Skype from Japan!

As you probably know, Mrs. Timmons had an unexpected call over the Spring Break,  Her husband, Wes Timmons, who substitutes at Chets Creek during the off-season, is a professional baseball player.  He has been playing in the Minor Leagues for nine years and this year he is playing with the Oakland A's.  He went to Spring Training with the big team and then was invited to join them for four games in JAPAN!  So.... during Spring Break he called Mrs. Timmons and told her to get out her passport because she had been invited to join him for a week in Japan!

On Wednesday, she stayed up late (there is a 13 hour time difference!) and Skyped the class!  We were so excited to actually see her and talk to her.  She showed up the Japanese money "yen" and even showed us a Japanese coin with a hole in it.  She taught us a few Japanese words, showed us chop sticks and talked about the differences in the food she is eating.  Do you know that she is eating seaweed for breakfast?  We also learned that the Japanese often take their shoes off when entering someone's home and that she had to take her shoes off at a Japanese Restaurant and then sat on pillows on the floor to eat her dinner!  Mr. Timmons said he had lunch at McDonald's!  Mrs. Timmons also told us that the Japanese dress up their dogs in clothes and shoes and that even the dogs have to take off their shoes when entering the house!  Mrs. Timmons answered all of out questions and then as we went off to lunch, she went to bed!  We can't wait to hear all about her adventures when she gets back to school next week!

Can you blow a bubble?

Today the children in our class learned how to blow a bubble.  First they watched a video tutorial that gave a step-by-step procedure for blowing a bubble.  Then they watched Mrs. Timmons and Mrs. Ruark walk them through step-by-step.

 Show off!

Some children blew a bubble for the very first time!

We had so much fun!  Then, of course, we wrote a procedural piece on how to blow a bubble!  Ask your child if they can show  you how to blow a bubble!



Making Clay Continents

We continued our procedural writing today by beginning with a project.  Today each table made their own map of the continents using colorful clay.  Each child at a table had one laminated form of one of the continents to use as an outline.  As each continent was shaped out of clay it was carefully lifted and placed onto the larger foam board to create a world map.

After experiencing the activity each child was asked to write

"how to make a clay continent."  Below is one student's attempt at explaining the project.

How to Make a Clay Continent

1.  First unwrap the clay and roll the clay. Don't worry. It will be hard.

2.  Then smoosh the clay and make it flat.

3. Next take the clay and take it into little pieces.

4.  Finally spread the clay onto the plastic.

You will need: 1 picture, plastic, scrapper, Popsicle (stick), clay

"How to"

We are in the middle of a writing unit on procedural writing.  Children are writing "how to" do things.  Today they wrote how to make no-bake cookies and what a fun time they had!  Each child had a chance to add an ingredient to the bowl and/or mix and knead the dough.  Each child then got his/her own ball of dough to shape into a 3-D shape and then roll in green sugar in honor of St. Pat's Day.  Now we will write the directions so you can try it at home!