Weekly News May 10th
Monday morning we had some unexpected arrivals... everyone was very excited to find that our eggs had begun to hatch! We observed that they had rounded beaks and webbed feet so we thought they might be ducks. It was very interesting to see the veins and the waste sack inside the empty eggs. After calendar and some excited discussion we opted to head out for a walk to the woods. We took our snacks with us and found remnants of a robin's egg that had hatched. Some people noticed a hole in the side of the little hill and they wondered what might live in it. When we got back there were more ducks! We worked on some observations of the eggs and we enjoyed getting to see the eggs move and hatch on the big tv because we streamed it from the iPads!
The eggs and their movements continued to be the big focus of our week. We played with a set of eggs showing the development of chicken chicks and on Tuesday one of the coloured eggs hatched! It had something different in it! It was laying on it's back in the incubator so we could see that it had different feet and a different beak! Some people thought maybe it was a blackbird or a raven. Eventually it fluffed up and someone suggested it was a chicken! We had a bit of extra outside time in the morning and we took a few of the ducks out with us in a little basket so we could pet them. In the afternoon we went to library where Miss Julie read us a story about a dog named Stanley. He got into lots of mischief! During centres we took the water table outside with us and many people enjoyed the chance to cool off a bit!
Wednesday morning we headed for the beach right away. Mr. Seymour had planned to come with us and tell us some stories and the Hul'q'umi'num words for some of the things we found but unfortunately he was not able to come. We had a great morning and did lots of exploring and experimenting with the sticky mud and ways to play in the water without getting our knees wet. Wednesday afternoon we built a little fence from some cardboard and we made an enclosure for the oviparous animals so they could play outside with us! We supplied some water for swimming and some shade for lounging and the ducks and chicks got lots of attention! Some people even supplied toy boats for the ducks to swim with! It was awesome!
Thursday morning we started with some printing practice. We are using Handwriting Heroes to practice proper letter formation and it's helping a lot! We got interrupted by a fire drill! It was a surprise fire drill and some people were a little worried at first that it was for real. It was a good reminder about why it's important to practice so that we will know what to do and where to go every time. Mrs. Calverley was very impressed with us and how quickly and quietly we got out! Before snack we went down to play under the willow trees at the bottom of the property. The branches are really strong and good for swinging on! Before going inside for snack we decided it was time to open up the three eggs that hadn't hatched yet. Knowing that it was going to be nasty and smelly it seemed best to do it outside! Everyone got a chance to hold the first egg and see how light it felt. It turned out to just have rotten goo in it. The second egg had a partially developed duck in it - you could see the beak and some feathers but it had clearly died fairly early in. The third egg was the chicken egg and that chick was almost fully developed. It still had a big sack attached to it but it was fully formed. Some of the students were quite fascinated by it but everyone agreed that the eggs smelled REALLY STINKY! Just before lunch everyone sat down on the floor in the hallway and got a chance to hold a duck or a chick! In the afternoon we were invited to view the grade 4/5/6 Salish Weave Art Gallery. It was very interesting and students loved seeing the different ways that the older students represented their thinking. At the very end of the day we were all treated to a cupcake for Kenzy's birthday! Yum!
Friday morning after calendar Ms. Wood took the students outside for Fine Arts. They worked on making mandalas using things from nature. We are looking forward to seeing the photos! After Fine Arts everyone worked on their work time jobs - we made a life cycle of a duck! Most of the students were able to complete it independently and they could articulate how the cycle continued. Everyone was glad for some down time after snack and jobs - there is a large group who really enjoy building with lego and we haven't had much time lately! It was the favourite part of the day for several of them. After hot lunch (hamburgers - yum!) everyone helped clean up the classroom and we headed outside or to Miss Mel's room for centres. The ducks and the water table both came out again, but the highlight for many was the "car wash" that was set up! Everyone was well tuckered out by the end of the day! The heat is hard on us all - please remember to send a hat and water bottle and to apply sunscreen before school on these hot hot days!
