Ox Cart Market Project & a visit with Naturalist Faye at County Farm Park

Kindergartners are continuing creating their "Ox Cart Market." The use of "correct spelling", "inventive spelling" and/or  "phonetic spelling" are all valid ways to begin the kindergarten writing process.  At this age, children are attempting to make sense of their world, communicate thoughts and ideas, and express themselves.  Labeling items in the Ox Cart Market enables them to practice such writing as well as use their drawings to communicate.  As we all know, drawing pictures is historically one of the first methods of communication in the writing process.

Ava creates a store marquee.

Olivia  designs a pair of mittens  and peppermints.  

Price tags depict products and set value.

Use of inventive spelling "APAL" (apple)   product and price tag for our market display.
Alex makes several attempts to find the most effective way to measure and cut sting.

Kai measures pieces used for shelving.

Alex reads measurements.

 Kai and Ava supplied the "Ox Cart"  with attached wheels!

Ava and Folu decide on measuring instruments for separate jobs.

Kindergartners meet Faye of County Farm Park

Later in the afternoon, Kindergartners ventured into the woods to meet Faye, a Naturalist who works for the County Farm Park.  She asked the children about their favorite fall color while discussing the season Autumn/Fall.   She told us about how fungi love moisture so the abundance of rain we have had this year has been very instrumental in fungi growth.  She was very eager to allow the children to show her our fungi finds including what Faye identified as  "jelly fungus" growing on a log.  The nature walk was cut short due to an unexpected temperature drop, however Faye meets with us seasonally about 3 times per year so we are looking forward to our next encounter.

Maia noticed that the park sign says "No Dogs."  (I guess the dogs cannot read.)

Ava makes a hidden discovery among the leaf piles- a bicycle reflector.

Before Faye's arrival, Olivia rallies everyone to sit on the log and sing songs!  Children at this age are learning to work in cooperative groups, share ideas, and execute plans of their own.

After Eleanor suggests that the group make a shelter, Lilith begins gathering  large sticks.  

Everyone else joins in to support the effort. 

Our Young Naturalists speculated about  who or what might dwell in this habitat.

Joanna shares a story with us upon our return from the park.

Trip to Trader Joe's

 Kindergartners just returned from an impromptu trip to Trader Joe's. We  had just listened to a story about a colonial family that produced various items at their home such as candles, woolens, and potatoes.  The father  put all of the items in his ox cart to sell at market.  The market is 10 days away so Eleanor estimated that "if the store was10 hours away then that was 1/2 a day."   After  selling  all of his other items, The Ox Cart Man  even sold his ox and cart.   The Ox Cart Man then purchased needed items to take home to his family including a bag of peppermints.


In October of the year, 
he counts potatoes dug from the brown field,
counting the seed, counting the cellar's portion out,
and bags the rest on the cart's floor.


He packs wool sheared in April, honey in combs, linen,
leather tanned from deer hide,
and vinegar in a barrel hooped by hand at the forge's fire.


He walks by his ox's head, ten days
to Portsmouth Market, and sells potatoes, 
and the bag that carried potatoes,
flaxseed, birch brooms, maple sugar, goose feathers, yarn.


When the cart is empty he sells the cart.
When the cart is sold he sells the ox, 
harness and yoke, and walks home,
his pockets heavy with the year's coin for salt and taxes, 


and at home by fire's light in November cold
stitches new harness for next year's ox in the barn,
and carves the yoke, and saws planks
building the cart again.  


                              Donald Hall, "Ox Cart Man" from Old and New Poems .1990

 Afterward, Kindergartners   created their own price tags of various items from the story-  potatoes, a broom, maple syrup and Folu's "green lantern" (it could happen ) for a math activity.  They drew pictures and decided on prices -$1-$10.00.  This was a great opportunity to use our  sense of recall, counting,  reasoning,  and "Caldecott" worthy illustration skills.We then decided to walk to the store to see how grocery stores  label and price their food.  A downpour ensued so we took the school's bus instead. 

The Trader Joe's staff was very gracious.  They answered our questions about where we could locate maple syrup and also Olivia's question, "Do you sell oxes (oxen)?"  We also purchased a broom, potatoes, flour, and even a peppermint treat!


We must have charmed everyone (staff and other visitors alike) and each kindergartner received many smiles and a gourd on exiting the store if they wanted one. 


Later in the day, while at K- Buddies, Mrs. Carpenter stated that the book she was reading, Owl Moon, was a "Caldecott Award" recipient.  She explained that this honor is given to books for outstanding illustration.  The Ox Cart Man is also a winner of this distinguished award.

(making gourd selections)

Kindergartners concluded that the price difference

was due to the size of the floral arrangement

                             

(graphically pleasing signs)

Kindergartners in search of maple syrup

Found it!

Niccolo was very interested  in the item hanging on the wall in a tube 

... and invited by the cashier to take it out.

(a broom similar to the one the son made and sold in the Ox Cart Man story)

 

Our cashier Adrienne checked to make sure we all received                                                     our  stickers  and a gourd  then waved goodbye.

 We will continue creating products and price tags.  We just received our order of a classroom cash register/calculator so we will begin practice in identifying monetary values on bills and  making purchases in our classroom "Colonial Market".  We will also make comparisons with our current and a colonial "Backyard."