OREO

As the weather gets colder, I am always looking for families interested in pet-sitting for our beloved Guinea Pig Oreo over the weekends and holidays.  If you are interested, please send me an email to set up a date!  Thanks!

Introducing...

Mealworm Pupa

Our very first Darkling Beetle!

First Grade scientists made an exciting discovery this week!  Their mealworm larvae have all turned into pupae!  On Thursday, the students discovered that the first Darkling Beetle had emerged from its pupa!  When it first came out it was creamy white, and has been getting darker in color each day.

Fall Leaves

The children played a leaf matching game with leaves from different kinds of trees.

After observing real leaves with magnifying lenses, the students made fall leaves for our classroom tree!

While learning about the veins of leaves, the students used different kinds of leaves to make leaf rubbings.

Kindergarten scientists have been exploring trees.  They have spent the last couple of weeks examining different kinds of leaves.  The students learned that leaves make the food for the tree!  The students have also been wondering why leaves change color during the fall?  Stay tuned for more updates!

OOBLECK!

Pre-K scientists in Ms. Zundos' class have been exploring their five senses.  The students made oobleck to experiment with their sense of touch!  The students found that the oobleck felt:
-slimy
-"like pancake mix"
-like mud
-gooey
-sticky
-mushy
-cushy
-like glue
-like a "grilled cheese sandwich"

Harvest Festival Success!

Our first ever Harvest Festival was a huge success!  The children worked so hard collecting the beautiful produce from the Earthboxes!  The smell of basil in the schoolyard was mouth watering.  Best of all, the children got to enjoy the plants that they grew for lunch in the cafeteria.  Thank you so very much to all who came and helped at the event!  Here are some pictures from the celebration.  More to follow...

MEALWORMS!

First Grade scientists welcomed new pet mealworms to our classroom this week.  Stay tuned for more photos and observations...

October Newsletter

KINDERGARTEN

Kindergarten scientists will continue to learn about trees during the month of October.  The students will compare and contrast different types of trees.  They will explore different shaped leaves in order to identify what tree they have come from.  The students will also examine what happens to trees during the fall season.  We will end the month with a pumpkin and squash exploration!

FIRST GRADE

First grade scientists will continue exploring insects.  The students will observe live mealworms in the classroom.  They will become familiar with the life cycle of an insect as they observe the mealworm larva change into a pupa and then an adult beetle.  While making these observations, the students will also become familiar with the structure of an insect’s body, including the head, abdomen, thorax, antennae and exoskeleton.  Finally, the students will explore what an insect needs to survive. 

SECOND GRADE

Second grade scientists will take what they have learned about rocks and shells during the month of September to begin a more in depth study of rocks.  The students will observe and sort different kinds of rocks.  The students will also act out different experiments, such as rock rubbings and placing the rocks in water, in order to learn about their different properties.

Earthbox Produce in the Cafeteria Salad Bar!

The tomatoes arriving in the cafeteria!

Last week we harvested some of the tomatoes to be put in the school cafeteria salad bar.  Please come to the Harvest Festival Celebration on Wednesday, October 6 from 3-4:30 to harvest the rest!  The food that we harvest will be served in the salad bar and as a pesto during lunch on Friday, October 8.  If you would like your child to eat what they have grown, please select school lunch on that day.

Shells and Rocks

Second Grade scientists have been exploring the question, "What is the difference between rocks and shells?"  In order to investigate this question, the students acted out an experiment in which they placed different rocks and shells in water.  Each student practiced making a prediction about what they thought would happen when they placed the objects in the water.  The students found that most shells could float, where there was only one rock, a pumice stone, that floated.