Stone Soup

On Thursday our whole school gathered for Stone Soup. As a tradition every fall we all come together and make stone soup. By everyone bringing in just a little bit of the ingredients we are able to make a big flavorful soup that we can all enjoy together. Usually we celebrate out in the garden, but because of cold and rainy weather we ate inside.

Engineering Challenge- Candy Launchers

 This week the students were presented with a new challenge. I asked them to design and build something that would allow me to launch candy to passing trick-or-treaters. They were given a limited amount of materials which included- a cup, craft sticks, rubber bands, balloons, a clip, a cloths pin, a spoon, and a yard of tape. They were also given a 30 minute time limit. Students worked in groups of 3-4. Together they planned out their design, worked together to build it, and then tested it out. Some groups had to go back and make changes when they discovered their launchers didn't work as planned. There was a lot of hard work and perseverance! In the end we had 4 successful launchers! One group was able to create a device that launched candy 23 feet down the hall. We had a lot of fun.

Mount Philo

We had such beautiful weather on Thursday for our trip to Mount Philo! It was the perfect day for hiking and exploring. We were so lucky to have so many parent join us for this trip. We left the lot a little after 10am and the last groups arrived at the top around 11am. While at the top we had lunch, explored the area, checked out the scenes, and worked on a nature scavenger hunt. Just after noon we got a class picture and then began hiking back down. We had an amazing day!

Engineering Challenge- Building Geodesic Domes

This week when our class was trying to decide what we should do for our next classroom celebration the idea of doing engineering challenges came up, so we decided that's what we wanted to do to. We started by talking about the 5 P's of engineering: Planning, Problem solving, Patience, Perseverance, and Presentation. Then the students were told their challenge. Using only newspaper and tape they were to build a geo-dome big enough for at least one member of their group to fit inside. We looked at some examples of geo-domes, and noticed the use of triangles to build a sturdy structure. Students because preparing materials, making a plan, and soon enough, building. I was so impressed with the level of teamwork and perseverance that I saw. This was not an easy task, and it took us a few days, but groups didn't give up.

Readers' Workshop

We have been spending a lot of time with books since the school year started. The students have been finding their way around the classroom library, learning how to choose "just right" books, and have building up their reading stamina. Most days students read independently while I meet with small groups, however on Friday we got together with friends and did some partner reading. It can be a lot of fun finding a place to get comfortable and sharing a story with a friend!

Our First Four Winds

This week we had our first Four Winds lesson. We learned about ecosystems. Through a puppet show, discussion, and guided discovery, the students learned about leaves, how we can tell what has been eating them, and the food web. The students especially enjoyed going outside to look for leaves that looked like they had been munch on, or perhaps used as a home for another creature.