Blood Sample

For our overarching question: How do we stay healthy? a whole array of topics have come up in our classroom and developed our curriculum. We explored the concept of a virus and how it attacks our body and make us feel sick. This discussion created a lot of questions amongst the preschoolers. One question that we decided to explore further with our sensory table, was the question: "If white blood cells protect our body from viruses, what do red blood cells do?" 

Bellow, are some pictures of the sensory experience answering that question. We first read a simplified version of blood composition and learned a lot about platelets, red blood cells, white blood cells and plasma! We then came up with our own blood sample to symbolize and learn the four components of one of the most important substances in our bodies; blood. (In case you are wondering, the red blood cells main purpose is to carry oxygen from our lungs to other parts of our bodies.)  

After a long weekend away from school, one of our pre-kindergardeners said: "Ms. Gaby, remember the blood sample we made? That was so much fun!" and then I asked him about the different components of blood and he remembered a surprising amount of information. Learning can be so fun and motivating when done from a place of curiosity and creativity. 

Some of the Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines targeted include:

• Cooperation: An interest in group experiences.
• Conceptual Knowledge of the Natural and Physical World: The acquisition of concepts and facts related to the natural and physical world and understanding of naturally-occurring relationships.  
• Initiative and Curiosity: An interest in varied topics and activities, a desire to learn, creativity, and independence in learning.