Fun With Plants!

This post is a week or so overdue, but I figured I would share it anyway :) We learned all about plants, something I always love to teach! I love that it can easily be extended with apples and pumpkins!

I really like the way our science book teaches plants, and I was able to make a plant journal to accompany it! It would work for anyone, even if you did not have the same science series as we do :) You can pick up a copy for cheap HERE or by clicking the preview picture below: 

 

 

As we came to new vocabulary words in our books, we added them onto the leaves on our bulletin board:

 

 

 

Plant Experiment:

We started our plant unit by being scientists. We decided to do a little experiment to see which plant would grow the best {and to learn what plants need!} I bought a 6 pack Dianthus plants from Lowe's and cut them apart. {Be sure you pick a plant that needs lots of sun!}We gave Plant 1 only sun, Plant 2 only water {we kept it under a dark can}, and Plant 3 got sun AND water. The kids made predictions about which plant would grow best and why. The kids observed the plants everyday and wrote their observations in their plant journals {there is a section at the bottom of each page in the journal for observations!} Here is how our plants ended up after about a week and a half or so...

 

 

 

 

**Be sure if you do this experiment that you let the kids hold each plant! Plant 1 became SUPER light, and Plant 2 became SUPER heavy because of all the water :) It lead to a great discussion!**

 

Day 1:
We discussed our schema and what we want to know about plants. We also made experiment predictions.

 

Day 2:

We read about, discussed, drew and labeled what plants need.

 

Day 3:
We read about, discussed, drew and labeled the parts of a plant.

 

Day 4:

We read about, discussed, drew and labeled the life cycle of a plant.

 

Day 5:

We read about, discussed, and wrote about why plants are important in our lives.

Day 6:

Made these cute flowers to show 5 facts we learned about plants:

 

 

Last week we finished our Apple Week. We did pretty much the same things we did last year {no time to photograph or blog about it this year because of Parent/Teacher Conferences!} The next couple weeks we will work on our pumpkin unit! I am so excited!

Disappointed :( Let the voting begin {again}

So, I got a disappointing email today.. There was a glitch with DonorsChoose... And we were not fully funded {like we were originally emailed}. I will just leave it at that-it's a long story.

 

So I am asking for my awesome followers to take a second to vote each day {they had to repost our project as a new one, so we are out the votes we had already received, plus 2 or 3 days of new votes we could have gotten}. We are disappointed, but hopeful. Vote here at this link:

 

http://www.limeadesforlearning.com/teachers/view/521906/default/877757

 

Remember, you can vote once per day per email address. And you can use your Sonic sticker codes, too.

 

Thanks for your support!! Please leave a comment with your email address if you've been voting; I'd love you repay you with a product of your choice from my store!!

WE'RE FUNDED!!!! {Thank you, Linda}

YOU. GUYS. I got THE most exciting email today!!!

 

 

I don't know if you can read this, buuuuuut....

OUR PROJECT WAS FULLY FUNDED!!!

Limeades for Learning just started yesterday, and we were hoping to get enough votes to get $600 funded from Sonic {and then we would have to hope for $141 more in donations}...

 

But a very generous person named Linda donated all $741!!! Can you believe it? Words cannot express how grateful Amy and I are. We are so excited, and in awe at how someone could care so much to help our classroom get much needed technology. Our students are so excited to be receiving 3 Kindle Fires! And all because of one good, kind, generous person who we may not even know.

Linda, we wish we could tell you in person, write you a card, or just show you how appreciative and grateful we are for your kind and generous donation.

THANK YOU.

LIMEADES FOR LEARNING! Please vote :) :) :)

It's that time again for Sonic & DonorsChoose.org's LIMEADES FOR LEARNING!! I am so excited :) Amy and I are trying to get 3 Kindle Fires for our kiddies. We want to incorporate as much technology as possible while strengthening their reading skills.

Together Amy and I have had 4 projects funded through Sonic's Limeades for Learning in the past 3 years. We would love to make this a 5th funded project!

 

You can vote once per day per email address {so use every one you've got!}.
If you purchase something at Sonic, you will get a sticker on your receipt. It has a vote code worth TWO votes! :) So be sure to use those, too!

 

Here is where to vote:

http://www.limeadesforlearning.com/teachers/view/521906/default/866541

{you may have to verify the first vote via email}

 

Thanks for your support! I will need to do a giveaway here soon for my voters!! :) Leave a comment letting me if you were able to vote!

Class Number Grid Activity

What math series does everyone use? Our district adopted Everyday Mathematics. This is our 3rd year with it, and I am not going to lie, I still do not love it... I am still trying to like it, but right now I feel like I am just living with it because we have to. {However, whenever the software for my Smartboard gets installed, I cannot WAIT to use all the cool interactive stuff the series provides! It will make teaching the series a WHOLE lot easier and more enjoyable!}

 

A big component of that series is the Number Grid.

 

 

They really want the students to use it with their adding and subtracting. So we spent the past two days just getting familiar with the Number Grid, learning that if we add 10, we "go down," subtracting 10, we "go up," etc.

 

Today we had our kiddos work in groups to put a cut up Number Grid puzzle together. They had to look at the numbers to figure out what pieces went where. We did 8 different grids (1-100, 101-200, 201-300 and so on).

 

 

The kids really loved this activity, and it helped a lot of them with the concept of the "Missing Number Grid" {which we will see a lot in our math boxes).

 

 

This was a quick, fun, hands-on activity that the kids really enjoyed, and we can put out for them to practice in their free time!!

 

HAPPY WEEKEND, FRIENDS!!!

 

Apple Graph FREEBIE {& Apple Math Journal Prompts}

I know a lot of you have probably started, or are starting your apple units in honor of Johnny Appleseed's birthday! Be sure to pick up an apple graph FREEBIE! Click HERE to get your copy.

 

And don't forget to pick up some apple themed math journal prompts! Click the picture below to purchase a copy!

Speak Like a Pirate Day!

Ahoy, me hearties! Did you know that today is "Speak Like a Pirate Day?" Our school theme this year is "Learning is a Treasure" and we are doing more of a pirate theme! So over the summer I had emailed my principal to tell her about this little "holiday.." Wellllll I totally forgot about it until afternoon announcements yesterday!!! I felt bad, because I was so pumped up about doing all kinds of pirate stuff all day long! But we have been so into our plant unit that it just slipped my mind.... Story of my life!

 

 So, Amy and I whipped up a little writing/craftivity for this afternoon. It is nothing earth shattering, but it was cute enough :) And the kids liked it {and they had no idea that their teachers almost forgot about the "holiday!"}

 

We read these books, which I just LOVE!

 

 

 

Then we had the kids write about why or why not they'd want to be a pirate. Then they got to make one of these cute little guys:

 

 

Anyway, just a quick and easy activity that the kids really enjoyed! Have a wonderful evening :)