We have had lots of activity in our last few weeks of school from boat building to Field Day and much in between.  A huge thank you to Preslee's family, especially Mr. Craig, who prepared the blue bird house materials and graciously led us through putting them together.  We had lots of fun hammering!  These can be hung outside about 4 feet off the ground.  The door should be screwed shut to keep squirrels and other non-bird visitors out.

Continuing with a bird theme, on Wednesday we spent time exploring different bird "beaks" to see which kind of beak is best for different kinds of food.  Most children agreed that a clothespin or tweezer like beak was best for most foods, although a straw beak is definitely best for nectar.

Thursday morning we read a book about owls and then dissected owl pellets.  Children were fascinated by the different bones they found inside their pellets and some children kept poking away right through choice time.  (The pellets I use have been sterilized, but we still washed our hands thoroughly when we were done.)

Thank you for a fantastic year.  Have a wonderful summer!

We had a fabulous time at the river during ECO on Wednesday morning.  Everyone did a fantastic job of adapting to new boundaries and safety expectations.  We offered three stations that children were free to float between:  rock sculptures, using mortar and pestle to make rock paint, and making mini boats with sticks and other natural materials.  Some children chose to have their boats released in the river and we had fun watching them try to make it down stream.  We finished the morning by silently making a group sculpture, with each person adding one stone to our creation.

During math we have been exploring different measurable attributes including length, weight, and capacity.  Children have spent time comparing objects to say which is longer or shorter and heavier or lighter.  They have also measured the length of objects with cubes and the weight of objects with tiles.  We explored capacity by estimating how many counting bears could fit inside various containers, and then measuring to find the actual amount.  As we explored different ways of measuring objects we noted that one attribute doesn't necessarily correlate with another, so something very long isn't necessarily heavy, while something with a seemingly small capacity can be quite heavy.  Children especially enjoyed measuring themselves!

In the weeks just before vacation, children were introduced to opinion writing.  We discussed what an opinion is (what someone thinks, there is no right or wrong answer) and compared opinions to facts (true, can be right or wrong).  We spent time sharing opinions as a class and orally supporting them with appropriate reasons.  Children then had an opportunity to write opinion pieces on several topics, using words and illustrations to support their ideas.  Some of the topics we wrote about included school lunch versus home lunch, winter versus spring, and recess versus choice.  We also wrote opinions in response to several books including "Hey Little Ant" by Hannah and Phillip Hoose and "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" by Mo Willems.

Last week we switched gears and began working on informational writing, using our nature name animals as a focus.  We began by talking about an imaginary animal, the snufflewump.  I told the class I had recently seen a snufflewump in my yard, which of course sparked lots of curiosity.  Using this imaginary animal that we knew nothing about we brainstormed a list of questions to help us learn about it.  Some of the questions students came up with included

• Does it have fur?
• Where does it live?
• Does it live in Vermont?
• What does it look like?
• Is it a predator?
• Do people eat it?
• What does it eat?
• Does it live in a cave?
• Is it eaten by other animals?
• What noise does it make?
• Does it hibernate?
• Does it have sharp teeth?

We used this list to make categories for research that could encompass all of these questions.   These include description, habitat, food, winter survival, special features for protection, and other interesting facts.  We have been using actual books and several apps with online books to research each animal.  So far children have completed pages for what their animal eats and where it lives, using words as well as thoughtful illustrations to share the information.  We will continue to gather information and work on pages in the coming weeks.

On Wednesday morning the rain held off, other than a few stray drops, temperatures were mild and we had a fantastic ECO session.  After hearing the story "Those Darn Squirrels" by Adam Rubin (your child can tell you about it!) children were challenged to create a squirrel carnival or playground.  Groups of 3 children were each given several small containers, rope, a pulley, and a couple of carabiners.  They were also encouraged to use natural materials from the forest.  Some of their creations included squirrel zip lines, swings, elevators, and trapezes.  Many students requested more time for exploring with these materials so we will bring them with us in the coming weeks.