Just Dance!

Kaylee invited me to her dance recital at the Alma Performing Arts Center. I love when I get the opportunity to support my students in their extra-curricular activities:) She was definitely a shining star on stage!

Kopper Kettle

On Tuesday, May 7th we went on a field trip to Kopper Kettle to find out how candy is made. Let's just say the kids were beyond excited:) We got to check out all the amazing candy in the store, but the best part was the behind-the-scenes tour! We got to visit each of the different rooms and learn how they make different types of candies. The students kept commenting on the wonderful smell in each of the rooms...of course I agreed that the smell of melted chocolate was divine:)  Here are some pictures from our tour.

Next, it was on to the park for a picnic lunch and play time!

Ozark Field Trip

On Wednesday, April 24th the entire first grade went to Ozark for some field trip fun! We went on a chilly hayride, toured a quail hatchery, explored a historic log cabin, walked many trails, and survived a swinging bridge. It was a very BUSY day, but the students had a great time! Here are some pictures of our big day.

April's Sweet Readers

The days are just flying by...won't be long now:) Here are the students that have earned some SWEET rewards in April!

Beautiful Butterflies

During the month of April, we learned about life cycles. What better way to learn about a life cycle than to observe each stage with our own eyes...so, I ordered caterpillar larva! We watched our caterpillars go from teeny-tiny to fat and plump. Then they wrapped themselves tightly into a chrysalis, and after many days of waiting, we finally had beautiful butterflies!!! Once all 5 of the butterflies emerged from their chrysalises, we took them outside to release. The kids were sad to see them go, but very excited for their release. I must say, the students are experts on the butterfly life cycle now!

Jack is Back!

On Earth Day we dug "Jack" up!

Way back in October, we buried our jack-o-lantern to find out what would happen to him during the long winter months. Unknown to the kids, but my purpose for this activity is to teach the kids about decomposition and the importance of being responsible for items that are not biodegradable. Most of the kids predicted that we would find a rotten pumpkin when I started digging, but they soon realized that there was no pumpkin left. The only remaining part of the pumpkin was the stem! But, we did find some of the items that we put inside...the pencil, marker, eraser, paperclip, plastic bag, magnetic letter X, fruit snack, a plastic knife, and a LOT of WORMS! 

The students quickly picked up on the idea that the worms were responsible for the missing pumpkin. So I asked them why the worms did not break down the other items and they knew that plastic is not biodegradable! Such smarties:) Afterwards, we talked about items that we could put in a compost bin and items that should not be included. Overall I would say this lesson was a success!