Golden Boy learns about Earth Day

Happy Earth Day to everyone... although if you're in my kindergarten class, it's Happy Earth Week! I love this week. There's so much to do, make, learn, and read about. I'll try to post some highlights after the week is over.

Well, Golden Boy was pretty excited about Earth Day. And, oh my, he was on fire with the questions this afternoon. I know every time I call on him, it will be golden. But today, it was extraordinary. What a hoot.
[If you don't know know Golden Boy, read more about him HERE.]

One of the best things Golden Boy has started doing is quantifying his questions so he makes sure I take the time to hear them all. For example, I'll call on him and he'll say: "Yeah, I've got... (pause and mentally count)... 3 questions." Anyways, here we go.

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Golden Boy: "Yeah, I have two questions."
Mrs. A: "Okay."
GB: "Like, how do the trees make clean air?"
Mrs. A: "Well, their leaves help breathe in air and breathe out oxygen while they're making the tree's food." (We've learned about the leaves' job in the past.)
GB: "Okay, but how do we have clean air in the winter then?"
Mrs. A: "Well, that's a good question, bud. Maybe the coniferous trees do all the work in the Winter because they don't lose their leaves?"
GB: "Maybe, but that's not fair."

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GB: "Umm, Mrs. Anderson, if we need trees so much, why do people cut them down?"
Mrs. A: "Well, sometimes trees get sick so we have to cut them down. Or, sometimes people need the wood for fires or houses or furniture or paper. Remember when we learned about that in science? We should just always try to plant new trees, too."
GB: "But, how do they make paper? Because paper is so floppy and trees are so hard!"

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GB: "Is today the Earth's birthday?"

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And, just a super cute conversation I overheard today:

Mrs. A (to Student 1): "Oooh! I really like your vase of flowers we made in math today. You knocked my socks off!" (A term I use often with the kinders.)

Student 1 beams. :)

Student 1 (to Student 2): "Did yours knock Mrs. Anderson's socks off?"

Student 2: "No, mine ripped her socks off!" 

Ha ha -- too cute.