Spring Forward!
Family totem poles inspired by the Haida.
The second term has come and gone in a flash: Throughout the past few months, the children have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the continent of North America. Through story circles focusing on First Nations / Native American folktales, dynamic study of the continent’s varied geography, biomes, and culture, the children have gained a richer understanding and awareness of their diverse surroundings. In art, the children have particularly enjoyed exploring Pueblo pottery, weaving, and designing original totem poles to represent themselves as well as their families.
Handling sea turtles.
Studying North America enabled the class to focus upon Cayman’s national identity and its symbols. A recent visit to the Cayman Islands Turtle Farm highlighted the beauty and cultural significance of our islands’ sea turtles. During the trip, the children learned about the importance of the turtles in Cayman’s unique history, as well as about conservation efforts aimed at protecting the turtles’ threatened habitat. The children especially enjoyed being able to handle live turtles. This informative and enjoyable trip was generously sponsored by the MBTS Parents’ Guild.
Mr. Karoly brainstorming with the children.
During the second term, we were very excited to welcome renowned metalwork artist Karoly Szucs to the class. Mr. Karoly is working with the children of the LEU class to create a sculpture out of tin cans that the children and the school community have collected. Mr. Karoly visited the class to introduce himself to the children, discuss his artwork, and brainstorm on the sculpture. He will be returning to the class with the welded piece, which will then be painted by the children. We cannot wait to see the resulting collaborative masterpiece, which will be auctioned off live during the upcoming MBTS S.C.R.A.P! event on May 23rd.
The upcoming final term promises to be one brimming with intellectual curiosity and great ideas. Our lessons in Science will be focusing on a topic that all of the children eagerly identify with: the human body. Throughout the third term, we will be exploring vital functions and body systems in human beings. Already, the children have formed countless, curious questions about the body (e.g. “If a heart transplant gives someone a younger heart, will they live longer?”), and we are using these student-generated inquiries as launchpads for lessons and discussions.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Irish soda bread made by one of the children.
Springtime is a season of renewal, and the class will be taking time to reflect on the year thus far and to set goals for the remainder of the school year. We are looking forward to returning from the Easter holiday break with renewed energy and a refreshed outlook!
OTHER NEWS:
Lesson themes for March-April – Please CLICK HERE for the lesson themes for March and April.