The Last Great Race!

Iditarod 2015

This week we began learning about the Iditarod.  This is a famous sled dog race that takes place in Alaska every year, beginning the first Saturday in March.  This year the race will begin with the ceremonial start on March 7.  The official start of the race will be on March 9th. 

Each student has chosen a musher to "cheer on" during the race.  Throughout the race we will be tracking our mushers' progress along the Iditarod trail.  We have watched many videos this week to get us excited for the start of the race.  This is something I'm very passionate about and I'm so happy to see the kids getting as excited as I am. 

Throughout the next 3 weeks we will be learning many things about the Iditarod, sled dogs and and the sport of mushing, and the mushers themselves.  I hope you will ask your child questions and encourage them to share what they are learning about this amazing sporting event!

Keep Calm and Let it Go!

For the months of January and February our class, along with Mrs. LeBlanc's first grade, were working on following the 3 B's to earn snowflakes.  Both classes earned enough snowflakes to watch Frozen this afternoon.  All the kids enjoyed the movie!  It was fun to listen to them sing along to all the songs!

Passport to NH History

Last Thursday we had a visit from the New Hampshire Historical Society.  They came and did a presentation on the Era of Immigration in New Hampshire.  The students learned about immigrants from Russia, Poland, Ireland, Greece, and Canada.  They were able to look at and touch artifacts from these different cultures.

Better Late Than Never!

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated our blog!  I want to apologize but sometimes life gets crazy!  I'm going to use this post to show you all some pictures of a STEM activity we did around the holidays, our holiday party, and our Polar Express movie event with Mrs. LeBlanc's first grade class.

Our STEM activity was awesome!  I read "The Cajun Night Before Christmas" to get the kids thinking about what Santa Claus is like down in the bayou by New Orleans.  He doesn't deliver presents using a sleigh.  Instead he has a boat with alligators instead of reindeer.  The challenge for the students was to design a boat that would hold the most "presents."  You will see them designing, building, and testing the boats.

During our holiday party we had a book exchange where every kid received a book to take home.  They made two circles (girls and boys) and Mrs. Moran read "Twas the Night Before Christmas."  Every time she said the word "right" or "left" they had to pass the book in that direction.  The book they had in their hand at the end was the book they got to keep.

We watched Polar Express with Mrs. LeBlanc's first grade class.  All the kids were able to wear pajamas and bring stuffed animals.  Each kid received a ticket and a bell.  We had hot chocolate and popcorn during the movie.

Halloween Party!

Check out our fantastic Halloween costumes!!!

Candy Corn Experiment

Halloween was a busy and fun day in Sports Fanatic Avenue!  We took our story assessment, a spelling test, had a party, and did a fun science experiment!

In our science experiment we used candy corn pumpkins, vinegar, salt, water, and soda.  We used the scientific method and observed what happened to the pumpkin in the different solutions.  See what happened:

Ghost Experiment

During the months of October and November we had the opportunity to have a practicum student from Plymouth work in our room.  She taught a variety of lessons and did many activities with our students.  All the kids really enjoyed working with her.  Ask your child something they learned from Miss West!

The Friday before Halloween Miss West did a little science experiment to get us in the Halloween spirit!  The kids loved it!  They learned what happens when vinegar and baking soda interact.  Check out the experiment: