Newsletter: September 24

Dear Families,

Due to the "Hurri-cation," it's been a little longer than I'd like between newsletters. However, there is lots of good stuff to share. This week I want to focus on the work we've been doing as scientists. The kids have been doing a magnificent job. They're energetic, curious, and very much willing to tackle all sorts of new topics and inquiries. As you look through the photos from the classroom please excuse those that have been rotated. These somehow shifted between what I see on my phone and what uploads to Blogger.

Last week we visited the outdoor classroom at Sesqui State Park. Our park ranger helped us
learn about insects.

The kids were then given nets, containers, and hand lenses and instructed to search
for non-biting and non-stinging insects in the park.

Despite the incredible September heat, the kids had a great time. They found
all sorts of insects as well as a lizard or two.

Our love of science is evident in the classroom as well. I love seeing people
bring in things from home they just KNOW we'll all want to see and experience
together. In this photo is a bin of compost worms. We're working each morning to
keep the soil moist and to place a few bits of composting material in there for
consumption. If we keep them healthy, those worms should multiply quite quickly.

The kids also love using the microscope to look at bugs and plants more closely.

I bring in things as well. My wife found a sweet potato that had somehow gone unnoticed
in the back of the pantry for some time. It had sprouted and was well on its way to becoming a
new plant despite the lack of light or soil. I brought this in to the class and we discussed the fact
the potato had the energy the plant would need to grow...but that this would only last so long
before it began to die. The very next day one of the girls in class brought her own sweet potato to show
the sprouts growing out of it. We decided to conduct an experiment in which we put one of these in soil
and left the other lying out in a bucket to see which would grow more quickly or more healthy.

One day someone asked how much our classroom hamster, Nugget, weighed. We pulled out
the digital scale and found out he is about 50 grams (or, far less than one pound). We've since left
the digital scales out on the science table and a number of people enjoy weighing various items
during Explorations time.

Just this morning someone brought in a young pine cone and a huge mushroom they had
found outside. The texture of the mushroom was very interesting.

When people bring in science items to share at Morning Meeting they record these in our science
journal. The science journal is a place for capturing our observations, knowledge, and questions so
we can construct rich discussions rooted in scientific inquiry. It's a very popular journal! 

Our formal scientific inquiry right now is an exploration of animals. The kids have been observing,
describing, and sketching animals. In doing so, they've paid careful attention to the animals' physical
features as well as their behavioral patterns. These discussions helped us to introduce the idea of
animal adaptations. More recently the kids have been working to classify various objects based on shared
traits. This practice is about to bring us to the classification of vertebrate animals. Later this week
the kids will work in small groups to research these groups - fish, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and birds.
Afterward, they'll each choose an animal they'd love to know more about and conduct a personal research project
in class on their self-selected animal. It'll be a great way to bridge all we know as readers, writers, and researchers
to build new knowledge in science.

So, we're set for a fantastic week together. Be sure to ask your child all about it. And please remember Thursday is Curriculum Night and Friday is a half-day.

Have a great week!
Chris