Science – OJCS KINDERGARTEN / GAN

General Studies, Reminders, Special Events, STEAM

SK’s Been Getting Ready for the Solar Eclipse!

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Andréa Black

The students in SK are so excited about this afternoon’s solar eclipse!! We have spent the last few days learning about why it happens, experimenting and exploring to understand further, and even crafting their own eclipse pictures and models. We’ve read stories and watched videos to learn as much we could!!

Here are some of the stories and videos we have watched in case your child wants to see them again:

Someone is Eating the Sun by Ruth A. Sonneborn

Total Solar Eclipse: A Stellar Friendship Story by Jayme Sandberg

A Few Beautiful Minutes: Experiencing a Solar Eclipse by Kate Allen Fox

The Great North American Solar Eclipse for Kids

Solar Eclipse for Kids – Socratica Kids

Along with the kids’ creations, we have sent home a Solar Eclipse Memory page for you to fill out at home as a record of this special event. It is linked here in case you want to print at home.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Monday, April 8 – NOON DISMISSAL (Solar Eclipse)

Friday, April 19 – Dress Down Day

Monday, April 22 – Tuesday, April 30 – Pesach Holidays (NO SCHOOL)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Layla in SK-A who turned 6 on March 30th

and to Jacob in SK-A who turns 6 on April 10th!!

General Studies, STEAM

Tu B’Shevat-inspired Science… Phase 2

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Andréa Black

In case you have not been hearing about the progress of our little bean plants at home, here’s an update on our progress so far… After SK germinated their beans, we began to notice some changes over the last week. At first, the beans cracked open and then the roots began to pop out and grow longer. Over the past week, the kids have been drawing their observations as the plants have changed and we have been learning about the different parts of a plant. Today was planting day!!! Each child took their rooting beans and transferred them into soil… Now we are going to watch and wait to see if they sprout and grow stems, leaves and maybe even flowers!! Stay tuned for the results…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Neta in SK-B who turns 6 on February 5th!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Fridays (from now until early March) – 2:00 pm Dismissal

Thursday, Feb. 1 – NOON DISMISSAL for P/T Conferences

Friday, Feb. 2 – NO SCHOOL for P/T Conferences

Thursday, Feb. 15 – Winter Fun Day

Friday, Feb. 16 – PD Day – NO SCHOOL

Monday, Feb. 19 – Friday, Feb. 23 – NO SCHOOL for Family Day an

General Studies, STEAM

A little Tu B’Shevat-inspired Science…

Posted on January 24, 2024 by Andréa Black

As the SK students are learning about Tu B’Shevat in Jewish studies, we took this cross-curricular opportunity and we’ve been talking about how trees and plants grow in Science. Today, the kids began a seed germination experiment that will allow them to observe what happens to the seeds they “planted” over the period of a week or two and, if the experiment works, what will happen when we transfer the seedlings to soil…. Check out the photos below of the beginning of our experiment and stay tuned for the results in an upcoming blog post….

This, Friday, January 26th, is Dress Down Day. We will be collecting tzedakah in support of JNF. Don’t forget to bring your loonies and toonies!!

As part of their Rabbi Bulka Kindness Project, the Grade 6 students have been making bracelets and will be selling them to raise money for the Magen David Adom. Each bracelet will be sold for $5. Bracelets will be sold during the first and second recesses outside of the chapel.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Tamara in SK-B who turned 6 on January 17th!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Fridays (from now until early March) – 2:00 pm Dismissal

Friday, Jan. 26 – Dress Down Day

Thursday, Feb. 1 – NOON DISMISSAL for P/T Conferences

Friday, Feb. 2 – NO SCHOOL for P/T Conferences

Thursday, Feb. 15 – Winter Fun Day

Friday, Feb. 16 – PD Day – NO SCHOOL

Monday, Feb. 19 – Friday, Feb. 23 – NO SCHOOL for Family Day and Reading Week

Chagim, STEAM

The Miracle of the Oil

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Andréa Black

Our Chanukah celebrations in SK started with a Science spin as both classes experimented and created with one of the symbols of this chag – oil!!

