First Grade Science

We ended the week with a full dose of science beginning with our Four Winds lesson on rotting logs and their role in the ecosystem. At ECO we predicted and tested the water temperature of the North Branch river, 32 degrees, and later at Harrison used our observation skills to look for tracks in the snow. Some children opted to make and leave a food gift for animals, and others chose to act out a special read aloud book, The Wish Tree by Kyo Maclear.  Finally, on the 21st we learned about the winter solstice by comparing and analyzing the recent sunrises and sunsets, and discussing the role of earth’s rotation and axis. We will continue this work into January with our science unit on patterns in the night sky!

Measuring at ECO

We extended our math learning outside at ECO with a measuring lesson! We practiced using a common unit of measure (a stick) end to end with no gaps or overlaps to measure objects such as snowballs and small trees.  Such fun!

Ceres and the State House

The kids patiently waited for Ceres to make her way to the top of the State House. In the meantime, we had fun playing in the snow and making “Ceres on a snowball”! 

While walking back to school, we spotted a little owl next to the Pavilion building!

Police Station Visit

We had a great time observing, listening, and asking questions at the Police Station today! Officer Knisley patiently answered questions about his job and how he helps our community. Tomorrow, the class will journal about the day. Ask your child about some favorite parts of the trip!

Veteran’s Day Parade!

Giving thanks for our veterans on this beautiful Monday morning!

Election Day!

We trudged through the heavy rain to watch and learn about Election Day! Our school nurse, Sarah, was there so we watched her vote and talked about the process. Back at school we shared our observations. The big take away was “the paper goes in the machine, and you get a sticker!”  Voting through the eyes of a first grader!

Mapping and Tulips

We took a break from our regular schedule, and spent the morning building classroom maps. We used blocks to build a model of the classroom together, then broke into small pairs to create student versions including a map key. In the afternoon, we began our investigation of tulips by observing and asking questions about the bulbs, then planting and recording our observations and predictions. Next, we will look inside a bulb! Ask your child to tell you more!

Worms and Fire Hats

The kids had a day full of discovery with our Four Winds lesson and fire station visit.  We observed worms and learned about their role in our ecosystem, then learned about our community fire fighters and the jobs they do! We also reviewed fire safety. Does your child know how to call 911 using a cell phone? Does your family have a plan in case of a fire? The firefighters gave the kids “homework” to talk with you about a meeting place outside if everyone had to evacuate the home, and to practice just like our fire drills at school. We left wearing our fire hats, and were declared honorary fire fighters!