Seeing Problems As Opportunities

We all know the feeling: A problem, represented by a dark cloud, suddenly hangs over our head. The child narrator’s reactions seem familiar too. Ignoring it doesn’t make the problem go away and the longer we carry it around with us, the more we worry about it, and the bigger it seems! It gets to the point, where the narrator has to face the problem, only to discover that there is a beautiful secret inside the problem: an opportunity to learn and to grow.

Through this book What Do We Do with Problems? by Kobi Yamada, we are learning that by showing courage and looking closely at a problem, challenges can be seen not as threats, but as exciting opportunities for discovery and growth.

Luka invites us into a song after hearing Anthony describe the cloudy picture as a rainy storm, helping us connect the story to their shared ideas.

We begin the week with a hands-on science experiment exploring how clouds hold rain. Using water, shaving foam to represents clouds, and colored water, friends observe what happens when the “clouds” become full and the colored water slowly pass through, creating “rain.” This open-ended experiment encourages curiosity, prediction, and close observation.

Becca draws snow, water, and clouds, explaining, “This is snow, water, and clouds,” showing her understanding of different forms of water in nature.

Luka focuses on sound and movement, sharing, “The rain is drop, drop, drop,” as he connects the experiment to what rain sounds like when it falls.

Tvisha demonstrates imaginative thinking by explaining her drawing as “hot lava cloud and hot lava rain,” describing the rain as “drip drop, drip drop,” blending science with creativity.

Emily carefully observes the colored water mixing into the shaving cream and shares, “The cloud is full of stuff like colors,” noticing how the colors slowly spread through the cloud.

Anthony shares a clear and direct observation, stating, “The rain is dripping on the ground,” showing his understanding of cause and effect.

Dhanika thoughtfully explains her drawing, saying, “These are clouds. Inside the big circle is water and food coloring,” demonstrating her attention to detail and ability to describe what she sees.

Anthony is invited to compare the weight of two cotton balls. One dry and one soaked in water. ​He squeezes the cotton ball filled with water. As droplets begin to fall, he watches closely and shares that it looks like rain. ​

Through this moment, Anthony connects his hands-on experience with a familiar natural phenomena, using his imagination to make sense of what he sees.

​As Tvisha compares the two cotton balls in her hands, she notices a difference in their weight. She describes the dry cotton ball as light and the one soaked in water as heavy, showing her growing awareness of how materials can change when water is added.

Tvisha continues her exploration. She explains that the cotton ball feels heavy because it contains water. Her explanation shows her growing ability to reason, make connections, and express cause and effect through hands-on investigation.

When invited to share her thinking about what a problem is, Dhanika thoughtfully explains, “A problem is when something is not right.”

Luka recalls Bully Bully Shark as the character who makes things difficult for others and causes problems in the story.

​To support our physical abilities and body awareness, we transform our hallway into an obstacle course using string. Friends move carefully from the starting point and back, focusing on navigating the space without touching the rope. This learning experience encourages balance, coordination, patience, and problem-solving, as friends adjust our movements and support one another when challenges arise.

​During our walk, friends become very attentive to the environment around us. We hear many birds, and friends excitedly point to the trees, sharing where we think the birds are hiding. Friends describe the sounds we hear as “chirp chirp” and work together to locate them visually.

Luka and Anthony point to the trees, and Luka shares an imaginative interpretation, saying the birds are talking about how “they want to go to the playground and play on the swing.” This moment highlights how we use storytelling to make meaning from our observations and connect nature to our own experiences.

Through engaging with the abacus, Tvisha connects her interest in counting with the concept of increasing numbers, showing persistence as she points to the beads one by one.

Luka also spends time working with the abacus, proudly counting the beads from 1 to 10. This learning experience supports number recognition, one-to-one correspondence, focus, and confidence as he demonstrates his growing understanding of numbers.

Dhanika adds visual cues by drawing circles around the corresponding numbers, connecting her drawings directly to the written numerals.

Next, it is time for some playful exploration! By tip-toeing along the floor markings, we connect our movements to the concept of one-to-one correspondence, making learning both physical and fun.

Through these learning experiences, we demonstrate curiosity, persistence, and the ability to make connections between concrete experiences and abstract concepts, supporting our developing numeracy skills.

Songs bring another layer of fun and learning. As we sing, we explore the magic of words, rhythm, and literacy, finding new ways to connect with our interests and express ourselves.

Through these playful learning experiences, we show curiosity, persistence, and creativity, making meaningful connections between numbers, movement, and language while enjoying every moment of learning. 

Emily reads her phonetic words confidently, demonstrating growing independence and understanding of letter sounds. 

We also enjoy a simple science experiment with baking soda and vinegar, and watching in a amazement as the mixture bubbles and fizzes, learning about reactions through hands-on exploration.

Luka , Rebecca, Dhanika, Ryan, and Emily watch closely as things change, compare what happens, and spot patterns, showing excitement in noticing even the tiniest details.

During our active explorations, we move with awareness, keeping our bodies agile while enjoying every step together. Ryan, Dhanika, Emily, and Rebecca work together to match their movements, learning to move in harmony and support one another.

We play a fun and challenging listening game where I give directions on where to place a block while intentionally modelling a different body movement. Friends have to listen carefully, focus on the verbal instruction, and resist copying my actions. This learning experience supports self-regulation, attention, impulse control, and listening skills in a playful and engaging way.

To support social-emotional learning, we gather to talk about kindness and respectful communication. We discuss what we want friends to say to us and what we can say to others to help everyone feel safe, cared for, and included.

​Emily shares, “I love you everyone,” showing care and affection for her peers.

Dhanika shares, “Can you please help me?” demonstrating advocacy and trust in her friends.

Luka shares, “I want to give them a hug,” expressing kindness through physical affection.

​Anthony shares, “Hi and goodbye,” showing the importance of friendly greetings and respectful departures.

Rebecca shares, “Can we please play nicely?” highlighting cooperation and respect during play.

This week offers many opportunities for friends to explore, express ourselves, move our bodies, and strengthen our relationships. Through hands-on experiences, thoughtful conversations, and shared moments of joy, we continued to build confidence, curiosity, and a strong sense of belonging within our classroom community.

Kindest,
Children & Friends.