Online learning continued for first grade meteorologists with a lesson about clouds. Click here to watch a movie they watched. One of their optional assignments (after observing clouds) was to make the four main categories of clouds (cumulus, stratus, cirrus, and cumulus nimbus) with cotton.
Last week, they had a lesson about the water cycle and evaporation. How fast will the water evaporate? Let’s collect data and analyze it.
I purchased ladybug larvae and caterpillars (butterfly larvae) for my second grade scientists just before we began virtual learning. They were in the middle of their invertebrate unit, and we were going to observe the four stages of metamorphosis- egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Two of my biologists took the caterpillars home and documented the changes they observed. Then, they released the painted lady butterflies. Click here to watch the process. Click here to learn more about metamorphosis.
I just released the ladybugs after they completed metamorphosis. Click here to learn more about ladybug metamorphosis. So disappointed that my second grade students weren’t there!
With the shelter-in-place order issued by our governor, I decided it was best to bring all my lab animals and plants home. It took an entire day to clean, drain, transport them all to my house, and refill the tanks at home, but we made it! Many of them are in my daughter’s unoccupied room and bathroom. She lives in Chicago. The turtles and fish are in the basement.
Packing it all up!
A friend of mine went for a walk with her family. They created artwork, in the photos below, using natural materials they found on their hike. I want to inspire my students to create their own art using loose materials that they find, such as nuts, seeds, stones, pine cones, dried grass, twigs, leaves, or dried flowers. If you do this project around your home, each family member could use a sidewalk square to spotlight his/her work. Be sure to send me pictures!
You can make anything: animals, people, buildings, spaceships, trucks….
I joined the challenge too! Look at what I made from natural objects I found around my backyard:
I love seeing all the yard art! Let’s try to spend time outside.
Kindergarten students are learning about what’s in the sky. Click here to watch a video that they watched. Then we learned more about the moon. One of the optional projects during online learning was to paint a moon with white or gray paint. Astronomers added craters by pushing circular objects (such as a water bottle top or jar lid) into the paint to form the craters.
As online learning continued, I challenged my engineers to build a fort with loose parts that they have around their homes. I encouraged them to use the Engineer Design Process (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Improve), and to make blueprints of their designs before they began construction. For inspiration, I shared a Wiki site with ideas for blanket forts. As I receive additional photos, I will add them to this post.
Some problems to solve:
How many rooms will be in your fort?
How will you keep the blankets up?
Will there be any windows or doors? How about a skylight?
Will there be light inside your fort?
During online learning, I asked my PreK students to stick pencils through a Ziploc bag filled with water. Why didn’t the bags leak? It’s all about polymers! Click here to read more about this investigation.
Spring arrived on March 19th. During online learning, my first grade scientists sent me photos of the signs of spring they found around their homes. I joined in the fun and included some photos taken around KRCS and my neighborhood. Click here to watch a video about spring.
Our Signs of Spring Video:
My PreK classes planted bulbs last fall. Just look at them now!
