Chewonki at school: Fur, Feathers and Feet Presentation

On Friday, we were very lucky to have Keith from the Chewonki Foundation at the school. He came to talk to us about the differences between animals with fur and animals with feathers .

With Keith, we talked about the different characteristics of mammals : they have fur, warm blood, give birth to live young, and feed milk to their young. We confirmed that we are mammals! We touched a piece of fur to discover the different types of fur that cover a mammal's body.

We learned through observation that by examining the animal's teeth we can tell what they eat (herbivore or carnivore). We observed and touched skulls of a raccoon, beaver and bear to compare. It was impressive!

We talked about birds too, in particular how they have different beaks and feet depending on what they eat and where they live. 

We then had to answer a series of questions, and with each correct answer, we added a piece of a costume until our classmates became a bear and a bird. This was a fun way to reinforce what we had learned!

We also got to view some live animals too. Keith brought a bat, which we fed mealworms, and a duck that is 18 years old and has been a valuable member of the Chewonki team for all of his many years! What a fantastic lesson!

In the afternoon after the visit, we drew in our notebooks about all we learned!

Vivaldi's Four Seasons in Music Class

This year is the season of Vivaldi!  

In music class at L’Ecole Française, we are learning about the great Baroque composer Vivaldi and his masterpiece, the Four Seasons.  Organized into four concerti, we started by listening to Vivaldi’s summer concerto that depicts a summer storm.   

Inspired by this wonderful chorus: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29qaN0M0o0s 
we learned to create a storm with our bodies both in music class and in chorus.

We then listened to Vivaldi’s inspiration of a rainstorm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuF4oYRktcA  
and heard the wind and rain through his music.  We then drew and colored our own version of a summer storm while listening to Vivaldi’s entire summer concerto from the Four Seasons.

Bartholomew and the Oobleck : A Recipe for fun learning !

Students in Grade 2 have been studying Dr. Seuss in an author study. In class, we have read many books by Dr. Seuss, examined his writing style and illustrations, have learned about his life, and also have had in depth book discussions on some of books his including The Lorax.  

Bartholomew and the Oobleck is a book about a very greedy King. He wanted to invent something that would fall from the sky (other than rain and snow) so that he would be famous forever. Sadly, he created ‘Oobleck’ which almost destroyed the town. He was able to fix his disaster by saying 2 simple words, ‘I’m sorry’.

After reading the book, students used their imaginations and wrote about something they invented to fall from the sky. They wrote about things like candy, chocolate, and endless fruit falling from the sky! They also made their own illustrations.

Of course, after reading the book, we had to make Oobleck! We mixed cornstarch, food coloring, and water to create a non-Newtonian substance, which is not a liquid and not a solid. Students LOVED the way this silky substance felt in their hands. The slime looked wet yet felt dry.  It acts like a liquid, but when sqeezing it, it turned into a solid.  

Looking for a rainy day activity at home?  Make Oobleck!  Our 2nd graders have the recipe!

Songs

les insects

We learned so much about butterflies and moths: about their development, their diet, their environment, how they use camouflage... The butterflies of Peru and Papua New Guinea were gigantic and magnificent! We adored the "owl butterfly", the "peanut headbug" and the "walking leaves". It was interesting to see the scorpion and the "camel spiders", and to touch the centipede, and the enormous tarantula! Thanks to Jim for this interesting visit!

Grade 2 English Language Arts with Dr. Seuss

In English class, Grade 2 students have been studying Dr. Seuss.  This unit is well underway as students have already read many Dr. Seuss books, learned about his writing style and illustrations, and facts about his life.  After completing an in depth study of The Lorax which also included writing about how to help the earth, students made their own Lorax mustaches. 

As the Lorax would say "Unless someone like you cares an awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It's not."

apple picking outing

The preschool and kindergarten students had fun picking apples in Cumberland. Upon their return to school, they made baked apples and apple cake in the following days. A tasty good time!