NEXT WEEK - May 13th - 17th
Monday - Walk day
Tuesday - Library Day
- Parent-Child Mother Goose - preschool program in the library from 9am - 10am
Wednesday - 2 hour early dismissal
- students will walk to the community centre in the morning to watch the dress rehearsal of the drama club production of "Cinderella and the Substitute Fairy Godmother"
Thursday - Possible walk day
Friday - Book orders are due
The eggs and their movements continued to be the big focus of our week. We played with a set of eggs showing the development of chicken chicks and on Tuesday one of the coloured eggs hatched! It had something different in it! It was laying on it's back in the incubator so we could see that it had different feet and a different beak! Some people thought maybe it was a blackbird or a raven. Eventually it fluffed up and someone suggested it was a chicken! We had a bit of extra outside time in the morning and we took a few of the ducks out with us in a little basket so we could pet them. In the afternoon we went to library where Miss Julie read us a story about a dog named Stanley. He got into lots of mischief! During centres we took the water table outside with us and many people enjoyed the chance to cool off a bit!
Wednesday morning we headed for the beach right away. Mr. Seymour had planned to come with us and tell us some stories and the Hul'q'umi'num words for some of the things we found but unfortunately he was not able to come. We had a great morning and did lots of exploring and experimenting with the sticky mud and ways to play in the water without getting our knees wet. Wednesday afternoon we built a little fence from some cardboard and we made an enclosure for the oviparous animals so they could play outside with us! We supplied some water for swimming and some shade for lounging and the ducks and chicks got lots of attention! Some people even supplied toy boats for the ducks to swim with! It was awesome!
Thursday morning we started with some printing practice. We are using Handwriting Heroes to practice proper letter formation and it's helping a lot! We got interrupted by a fire drill! It was a surprise fire drill and some people were a little worried at first that it was for real. It was a good reminder about why it's important to practice so that we will know what to do and where to go every time. Mrs. Calverley was very impressed with us and how quickly and quietly we got out! Before snack we went down to play under the willow trees at the bottom of the property. The branches are really strong and good for swinging on! Before going inside for snack we decided it was time to open up the three eggs that hadn't hatched yet. Knowing that it was going to be nasty and smelly it seemed best to do it outside! Everyone got a chance to hold the first egg and see how light it felt. It turned out to just have rotten goo in it. The second egg had a partially developed duck in it - you could see the beak and some feathers but it had clearly died fairly early in. The third egg was the chicken egg and that chick was almost fully developed. It still had a big sack attached to it but it was fully formed. Some of the students were quite fascinated by it but everyone agreed that the eggs smelled REALLY STINKY! Just before lunch everyone sat down on the floor in the hallway and got a chance to hold a duck or a chick! In the afternoon we were invited to view the grade 4/5/6 Salish Weave Art Gallery. It was very interesting and students loved seeing the different ways that the older students represented their thinking. At the very end of the day we were all treated to a cupcake for Kenzy's birthday! Yum!
Friday morning after calendar Ms. Wood took the students outside for Fine Arts. They worked on making mandalas using things from nature. We are looking forward to seeing the photos! After Fine Arts everyone worked on their work time jobs - we made a life cycle of a duck! Most of the students were able to complete it independently and they could articulate how the cycle continued. Everyone was glad for some down time after snack and jobs - there is a large group who really enjoy building with lego and we haven't had much time lately! It was the favourite part of the day for several of them. After hot lunch (hamburgers - yum!) everyone helped clean up the classroom and we headed outside or to Miss Mel's room for centres. The ducks and the water table both came out again, but the highlight for many was the "car wash" that was set up! Everyone was well tuckered out by the end of the day! The heat is hard on us all - please remember to send a hat and water bottle and to apply sunscreen before school on these hot hot days!
NEXT WEEK - May 13th - 17th
Monday - Walk day
Tuesday - Library Day
- Parent-Child Mother Goose - preschool program in the library from 9am - 10am
Wednesday - 2 hour early dismissal
- students will walk to the community centre in the morning to watch the dress rehearsal of the drama club production of "Cinderella and the Substitute Fairy Godmother"
Thursday - Possible walk day
Friday - Book orders are due