Thursday, December 8, 2011

Don't Forget!

Tomorrow each student will take a Social Studies, Spelling, and Sight Word test!  While the students have been studying hard at school each day, they really need to study at home as well! 

Also, check your child's yellow folder for a FERPA form.  Please read, sign, and send this form back by December 16th.  Thanks!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

A Christmas Carol

We are having so much fun reading A Christmas Carol.  Check it out!


Upcoming Events

Our semester is winding down and we've got quite a few upcoming events:

December 12th:  Dickens Day!  We're celebrating the completion of A Christmas Carol by watching The Muppet Christmas Carol and enjoying some tasty treats. 



December 13th:  Christmas Bazaar!  The students LOVE attending this event each year and they've been saving up their chore money for weeks!  This week, each student will develop a gift list and budget so they can complete their Christmas shopping at this event.  We still need more volunteers to assist students in shopping and wrapping their gifts.  Contact me if you'd like to help!



December 16th:  Polar Express Day!  On our last day of school together* we will read Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express.  We will also break up into groups to make several tasty Christmas treats before enjoying The Polar Express film. 



*Students are NOT required to attend school on Monday, December 19th and Tuesday, December 20th as they are not taking exams. 

It IS That Easy Being Green!

Green tip of the week:

Set your Christmas lights on a timer so they turn on at dusk and turn off around bedtime.  Conserving electricity is not only good for the environment, it's good for your wallet!

Sight/Spelling Words List 14

Can you believe that it's our LAST sight/spelling words list?  I know I can't!  I feel like this semester has just whizzed right by us! 

red
green
blue
yellow
purple
lime
apple
grape
berry
orange

The students are studying their words each day, but it's important for them to study at home too!  One of our favorite games to play when studying sight words is to choose one student to play the teacher.  They are allowed to quiz the other students on the words.  Give it a try!

The test is on Friday!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

It's Fall, Y'all

Yesterday, we completed an estimation activity with an adorable, teeny tiny pumpkin (thanks, Mr. Slim!).  Each student guessed the number of seeds hidden within the pumpkin.  Some of the guesses were:

50
7
5
100
35
37
151
170

Then we rolled up our sleeves and dove head (or finger) first into the pumpkin goo.  It was fun! 



Each group was given a plateful of seeds to clean and count.  After each group finished, we were shocked to find that our teeny tiny baby pumpkin held 549 seeds!  Wow!

Then, we roasted the seeds in the oven and had a delicious and nutritious snack.  Yum!

We also have a furry new friend in our classroom...meet Lucy! 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

It IS That Easy Being Green!


Halloween colors are traditionally black and orange.  This year, why not focus on making Halloween a little green?

Think about it...Frankenstein's Monster is green.  Goo is green.  Zombie guts are green (I suppose?).  Green is perfectly ghoulish!

How can you make your Halloween a little greener?  Here are a few easy steps:

Use recycled materials to create your costume.  Don't toss that cardboard away!  Let your kids paint and decorate and you can fashion it into all sorts of costumes.  You can also recycle old clothes (i.e. 80's prom dresses, bridesmaid dresses, etc.) into something fun your children will love!

Halloween candy is often produced in single-serving packages.  That's a lot of paper and plastic that will probably just be thrown away (after the goodies are gobbled down).  Instead, consider giving out erasers, stickers, temporary tattoos, or a single-serving goody that comes in a recycled container (i.e. raisins). 

Buy locally grown pumpkins or purchase your Jack O'Lantern from a pumpkin farm.  Support our local produce growers!  When old Jack is all done, turn him into compost or feed him to the cows/deer/pigs/whatever lives near your home.

If you're going to throw a Halloween party, consider sending out e-vites or creating an event on Facebook.  This saves paper.  You could also use real cloth napkins and real plates, cups, and utensils.  Think of all the trees you'll save!

Have your children carry a reusable canvas bag or metal bucket when trick-or-treating.  These items can be put away and used again and again for years to come.