The last two days have been exciting! The children have learned so much in the most unexpected ways.
First there was the robin's egg Emma brought for Show & Share. Her father found it on the lawn and they carefully wrapped it to keep it safe until viewing. When I held the egg for Emma it was surprisingly heavy so I could only assume the bird inside was near maturation when the catastrophe occurred. In pulling out the egg, Emma accidentally put the smallest hole in one end and clear liquid began to leak out. Now I knew the bird wouldn't hatch but the children were convinced it would. I pulled a few books out to show pictures of nesting birds and the developing birds. They were satisfied until Nora asked that last question, "Why do hens lay eggs all the time when other birds only lay eggs when baby birds are going to come out?". She had me there. I'm no farm girl and didn't have a clue. I did the next best thing and told them we would ask Emily Temeles. She has a farm and I assured them she knew EVERYTHING about chickens.
We crossed paths right after having our class picture taken and she didn't let me down. She explained that domesticated (around people a lot) animals change the way the live in the wild and now that chickens had lived with people so long, they laid eggs even when no little chicks were in them. She further explained that chickens living in the wild do not lay as many eggs. We all learned something and even though they now know I don't know all the answers, at least they know I have connections to the people who do!
Today we were talking about rockets and the space programs of Russia and the USA. I told them the first creature in space was a dog (USSR), followed by a monkey (both countries) and the first human in space was Yuri Gagarin (USSR). They were disappointed until I told them the first human to orbit the Earth was John Glenn (USA) and the first people on the moon were the Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Next came the question of the first woman in space and they were again disappointed that they Russians beat us there but I assuaged their feelings by telling them Sally Ride was the first American woman in space.
Our buddies were with us for much of the discussion and had just as many questions as my class. I finally ended the session by suggesting we go out to the field and shoot off our own rocket. You can may your own rocket with a paper towel roll and a film canister but I bought mine pre-made. I put in a little water, balanced an Alka Seltzer on the internal fins, put the lid on tightly, inverted the rocket and ran back to the group. The first shot only went about 5 feet in the air. Just like NASA we played with the formula and tried 1 1/2 tablets. The second shot went higher. Kim told her class to remember 1 tablet sent the rocket 5 feet and they were going to research the number of tablets required to get the rocket to the moon. I think I'm going to buy stock in Alka Seltzer.
Rowan brought in the funniest book for Show & Share today. It was "Rhyming Dust Bunnies" by Jan Thomas. He has the book memorized so he did the reading. Four dust bunnies Ed, Ned, Ted and Bob like to spend their time rhyming. Bob, however isn't quite finally protocol with words that rhyme until they all realize he's trying to warn them to watch out for the vacuum cleaner. They run under a bed and think they're safe until the vacuum gets them. It ends with "What rhymes with help?". We all laughed and I promised to find a copy for the class.
Our bird houses are nearly finished and the painting will begin tomorrow. Since the paint will not wash out of clothes, please dress your child in old clothes for the next few days.
The Strawberry Festival still had 127 work slots to fill as of yesterday afternoon. I know many haven't taken the time yet to sign up but please go ahead and get it done. Parents are required to help with the festival and you will want to get the hours that best fit your schedule. Most of the teachers and staff also put in time so it's a good chance to work shoulder to shoulder with people who spend a great deal of time in your child's life.
It is a C.S. tradition that the children go to Hollins on Friday of the festival and get 1/2 of a strawberry shortcake to eat. Since the children get just half the cost is only $30 for a class of 10. Some years each parent sends in money for their child and other years one parent will pay for the entire class. I'm sending it out there for parents to treat this the way they would like but it would be nice for every child to have some shortcake. Just let me know your desire.
The Pennies for Peace collection ended today so I counted the last of our change. Our class set a goal of $50 and our last count was $48.16. Today's change brought us up to $52.76. When I told the children they "exceeded" their goal they were a bit sad. It took me some time to realize they thought "exceeding" meant they had fallen short so I had to show them the numbers. Yes, they celebrated and I am one proud teacher!
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