Students in the 2/3s use their five senses to make observations, to notice small and large changes and to experiment with planting as part of the science curriculum. They explore nature, seasonal changes, and begin to distinguish between living and non-living things.

Students become more aware of sounds as they compare the tones of musical instruments with the sounds of the animals they observe frequently. They learn the vocabulary to describe their animal friends: mammal, reptile, insect, fish. Children begin to understand that careful observation and good questions can lead to discovery.

A Growing Curriculum

Students in the 2/3's use their five senses to make observations, to notice small and large changes, and experiment with planting as part of the science curriculum. They begin with a bean…and learn more about nature, seasonal changes, living and non-living things, and the effects of weather as the year progresses.

"Let's listen," Charles told the 2-3s as he poured beans into a jar. "Now shake the jar to hear the sounds."

"It sounds like a musical instrument," one child observed. "Yes," added another, "and the sounds are different each time you shake."

With a rubber band, Charles secured a piece of cheesecloth over the jar top. "It looks like a bandage," a child said of the cheesecloth. "And a washcloth," said another child. It was time to add water to the jar…and pour it back out again. Would the water flow through the cloth? Would it come back out? What would happen to the beans? The students drew closer. The water went in—and came back out—but the beans changed!

"They're not making sounds anymore!" one student said as she shook the jar. "The seeds stuck to the jar!" Charles placed them on the windowsill and the class watched them grow, and grow, and grow.

Students have already been able to eat the alfalfa sprouts with our snacks, and today, the mung bean sprouts were ready to eat. Children were really interested in how different they taste from each other. When you visit the classroom next check out the jars on the windowsill and peep at some of our growing sprouts. Don't forget to look outside the back door. Our radishes grew so well that the children repotted them into the window boxes!

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