First, we got all the kids together and did an experiment with water, oil and food colouring. Be sure to ask your child if the water and oil mixed together or stayed separate and what happened to the food colouring…. feel free to put their responses in a comment on this post!

Then they had the opportunity to craft a Kad Shemen (oil jug) using liquid watercolours, oil and eyedroppers. Once again, they got to see the magic the oil created. Check out the pictures below for the results!!

We are hoping you will all be able to join us this coming Tuesday Dec. 12th for the OJCS Family Chanukah Celebration at 6:30 pm. There will be class performances, candle lighting, and some sweet treats to enjoy!!

For those attending, please bring your child to the SK classrooms no later than 6:30 pm and then you can go find yourselves seats in the gym. We will bring the kids to the gym for the performance and help them find you afterwards.

We ask that each child pick their favourite colour of the rainbow (please not black, white, grey or brown) and wear entirely that colour for their performance.

If you are not planning to attend, please do let us know so that we are aware of who to expect on Tuesday evening.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Fridays (from now until early March) – 2:00 pm Dismissal

Tuesday, Dec. 12 – OJCS Family Chanukah Celebration @ 6:30pm

Friday, Dec. 22 – Dress Down PJ Day (more details coming soon!)

Monday, Dec. 25-Friday, Jan. 5 – WINTER BREAK!!

Monday, Jan. 8 – School Resumes

Wishing you and your families a Chanukah filled with laughter, love and light… Chag Sameach!!

The SK Team

General Studies, STEAM

Let’s Talk Science…. Nifty Nests!

Posted on May 19, 2023 by Andréa Black

This morning, Senior Kindergarten participated in our final Let’s Talk Science lab of the year. This time, Farah and Madalina, students from the University of Ottawa, introduced the topic of nests to the kids and we were astounded by their ideas and observations as they discussed what kinds of animals build nests and what materials they use to build them. Then we played a Guess the Nest game and even though some of the questions were really tricky, these super-smart kids got most of them right!! To wrap-up our learning, the kids were tasked with building their own bird’s nest out of the materials they were provided, but with the extra challenge of using a clothespin (to simulate a bird’s beak) instead of their hands. Check out some pictures of the process:

You may have some blossoming birdwatchers on your hands now as Farah and Madalina challenged the kids to look for birds’ nests around their neighbourhoods or to build an outdoor next and see if any creatures make it their home….. If your child finds or builds any nests, please share the photos in the comments!!

I want to send a huge thank you to Farah and Madalina for all of the amazing sessions this year and for inspiring our little scientists!!

General Studies

Let’s Talk Science…. Nifty Nests!!!

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Andréa Black

Yesterday, KA & KB participated in our final Let’s Talk Science virtual lab of the year. This time, Nia and Kelvin (Science students from the University of Ottawa) introduced the topic of nests to the kids and we were astounded by their ideas and observations as they discussed what kinds of animals build nests and what materials they use to build them. Then we played a Guess the Nest game and even though some of the questions were really tricky, these super-smart kids got most of them right!! To wrap-up our learning, the kids were tasked with building their own bird’s nest out of the materials they were provided, but with the extra challenge of using a clothespin (to simulate a bird’s beak) instead of their hands. Check out some of the nifty nests created:

You may have some blossoming birdwatchers on your hands now as Nia and Kelvin challenged the kids to look for birds’ nests around their neighbourhoods or to build an outdoor next and see if any creatures make it their home….. If your child finds or builds any nests, please share the photos in the comments!!

I want to send a huge thank you to Nia and Kelvin for all of the amazing virtual labs this year and for inspiring our little scientists. A big thank you as well to Morah Taylor for coordinating these amazing virtual experiences for our K students this year!!

General Studies

Innovation Day 2021

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Andréa Black

Thank you so much to everyone who was able to join us for Innovation Day in KA and KB yesterday!! The students worked so hard to create their planet sculptures and to learn space facts and they were so proud to share what they had learned and created with you. If you were not able to join us, you can watch both KA and KB’s Solar System Presentations in the videos below…..

