Tower Building

This week we finished up with Solids.

Our last experiment was building a tower.  The catch...no tape or glue could be used.  OH MY!!

Here are the materials they had:

Straw
Piece of Cardboard
Elastic
Cup
Popsicle Stick
Tin Foil

They worked with a partner and planned how they'd build their tower. I gave NO hints or answers and told them there wasn't a correct answer.  The only rule was their tower had to be free standing.

Here they are working.

After the towers were built, we measured to see which tower was the tallest.  They also drew a digram and labeled it.

More Explorations with Solids

This week our focus has been properties.  We've been listing properties for different solids.

Here students are working with different solids and seeing which screens they'll go through.  They were given a soup mixture to separate into bottles.

Hands on Science

We began our Foss Kit today!!  These are hands on lessons that focus on matter.  This week we'll be taking a look at solids.

Today kids worked with different solids and made observations.  That had many science tools to try out.  Here are a few pics of them working in groups.

The LONGEST Blog Post and a Giddy Teacher

So I'm quite giddy tonight.  I came home to find out my husband had bought me a NEW Mac Pro.  My school laptop had to be sent away to be fixed and lets just say I've been quite cranky lately because I haven't been able to create!!

I think he wants me to get back to work!!

SooOoooo...if you have time, sit back and see what we've been up to the last two weeks.  This post will have LOTS of pics!!

We learned a lot about penguins.

Penguins Can, Have, Are

Penguin Facts and Number Stories

We've also been learning about Matter.  Our focus has been solids and liquids.  The kids sorted different types of beans and even built towers with everyday materials.

We've completed  some winter writing.  We wrote what we'd do if we were stuck in a snowglobe and students wrote steps on "How to Build a Snowman."  I used Ivory Flakes and the kids helped me measure the ingredients so they could create their own snowmen.

I consider myself to be quite crafty...but not in the sewing department.  I was looking for a way to cover my windows and here's what I came up with.  My grandmother gave me a quick lesson (which was quite comical) on how to do a straight stitch.  I used tension roads and have a ribbon attached to the larger window fabric so I can roll it up.  I think they came out cute and I LOVE the fabric!

We also celebrated the 100th day of school!!  Wow, the excitement over the number 100.  The kids went to each first grade class and completed activities.  They exercised, stamped, made Cheerio necklaces, put together 100 piece puzzles, and made their portraits of what they'd look like at 100.

The kids completed Eskimo Math.  They predicted, tallied, and recorded how many bites it would take to eat a Klondike.  YUM!!  Students also had to describe what it looked like and how it tasted.  Let's just say, they ENJOYED this activity.

And last but not least...I introduced Brown Bag Book Club last week.  This is when kids get together with a buddy and share a GREAT book they've read during the week.  They fill out a quick worksheet, share their books, and eat a snack provided by me (that's why they have the brown bag).

I hope you haven't fallen asleep yet but I had so much to share!

Liquid Observations

We looked at different liquids today.  The kids worked in groups, made observations, and wrote properties for each.  Here they are at work.

Tower Building

We've been learning A LOT about solids.  The kids have been working with solids and discussing their properties.

On Friday, they were given a challenge.  They were given a piece of cardboard, rubber bands, straws, tinfoil, and other objects that were in baggies.  Working with a buddy, they had to build a tower.

Here are some examples.  I had to give some clues on how to use the rubber bands and tinfoil.  Some groups were able to build a free standing tower!!