last week of summer '14

while I was on vacation last week, the students were having a blast during the last week of our summer program! 

the week's focus was on music. the students discussed why they liked music, how it made them feel, learned about string instruments, percussion instruments, our voices, and even put on a concert for their families using the instruments they made!

our class made maracas using plastic eggs, rocks, and plastic spoons. Ms. Brooke's class made guitars using paper plates, paint sticks, and rubber bands. Ms. Kim's class made microphones using toilet paper tubes and aluminum foil. Ms. Brittany's class made drums using paper bowls. thank you to all the parents who were able to come see the concert!

and Friday the students went to Jaycee Park for Splash Day and lunch!

thank you to for allowing me to be with your child this summer. we created new friendships and reignited old friendships. I hope they had as much fun as I did! see you next summer! xoxo

Young Chefs week 1&2

we began our Young Chefs unit Monday by talking about what students normally see on their plate and the importance of balancing a meal. then the students cut out the items from local grocery store ads to create a balanced meal and glued them on their plates.

the students had their Chinese lesson with Mr. Bowen Tuesday. the students learned how to say 1, 2, and 3 and also how to write those numbers in Chinese.

we also discussed where different kinds of foods grow and the type of climate needed for food to grow properly. then we began an experiment to see if we could get a pineapple to grow again. 

we cut off the top of a pineapple and pulled off the three bottom rows of leaves. we will let it dry out for three days, then plant it one inch deep in soil. we will make sure to keep the soil moist and place in a sunny part of the room. hopefully, we will regrow a pineapple!

Wednesday we discussed how foods may change as we cook or prepare them to be eaten. we also talked about mixtures versus blends, solids versus liquids, and had the students brainstorm examples. to help the students better understand these terms, they got to make their own fruit smoothies!

can anyone think of a better way to learn about how foods are made than visiting Krispy Kreme for a tour and tasting? I doubt it. ;)

afterwards, we drove to the Annette N. Shelby Park to splash in the large fountain!

we celebrated Kyler's birthday on the 21st!!!

each student got to experiment with color mixing this week. each student was given their own “paint pallet” to work from so we didn't have to share muffin mix or worry about passing germs around. the students painted their muffins any way they chose and mixed as many colors as they chose. 

we also watched Miss Brittany as she did a milk color explosion experiment! 

"It's an explosion of color! Some very unusual things happen when you mix a little milk, food coloring, and a drop of liquid soap. Use this experiment to amaze your friends and uncover the scientific secrets of soap."

Sick Science

captured this special moment on the playground- learning how to tie shoes :)

since we always have a regular pizza day, instead of making ordinary pizzas, we made our own dessert pizza. we made our own pizza dough using Jiffy Pizza dough mix and then shaped the dough on a pizza pan…

 the students added their own fruit sauce or pie filling and dessert toppings…

and then enjoyed eating their dessert pizza!