Life Science

We have started our unit on Life Science. Knowing that I'm not much of a gardener, and knowing that Wisconsin in January is not the best time of the year to grow seeds, I invested in some gardening help. I bought a grow light and a heating mat. Well, after only four days our seeds are sprouting! I thing they must believe they are in California! Their little roots are warm, and their tops are warm too. I'm very excited. My hope is that we will actually be able to get these plants to adulthood. The plants are the big thing in the class. Everyone seems to have cause to wander over to that side of the room during the day to check out the progress. We are looking forward to see what they look like on Monday. I wish I had taken pictures today. Several of the peat pots have sprouts in them.

Colonial Games

Today we tried some games that colonial children might have played. We started by making a buzz saw. At least that's what I've seen it called. So, parents, did you spend hundreds of dollars on a Wii gaming system for your children? Too bad you didn't know that a piece of string, a button, and some wood would have been enough!Or, how about a plate? Yes, just a plate. The class had a great time playing with these. One student commented that they were addictive. I need to think ahead. I forgot I had a video function on my camera. I did take some stills. We also played spin the plate. One student spun the plate and called the name of another student. That student then had to catch the plate before it fell. There was a lot of laughing going on during this game. Jacobs ladders, pick up sticks, jacks, and ring toss were also available to play. Yes, colonial kids had fun too!

Going Colonial

Our Colonial Christmas was cancelled because of a snowstorm, but our class is still enjoying the activities that we would have done. Yesterday, we made oiled windows. In Colonial times glass was very expensive and difficult to get in the colonies. Colonists would oil heavy cloth and place it the opening to let some light in, but they kept bugs and dirt out. We made colorful windows to display. can't believe I forgot to take a picture of a finished one!

Today we learned about Benjamin Franklin and his famous book, Poor Richard's Almanac. We used quill pens and blueberry ink to write some of the quotes from the almanac. The students were very glad that they use pencils for their homework. The activity was fun, but writing a whole assignment that way would be very difficult!