This Week in Review - March 11 - 15

                         This information is also found in Walter's weekly email:

What a week! We had so much fun with some very special events and lovely muddy days that hinted of Spring.

In math class this week, we spent some time learning about budgets and ledgers. This was tied to a very cute book called How the Second Grade Got $8,205.50 to Visit the Statue of Liberty. Thursday, March 14, was Pi Day, so Grace’s group and my group got together for a special two-day math/art activity where we made pi cityscapes using the first 40 or so digits of pi. Sometimes it is good to take a break for the Singapore math books for a couple of days! We will be back to them on Monday, while still collecting goodies for Flea Market Math.

Finley’s family and friend came in on Monday and Thursday for parts 2 and 3 of a very special volcano project. On Monday, children heard two stories – one fact-based book, and one myth. Then they took lots of paint and made their salt dough volcanoes a thing of beauty. On Thursday, we talked about chemical reactions, and then all children made their volcanoes erupt with a mixture of dish soap, baking soda, and vinegar. All three parts of this special activity were thoroughly enjoyed by the students, and it was very engaging, hands-on, meaningful, and MESSY. Many thanks go to Aubree, Christy, and Finley’s grandma, too. 

Tuesday afternoon was a lovely time for a Science/Nature walk with our naturalist Kelsey at County Farm Park. This time, we were joined by the Stewardship Coordinator, Katie. Children learned about invasive species as we picked the unwanted garlic mustard that tries to take over other in areas where native plants are trying to grow. We also learned about controlled burns, and why parks use this method as a way of removing invasive species and keeping natural parklands healthy.

Our final EB was on Friday. Children in my EB, Project Happy, developed their own happy dance moves, taught their dances to others, solved a mystery message using a secret code, read a sweet story, and listened to some great soul music while coloring and drinking hot chocolate. We were all very, very happy. I think children in the other EBs were pretty happy, too.

Our myth projects are nearly done. Some children are doing revisions, some are editing, and some are still in the rough draft stage. All are working very hard in making their myth the best it can be. Illustrations will be the final piece before publishing. We are enjoying our current chapter book, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle’s Magic, as she invents cures for all sorts of common childhood maladies – I think my favorite so far is the Interrupting Cure. Hmm, that could come in handy some days! Our poem this week was a fun one: Be Glad Your Nose is On Your Face. And, finally, Mira and Miles did a lovely job as Special Readers.