Snack list continued

An updated snack list for snacks. Just a reminder:

Each week a family will provide snacks for the class. There are 2 snack times per day. Currently, there are 9 children in the class.

None of the children have food allergies or restrictions, so the only requirement is that the snacks are healthy.

Mark your calendar:

November 30-December 4 Bayoneto

December 7-11 Chapel

December 14-18 Douglas

January 4-8 Keppo

January 11-14 Lethbridge

January 19-22 Maynard

January 25-29 Miracle

February 1-5 Rhodes

February 8-12 Bayoneto

February 15-19 Miracle

March 1-5 Chapel

March 8-12 Douglas

March 15-18 Keppo

March 22-26 Lethbridge

March 29-April 2 Maynard

That will take us up to Spring Break.

Reminder no nut products

December's theme: Benjamin Franklin

The novel we will be reading this month is Ben and Me by Robert Lawson. This fictional story is told by Amosa, a mouse, who lives with Ben Franklin. The novel is just one way we will be exploring the life of Benjamin Franklin.

A true Renaissance man, Benjamin Franklin's accomplishments are vast and varied. He was an author, scientist, statesman, businessman, inventor, diplomat... the list goes on and on. There is no way during the three weeks in December, we will be able to talk about all the achievements that made Ben Franklin such an extraordinary man. Hopefully by the end of the month the children will have a beginning appreciation for some of his talents and achievements.

Ian came to teach our math class how to play a math game is called Salute! It is a great game to play to practice adding and subtracting. We got in groups of 3. Each person had number cards from 0 to 9. We rotated who was "in charge". The person in charge counts, "1,2,3, Salute!" The other players, "Salute!" by bring the first card in their piles to their foreheads, without looking at it, in a kind of salute. Then, the two players look at one another's foreheads as the "in charge" player adds numbers and tell the sum of the two card. Next knowing the sum and the number on the other players card, each player tries to figure out their own number. The children had a blast. Have your child teach you the game at home. (After vacation we might have a chance to teach Ms Adhikari's math class the game.)

Fictional maps

This Friday, in map explorations, maps crossed paths with literature, when we looked at fictional stories that included maps. I showed the children several fictional maps from books including: Winnie-the-Pooh, Wind in the Willows, and Great Northern?

Next we looked at some stories that don't have maps but could. I read a short book,

Wee Gee.

Then we made a map to go along with the story. I drew as the children told me what to draw.

The final task was for the children to think of a story and try to draw a map that could go with it. This task was met with varying success but everyone had fun.

Exploring the woods

Last week, Faye was sick so we missed our guided tour of the woods. I tried my best to be the "substitute naturalist" but I failed in comparison to Faye.

This week, Faye felt better and kindly fit us into her already busy schedule.

Friday afternoon, we waited for Faye in the Gazebo at County Farm Park. As Faye rounded the corner the children were chanting:"Faye, Faye, Faye". After quick introductions, Faye took us on our fall tour.

Our first important fact was: even though you might see a bird or other a

nimal eating a berry doesn't mean you should. Faye showed us two types of berries, one black and one red. Birds and squirrels eat these berries but people shouldn't.

If you eat the black ones, you will have diarrhea. (Moans and groans of delight from the audience.)

Later, Faye showed us sumac. It looked very unappetizing but is actually edible. We put the berry in our mouth and found it very sour. (She recommended spitting out the hard, fuzzy berry after the initial taste.) The sumac is mostly used to make tea and is loaded with vitamin C.

As we walked we looked at leaves, mushrooms, and seeds. Then went down "Faye's secret path". While we were on the path we crouched down quietly and had a minute of complete silence. It was a magical moment to have 16 children and 3 adults just sit and listened to the woods in awe. (This was my personal favorite part of our walk.)

We look forward to our winter walk with Faye and learning more about the woods in our own backyard.

Making a circuit

Take a battery, two wires, and a small light bulb,

if you make a circuit...

Voila!

The light bulbs glows.

New bus

Red letter day:

We rode the new bus to PE. Some comments I heard.

"This bus is awesome!" "It smells like my grandma and grandpa's car." "This bus isn't as bumpy" "There is music on this bus." "I love the new bus. It's cool." "It smells good and looks good too" "This bus is so clean."

Map Explorations

After brainstorming what we already know about maps, we looked at some of the first maps of the world. One of the oldest pictures of the world was a map carved on a small clay tablet. It was made in Babylonia in around 500 B.C.

The second map we saw was made by a Greek mapmaker, Claudius Ptolemy around A.D. 150.

Then we skipped to the Middle Ages, to look at road maps made by an English Monk named Matthew Paris. The road maps were used by pilgrims who traveled across Europe to visit important churches and holy places. The maps were narrow strips that depicted only a road with important places along them. The mapmaker indicated the number of days it would take to go from one place to another.

The children made Medieval Road Maps of places important to them.

Poem by Jack Prelutsky

I'm practically covered with needles and pins,

a teakettle's firmly affixed to my shins,

my ankles are clanking with clippers and keys,

and several spoons are attached to my knees.

The fork on my forehead is making me frown,

the bolts on my shoulders are weighing me down,

a jingle bell's ringing right under my nose,

and tacks add a finishing touch to my toes.

A hook is adhering to each of my ears,

my head is topped off by a mountain of gears,

my waist is encircled by washers and wheels,

and hinges are holding on fast to my heels.

My back is embellished with ladles and chains,

the saw on my stomach's becoming a pain,

my neck is adorned with a stainless-steel pen-

I doubt that I'll swallow a magnet again.

Fall T-shirts

On Friday afternoon we went for a lovely autumn walk to collect leaves. When we came back, Karen took two children at a time to work on t-shirts. The children very thoughtfully chose which color to use on just the right leaf and carefully printed it in perfect spot. Each shirt was beautiful and unique.

Thank you Karen and Sydney for bringing in the supplies to do leaf printing.

Electricity

November will be an electrifying month, full of static and magnetism.

Through a historical journey starting in ancient greece and continuing to the present day, we will learn about scientists and inventors who worked with electricity. Along the way we will be conducting experiments to see " first hand" how they made their discoveries.

One of the books we will be using is Flick a Switch by Barbara Seuling. It will start our journey with an introduction to Thales, an ancient Greek mathematician, who discovered static electricity. We will learn how Ben Franklin proved lightening was a form of electricity (we won't risk our lives by replicating his key and kite experiment) and Michael Faraday made the first generator. That Alessandro Volta invented electric cells and Thomas Edison lit the first electric street lamp. Finally, we will look at a variety of ways electricity can be generated including wind, water, nuclear, and solar.

With luck we will have time for all the things I want to introduce.