Sunday, December 18, 2016

WINTER BREAK!

I hope everyone has a FANTASTIC winter break!  Remember, there will be NO homework packet over break.  Instead, try some of these things:
  play board games    play card games    read a book as a family    cook a new or favorite old recipe    write postcards to family members    make popcorn and watch a movie    make play dough    go to the library and check out books    visit a museum    learn something new    write a play and perform it for family    volunteer    make bubbles    visit the zoo    play charades     tie dye t-shirts    visit a working farm    visit The Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market    do brain teasers    make gift cards    play Scrabble or Boggle    do science experiments    go bowling    play indoor golf    have a fashion show    tour a new city  
MOST OF ALL...RELAX!  J  Have a fantastic time do everything you do.

 I look forward to seeing everyone in 2017!
Stressed!

We had a really great talk in our morning meeting about being stressed out.  I asked them to raise their hands if they were stressed out.  Every single kid raised their hand.  We talked a lot about why they were stressed and also what they can do to help them with the stress.  They had a lot of great ideas and they wrote them on an anchor chart in the afternoon.  Stress is hard on everyone.  Talking about being stressed and helping them figure out ways for them to deal with their stress is really important.   


Learning about TENTHS and HUNDREDTHS








We have been working on the concept of tenths and hundredths in the past few weeks.  We’ve used manipulatives to help us understand the concept, along with time in the lab on IXL.  Don’t forget, IXL is a great thing for kids to do over break!  The tenths and hundredths concept can be tricky for kids, but once they think about it as money, it gets easier.  This concept doesn’t work for thousandths (which we will learn about later), but it truly helps them understand the place value and makes it make sense. 
Tantré Farms Deb the Farmer Visits Room 306









What a FANTASTIC experience!  Farmer Deb was fabulous.  I loved hearing their input as she discussed roots, stems, leaves, flowers and seeds.  What do they look like?  What do they taste like?  Yay!  She brought samples!  The tried purple carrots, watermelon radishes, kale, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, and Christmas beans (lima beans).  We tried everything except the lima bean.  They are dried and will be grown in our classroom when we return from winter break.  I LOVE that your kids try new foods.  They all had great ways of describing the foods and some were quite surprised they liked a few of the new foods!  I used a watermelon radish in a recipe a few months ago and LOVED it.  I highly recommend trying it.  Delish.  Here’s a link to find out more about Tantré Farms...truly a wonderful farm!  They grow a HUGE variety of things on their farm some of them were quite surprising!  Kiwi, for example.  I didn’t see that coming!  They grow from 80-100 varieties of vegetables and a small variety of herbs and flowers.  The have fruit crops too: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, pears, and melons.  We have such a great community!  Thanks Farmer Deb!  http://www.tantrefarm.com/