night.

My favorite part is when Joseph was singing his song.

My favorite part is when Mary was riding on the donkey. 

   Field trips are important because they allow the children to have real life experiences outside of the classroom. In Room 8, we have just started our Unit on Volcanoes. There are no active Volcanoes on Oahu, but the Bishop Museum has a great Volcano exhibit. We started our day on a self-guided tour through the science center. The science center is interactive and child-friendly. The children were able to see animals that live in Hawaii, pretend to be a diver going on an underwater adventure and walk through a replica of a Volcano. The Volcano exhibit included videos, pictures, a lava tube/slide and an erupting volcano. A Bishop Museum educator presented volcano facts and an interactive song where the children sang about how an island is formed through layers and layers of lava flows. We concluded our field trip in the Planetarium. The children and chaperones gazed at the stars and heard stories of different constellations.  Some of our favorites were Orion the Hunter who hunted a bull named Taurus, which protected the seven sisters.  The children also enjoyed hearing about Maui’s fishhook, which caught the Hawaiian Islands and brought them to the ocean surface.  The fishhook then got flung into the sky creating the constellation utilized by the Hawaiian people to navigate. It was fun to see how excited the children were about their first field trip.

Quotes by Room 8 children:

What was your favorite part of the field trip?

-My favorite part of the field trip was the Planetarium Show. It was about looking at the stars and hearing stories. I liked the story about Maui’s fishhook.

-My favorite part was the star show because we got to see all the constellations.

-My favorite part of the Bishop Museum is pushing out the lava.

-My favorite part of the Bishop Museum was singing the volcano song.

Harvesting Salad Greens….

In October, the Room 8 children and teachers planted 2 rows of lettuce and 2 rows of spinach in our Planter Box. We had a class discussion on what it takes for a plant to grow.  It needs the sun, rain/water, seeds, dirt and most important love.  The children waited patiently to see when the plants would sprout.  After a week, the lettuce and spinach started to sprout and we continued to take care of our planter box.  Through the children’s observation, they discovered that the lettuce grew a lot and the spinach only sprouted a little. Today, the class had an opportunity to enjoy all their hard work and efforts by harvesting lettuce. The children used scissors to cut the greens and then sorted the good greens from the not so good ones.  The children completed the process by washing the greens so that we could enjoy them for lunch.  By caring for our planter box, the children were able to learn responsiblity by watering and caring for it daily.  While cutting the greens the children referred to themselves as “Farmers”.  They were able to familiarize themselves with being a farmer by harvesting and cleaning their crop. 

Quote from a Room 8 child:  We cut lettuce and put it inside the bowl and some children helped Ms. Shokri wash the lettuce.  Then we ate it at lunch and it was good.

Today in Room 8, we celebrated Pajama Day where the children had an opportunity to wear their favorite pajamas to school.  In celebration, we (the teachers) cooked pancakes for the children and watched a movie.  On the menu, we had pancakes, rice, eggs, spam and sausage.  The children watched the movie, “Charlotte’s Web” after completing the chapter book.  It was an exciting way to wrap up the chapter book by seeing the characters come to life.  Reading chapter books at the start of nap, encourages children to settle their bodies and their minds for rest.  Also, it promotes literacy by capturing each child’s imagination, which keeps the class wanting to hear more.  The children of Room 8 looked forward to hearing each chapter read aloud daily and felt accomplished when the book came to an end.  Our Room 8 Pajama Day was a great success!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the Room 8 children presented the story of Makahiki. Makahiki is the Hawaiian’s version of Thanksgiving. It is a time when the Hawaiian people would come together to Pu‘ai (share) with one another and give “Mahalo to Ke Akua” (Thank you to God). The children told the story of Makahiki by reenacting roles like fisherman, farmers and sportsman within a Hawaiian Ahupua‘a. The sportsman played games such as ‘Ulumaika (bowling with a coconut) and spear throwing. The fisherman would fish for I‘a (fish). And the farmers would harvest plants like ‘Ulu (breadfruit), Mai‘a (banana), ‘Uala (sweet potato) and Kalo (Taro). Kalo is the most important food source to the Hawaiian people. To conclude our story, we danced the hula “Huki E Ke Kalo” which talks about the Harvesting of Kalo.

Quote from a Room 8 Child:

“ My favorite thing about our Makahiki performance was seeing my friends throwing spears.”(pretend)