Vermont Animal Research Projects

 

Students have been working in small groups to research a Vermont animal. They used books and PebbleGo, to find out about the animal. Students looked for information on the animal's habitat, food, water source, young, and fun facts. After they completed their research booklets, they drew their animal and used the app, ChatterPix to tell how their animal changes the environment. This work is part of our science unit on Organisms. A big thank you to Leah Scott for helping us take pictures of our animals and record facts using ChatterPix!

  

The Power of Play

Kindergarten students enjoyed extra playtime on Friday.  "Research shows play can improve children's abilities to plan, organize, get along with others, and regulate emotions. In addition, play helps with language, math, and social skills, and even helps children cope with stress." (healthychildren.org and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical report)

Taking Care of Trees

 

A part of our current science unit on Organisms deals with human impact on the environment.  We wanted to do something to help the environment.  We investigated the area around our school and noticed the small trees on the playground were not looking very good.  The bark was peeled off the trees, there were deep holes around the trees, and people had been swinging on the branches.  Our class decided to take action and find a way to help the small ornamental trees.  Students made signs asking people to swing on the monkey bars, instead of the trees and to be kind to the trees.  We put these signs around the trees.  Please check out our video to see how we worked together to help the trees.

Force and Motion - Stations

On Wednesday, we spent the morning rotating through stations and exploring force and motion activities.  Our stations included bottle rockets, air soccer, ball toss, using fans to move a variety of objects, and using a slingshot to move cars.  Students gained an understanding of how the amount of force can impact the distance something moves.  They also learned that heavier objects take more force (harder to push/pull) and lighter objects take less force (easier to push/pull).

Force and Motion -Introduction

 On Monday, we began our new science unit on Force and Motion.  We are focusing on push and pull, as well as the amount of force needed to move things.  Students were asked to figure out a way to get a box of tools (We substituted blocks.) from the bottom of the play structure to the top to fix a slide.  In case you are not aware, we have a broken slide and the opening is boarded up.  Students were quick to notice that this is a real problem.  They brainstormed, drew, and labeled plans.  Then they tested out a number of their ideas.  Some students worked independently, while others chose to work with a partner.  When it came time to test possible solutions, students often asked their classmates for help pushing or pulling.  They demonstrated creativity, perseverance, and teamwork throughout the activity.  Great job kindergarteners!

How to Catch a Leprechaun

As part of our kindergarten how-to writing unit, kindergarten students drew plans, created leprechaun traps, and wrote: "How to Catch a Leprechaun" books. Their traps were quite creative and original.  Some students decided the leprechauns would climb ladders to enter the structure they built.  Other students thought the leprechaun might get tangled in yarn or slip through a hole covered with green tissue paper. Students added grass, gold, and coins to entice the leprechauns into their traps.  We set our traps before we left on Thursday.  Our room was quite a mess when we arrived Friday morning.  Unfortunately, we didn't catch any leprechauns.  There were gold and green coins in our traps.  We think the mischievous leprechauns might have visited our classroom when we were not there.

Last Snow Motion

Thursday was our last Snow Motion day.  We had great weather and great snow.  Thank you to all our volunteers for their help during Snow Motion.  It was amazing to see the progress children made in such a short amount of time.  They enjoyed every moment on the slopes.