Today, we wrapped up our Outer Space unit by talking about stars and constellations and then the kids built their own constellations out of marshmallows and toothpicks. Their imaginations were in full gear and the different structures they created were truly stellar!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Asher A. (KA) who turns 6 on March 26th

and to Ariel (KA) who turns 6 on March 30th!!!

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy and safe Passover – chag Pesach sameach from the K team!!

General Studies

An Out of This World Experiment!!

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Andréa Black

This week, the Kindergarten classes blasted off into a new unit all about Outer Space and we started by talking about what it would be like to visit the moon. There were a lot of great creative ideas of what it might be like to live on the moon as well as many interesting questions!! One question that was asked was “how are the craters on the moon made?” along with “is the moon made of cheese?”….. so we decided to investigate!!

We discovered that craters on the moon are made when rocks or meteorites hit the moon, creating a pit or a hole (and not because the moon is made of cheese!!) and then we did an experiment to show how that happens…. using flour and cocoa powder to create the surface of the moon, we dropped different sized rocks from different heights to see how craters are created. Check out this video to see a few of our trials:

This experiment was out of this world!! Make sure to ask your child to tell you how the moon was made or what are the different shapes the moon takes on throughout the month….. post their answer in the comments below!!

General Studies

Let’s Talk Science….. Liquids, Solids and Gases

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Andréa Black

Earlier this week, the Kindergarten classes once again participated in another super fun Let’s Talk Science virtual lab with Nia and Kelvin from the University of Ottawa. This time, we were introduced to everyday liquids and solids to determine their properties. The kids used their hands and senses to explore different liquids and then poured them out to see the differences between them. Kelvin demonstrated the different densities by making a density tower with corn syrup, water and oil. We then did a cool experiment where we mixed solids with water to see whether or not they would dissolve and ended with another experiment where we mixed solids (baking powder and sugar) with water to create a gas….. the kids loved experiencing this neat reaction and it sparked some really interesting questions. A big thank you to Morah Taylor for coordinating this awesome virtual experience for the K students!!

We ended up pivoting our plans for the rest of this week due to the fact that the kids were so intrigued by this virtual lab and ended up spending most of the week inquiring about, observing and experimenting with the States of Matter. We listed different examples of each state and learned their properties through activities and songs; we experimented with mixing more solids and liquids to create gases and documented our observations. Each class built a mini snow (ice) man and then watched to see how water can actually shift from one state of matter to another (ice, water, water vapour). Below are some of the videos and songs we watched in class to enhance our learning and some pictures as well…… make sure to ask your child what they observed and learned in Science this week!!

Move Like Matter Dance:

Matter Chatter Song:

States of Matter Song:

Of course, it was also Ruach Week which culminated in our Purim celebration. And what a week it was from 100 Day to PJ Day, Tropical Tuesday to Throwback Thursday, there was so much spirit, enthusiasm, fun and imagination – all the things we love to see in Kindergarten!!!

General Studies

Polar Bear Den STEAM Challenge

Posted on January 13, 2021January 13, 2021 by Andréa Black

Over the last week or so, the kids in Kindergarten have been learning all about polar bears….. where they live, what they eat, how they hunt, and how they stay warm in the Arctic temperatures. Unlike most bears, polar bears do not hibernate, but mother polar bears do build dens under the snow to have their babies during the winter months. Together, we discussed what these dens might look and how they would need a hole for air and a tunnel for the bears to get in and out. Then we all crafted a polar bear den design using different materials (white paper, cotton balls, white paint, etc.). Afterwards, the kids were challenged to build their own polar bear den with whatever materials they could find at their houses. Needless to say, we were bear-y impressed with the results…. Check out these paw-some polar bear dens!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Ethan (KA) who turns 6 on January 13th

to Asher C. (KA) who turns 6 on January 20th

and to Judah (KA/B) to turns 6 on January 25th!!