A Room 8 mommy came into the classroom today to do a cooking demonstration. In honor of Girl’s Day (March 3), she made mochi with the children. Our Room 8 parent did this cooking activity in small groups. She began the demo by explaining that Girl’s Day is a Japanese Tradition and mochi is a Japanese delicacy that they eat in honor of Girl’s Day.  Also, she showed each ingredient that is needed to make mochi, which includes powdered sugar, water, mochiko (sweet rice flour), potato starch and food coloring.  Then she had each child help her stir, pour, sift powder, add food coloring (pink or green), and mix it altogether so it would be ready to cook on our flat cooking surface. As the children observed aunty, they counted in Japanese one through ten over and over again until the mochi was ready. Lastly, powered sugar was added to the mochi and the children devoured their delicious treats. Happy Girls Day!

The children of Room 8 have been observing caterpillars and their transformation into butterflies. This week we discussed the metamorphosis process which includes six stages. It starts with a caterpillar hanging upside down creating a J-like shape on a tree limb (when in nature) or on the ceiling of our class terrarium. Then the caterpillar spins a silken pad and sheds its skin to create a chrysalis. The chrysalis is green in color and studded with golden spots. Many days pass as the chrysalis matures and darkens in color. The chrysalis breaks open and a butterfly emerges. Once the butterfly emerges, it hangs upside down, clinging tightly from the chrysalis to dry its wings. Once its wings are fully dried, the butterfly will be ready to be set free. The children created their own detailed drawing of the six stages of the metamorphosis process. The children have found it amazing to watch the whole process take place right before their very eyes.

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.