Insects- The students learned that most insects do more good than bad. That bees, wasps, flies, beetles, mosquitoes and butterflies are great pollinators. Some insects eat other insects, keeping each insect group from getting too big. We also talked about how insects like ladybugs are a farmers best-friend, because they eat tiny crop eating insects called aphids. They also learned that all insects have three main body parts: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. The head has large compound eyes, the antenna (feelers), and the mouth parts. That the thorax is the middle region of the body and has the legs and wings. Then, their is the abdomen.

Plants and Flowers: The students learned how plants grow in many places: parks, forests, yards, fields, deserts, lakes etc. They discovered how all plants need sunlight, water, air and food to grow. The students also learned the different parts of plants and their purposes. For example, the stem helps move food and nutrients through the plant or flower in order for it to grow.

Work Time:

Guest Reader:

Reminders:

March 18 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | Wax Museum | Tallmadge Campus

March 21 – March 29 | Spring Break | NO SCHOOL

Dental Hygiene: The past week we discussed how different foods and drinks can affect our dental hygiene. We learned that our teeth get sad and full of tooth decay from sweets and soda and get happy and shiny and bright from brushing and eating healthy foods.

Work Time:

Guest Reader:

Reminders:

March 12th | Parent / Teacher Conferences (Pre-K & Kindergarten Students Only)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090B48A8A92DA6F94-mscourtneys1

Presidents: We talked about how we celebrate Presidents Day every year. The students learned that the president is the leader of the United States of America and that he cares a lot about our safety. They discovered that George Washington was our first president and Donald Trump is the current president. We even talked about Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson.

Work Time:

Reminders:

March 1st | Progress Reports | 2nd Term

March 12th | Parent / Teacher Conferences (Pre-K & Kindergarten Students Only)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090B48A8A92DA6F94-mscourtneys1

Pets: We learned that a pet is a companion animal. Which means he/she is kept for a person’s company, protection or entertainment. We talked about how the two most popular pets are cats and dogs. We also learned that some other animals that people commonly keep as pets are: ferrets, rabbits, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, snakes, lizards, fish, frogs, turtles etc.

Valentine’s Day: A big thank you to all the parents that donated supplies or volunteered their time to make such a great party possible!

Work Time:

Guest Reader:

 

Reminders:

February 22nd | Bring Your Parent to Work Time

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090B48A8A92DA6F94-bring

Farm Animals: The students learned about different animals that live on the farm like: cows, chickens, pigs, horses and sheep. The kids discovered how each farm animal makes things for the farm. They even learned that farm animals are also know as livestock.

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Guest Reader:

 

Reminder

Zoo Animals:

The students learned that a zoo is a place where all types of animals are displayed for the public to see. Especially animals that they would never get the chance to observe otherwise. We also talked about how zoos try hard to keep animals in enclosures that replicate their natural habitat because, the animals seem to do much better when they are in their natural environment. We discovered that zoos create educational programs and tours in order to provide an educational opportunity for everyone. A lot of them even have  petting zoos where adults and children are allowed a close-up look of the animals and their babies. We learned about tigers, lions, monkeys, elephants, giraffes, penguins, bears etc.

Work Time

Guest Reader

Reminder

Martin Luther King Jr.

The students learned how Martin Luther King  Jr. wanted to make the world a better place. We talked about how people were being treated unfairly based on their color and he stood up for them. We discussed how he wanted to change the law in a peaceful way, because he had a dream to have people of all colors get along and work together. We also talked about why it is important to try and make the world a better place for everyone and ways that we can accomplish that.

Work Time

Guest Reader

Reminder

Exploding Lunch Bag: We combined warm water, vinegar and baking soda in a Ziploc bag. As soon as the bag was sealed shut it started to fill with air (carbon dioxide). Eventually, the Ziploc bag could no longer hold any more air so it popped. We learned that this is called an acid based reaction when you combine these two chemicals together.

 

Chemical warmer:

We combined a mineral filler, zinc and water together in a plastic bag.

Then we placed a thermosticker that changes color at around 120 °F on the plastic bag.

After that we added copper which is a less active metal than zinc. The zinc reacted with the copper, as it dissolved in the water it caused heat that was easily felt.

Thermal Chameleon:

First, we crushed up some ice and placed it in a cup.

Then we put 2 ml of water on a cork stand and placed the cup on top of it to see if the cup of ice would freeze to the cork stand.

The ice by itself didn’t freeze the water on the cork stand. So, we added some calcium chloride.

The mixture of the ice and calcium chloride ended up freezing the water on the cork stand.

Ocean Animals

The students learned that oceans are the largest habitat for an animal to live in. They discovered that ocean animals can be found on the coast to all depths from the surface to the deepest darkest trenches of the ocean. We also talked about how only five percent of the world’s animals live in the ocean. We looked at  the similarities and differences between dolphins, sharks, whales, seahorses, fish, squids etc.

Work Time

Reminders:

January 25 | Ms. Courtney | Bring Your Parent to Work Time

Polar Animals: 

The students discovered that animals that live in the Arctic (either full time or seasonally) are adapted to extreme conditions. Many animals like the arctic fox have a coat that thickens and changes color to white during the winter as camouflage in the snow (blending into the background).

They even learned that some animals hibernate during the cold season (skunks, chipmunks, and some bears); they go into a very deep, sleep-like state in which their heartbeat slows down. These animals often hibernate in an underground burrow or pit.

They also discovered that many animals like the arctic tern spend the summer months in the Arctic, but leave as the weather turns frigid and food becomes scarce. These animals return again the next summer, repeating this pattern year after year (migrating).

Work Time:

Reminders:

January 21 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | NO SCHOOL

January 25 | Ms. Courtney | Bring Your Parent to Work Time