So….It was a little muddier outside than I thought it was going to be. Apparently the field does not drain very well, however, on the flip side, we got to experience an almost real world Oobleck simulation!!! 🙂

We had a lot of fun getting out in the great outdoor. The rain did let up a little and the kids really enjoyed building their habitats. We put a layer of sand on the bottom for drainage. Than we added the soil and the plants. On Monday, we will add some grass seed and start our observations. Throughout the unit, we will add worms and isopods to see if our habitats are fit for the survival of organisms.

The kids were great about the mud and worked like troopers to make sure the classroom was cleaned and not a mess of mud. My apologies for wet socks and muddy boots. We did Science and it was fun!! I took some photos which I will add to the blog once my phone is recharged. 🙂

Just a reminder about the fall fun day tomorrow! Grades 4-6 will be having some fall fun tomorrow afternoon around the school. Hopefully we will be able to go outside but, if not, we will be in either the Chapel, the Garage (music room), the spare portable or Ms. Warden’s room!

Students are also allowed to wear fall colours.

Please note: Wearing fall colours is only for the Intermediate tomorrow; not the primary. The primary will have their fall colour day on Thursday. We tried to have it on the same day as the primary to lessen the confusion but in order to get rooms inside to do the activities if it rained, we had to move our fall colour day/fun day to tomorrow.

Just a reminder about the Science Quiz on Thursday. Here are some notes for what is going to be on the quiz for students to use in studying.

Science Review 2

So, I forgot all about doing the weekly Friday post for the music of the week. So, with Pumpkin Day tomorrow, I thought that I would combine the music of the week with a really cool picture on how various creatures breathe.

Last week, we listened to Hilary Hahn. She is an amazing violinist who has played at concerts all over the world. She also plays on one of my favorite soundtracks. Last year, my wife bought me tickets to go and see in her Bellingham and, while we were there, we got to meet with her and talk to her.

It was a fantastic experience and the music was beautiful. She has played since she was a young girl and has devoted herself to mastering the violin though she was still able to get her Master’s in University before the age of 18.

Here is a really neat infographic showing 3 different ways to breathe. The picture illustrates how a human, a bird and a grasshopper all breathe in different ways.

Students are very excited about the upcoming Pumpkin Math and Science Day coming up on Monday. The only thing students need to bring are old shirts that can get dirty. And Oh! Are we going to get dirty!!!!! I am still looking for any parents interested in joining us and helping us out with the Pumpkin fun.

Speaking of Science things, we are more than half way through our look at habitats and to celebrate, we will be having a …. quiz!!!!! The quiz will be all about the different habitats, what a habitat is, what living things need to survive, the different types of organisms, etc. Students will receive a page of study notes stating the things that will be on the quiz.

The second part of our look at habitats will be lot of fun. As part of this unit, students are going to be assembling terrariums. The terrariums are homes for various plants and animals that typically live in or on the forest floor. Observing what happens in the terrariums gives students a chance to learn about the habitats and adaptations of animals that live in this type of environment as well as gain knowledge about the role these plants and animals play in the larger ecosystem.

We need your help in making this the best learning experience possible. Your child will need a variety of supplies in order to build their terrariums. The supplies they will need are inexpensive but I wanted to give you a heads up so you will have time to collect the items to send with your child. As you collect the items, you can send them with your child so they are ready to go once we begin to build the terrariums.

For Friday, Oct. 31st

Your child will need:
•    A small trowel
•    Boots
•    A small plant
•    Small amount of grass seed or birdseed
•    1 small plant such as strawberry plant, sweet alyssum, or other small garden plants. The key to the plants is that they need to be extremely low lying plants as the terrarium itself is not very tall.

On Monday, Oct. 27, the Grade 4 class will be celebrating the 8th annual Pumpkin Day from 9:15 – 12:00. Each year our class gets out the pumpkins and the workshirts and gets to work subjecting our pumpkins to some good ol’ math fun. We will be weighing, measuring, carving, counting and much more with our pumpkins. This year, we will also be having fun doing pumpkin math with Mrs. Goosen’s class.

We would love for you to join us if you can. I am looking for some volunteers to help lead the groups in the various types of activities. If you can help us out that would be great! Just post a comment on the blog or send me an email! You can also talk to me before or after class. The students will also need some old shirts to wear.