Saturday was the first day of summer :)))))))
what another fantastically gross week!
Monday we learned all about bird poop :D
we discussed how different birds eat different things and that is what makes their poop look different.
we also learned that a bird's poop is white because they do not urinate. "their kidneys extract nitrogenous wastes from the bloodstream, but instead of excreting it as urea dissolved in urine as we do, they excrete it in the form of uric acid. uric acid has a very low solubility in water, so it emerges as a white paste."
credit smellypoop.com
another interesting fact: there is a spider called the bird-droppings spider which looks like unappealing bird poop!
and another interesting fact: birds do not just rid themselves of waste by pooping. parts that are not digestible like fur, bones, and feathers, will come back up through their mouths. this it is called pellets. below is a picture of owl pellets.
so of course the students wanted to research what different bird poop looked like at this point. below are the least gross pics for your viewing pleasure ;)
blue jay poop
chicken poop
red bird poop
hummingbird poop
seagull poop
then what kind of day would it be if we didn't make bird poop?!?!
we mixed white paint and seeds in a condiment bottle.
the students squeezed until a nice plop came out.
then they told us what kind of bird made that pile of poop :)
the students took turns reading to the class in library.
Tuesday morning we had our Chinese lesson with Mr. Bowen.
the students reviewed mama, papa, teacher and thank you.
they learned how to say sorry, ok, dragon, cat, and horse.
then Mr. Bowen discussed the differences in the appearance of dragons in the two cultures and read the students a book about a Chinese dragon.
here is a sound clip of what we talked about Tuesday...
yep. burps. so what is a burp? we learned that the air we breathe is made up of gases and when air is swallowed those gases sometimes need to come out. the extra gas is pushed out of the stomach, up through the esophagus, and a burp or belch is born. we talked about how fizzy drinks make us burp more and why babies need to be burped a lot. we also discussed good manners!
we then, of course, watched The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners.
"Mama Bear Takes Her Ill-Mannered Family In Hand With The Bear Family Politeness Plan.
The Cubs Soon Learn That Politeness Can Come Naturally But For Papa Bear The Lesson Takes A Little Longer To Learn!"
then for the messy fun! we made Ooblek and tried our best to make it burp!
Ooblek is a very strange substance. touching it with one finger, it feels solid. but it can be picked up and will run like a liquid! all you need is water, corn starch, and food coloring.
click {here} for the recipe
here is a short video showing both properties of Ooblek
meet our little froggy friend Bailey caught Wednesday morning :D
we visited Ruby Pickens Tartt Public Library. their theme this summer is "Fizz! Boom! Read!"
we got to watch how mixing vinegar and baking soda can inflate a balloon!
the Ms. Sandra read Wide Mouth Frog to us.
"From the Okefenokee Swamp comes a frog with a wide mouth that he just loves to use. He's particularly interested in the eating habits of other creatures found in the great outdoors--that is, of course, until he comes upon a big green one with lots of teeth who finds wide-mouthed frogs simply delicious."
then we sang and danced The Hokey Pokey!
we brainstormed and researched bugs! and we learned some very interesting facts.
the first bug the students wanted to research was the stinkbug (which is also Thursday's topic!).
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stinkbugs give off a really bad smell if they're bothered. the liquid comes from glands in its thorax.
girl ladybugs are bigger than boy ladybugs. and 70,000-80,000 ladybugs could fit into a gallon jar!
only girl mosquitoes suck blood because they need the nourishment to lay eggs!
paper wasps can sting multiple times. also, anything they kill is to feed to their larvae. they survive on what the larvae secrete!
don't let flies land on your food! they love decaying animals and poop!
and according to Yahoo Health, "if you've ever eaten canned food, you've probably also eaten a maggot. These disgusting little critters abound in things like canned mushrooms, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and pizza sauces, as well as fresh or frozen Maraschino cherries. Mushrooms are by far the worst: 20 maggots are allowed for every 100 grams of drained mushrooms, compared with between 1 and 5 for every 500 grams of tomato products." I wish I hadn't found this tidbit out. sometimes it's just best not knowing. eek.
we also took a campus field trip to the UWA Biology Lab for a lesson on bugs!
we were very entertained by Ron Anglin's Quite a Catch program Friday at Ruby Pickens Tartt Library!
this funny juggler is also a clown at a hospital and is a pro and making kids and adults laugh.
he had Mr. Bowen come up and help him demonstrate vocal cords.
he had Caroline volunteer...
and balanced rhythm sticks...
had Matt volunteer...
played the harmonica...
danced...
balanced a plate on a stick!
then volunteers played Minute to Win it. they had to balance their plates for one minute.
they gave it their all, but...
had to dance instead :)
he juggled handkerchiefs,
and 3 balls,
and did flips while continuing to juggle,
and even juggled 5 balls!
for his finale, he showed us how to use a Chinese yo-yo!
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