Lining Up in Number Order

One activity we did this week was to line up in order. Yesterday we each had a card with a number on it and we had to count by 2s to get in order (we also tried to do it counting by 5s). The tricky part was that we were not allowed to talk to each other while getting in order. We had to communicate in other ways in order to be successful. This was a team building activity and a math activity. We were so proud when we did it as you can see in the photos below.

IA
Our IA next week is Sustainability. (Yes, Art and Music are coming soon!)

Seedlings and Group Thumb Wrestling

A few weeks ago we planted some seeds to give them a head start before we plant them in the garden. Here is what they look like now:

Group Thumb Wrestling
 We learned a fun new team building game. Check out the pictures below.

Four Person Thumb Wrestling

Five Person Thumb Wrestling

Whole Crew Thumb Wrestling

Homework
No homework for the weekend. Enjoy some good books with your child.

IA
Our IA next week is Music.

Building and Creating

As you may recall, you all (the parents) gave our crew a great gift at our Winter Party. You gave us a set of Keva Planks. I was so excited and now the crew is, too. (If you get this post by email, you will need to go directly to the blog to view the short video clip below.)

Keva Planks are great for all ages - Dads love them, too.

While we do use them everday during Exploration Stations in small groups, the crew began asking me if we could try to build something as a whole crew. So last Friday, we tried it. I dumped out all of the planks and then got out of the way so that they could plan, discuss and build.

A group leader emerged right away. He even used our attention getting signal of clapping to get everyone's attention.

Then another leader stepped up.

Now we had co-leaders. Ms. Wendy and I still stayed out of the discussion. It got tense a few times but they worked through all of their issues and made good decisions as a whole group. It was a great team building experience for the crew. A few children did opt out because they didn't like being in such a large group which was fine. I can completely understand their point of view.

Finally the building began.

We even had a blueprint to work off of.

And an updated blueprint.

The crew worked and worked but ran out of time to complete their castle (we had to go to Art). I promised them that we would have another group building session soon so at snack time a group sat together to plan out what they would do next time. They can't wait.

Thank you so much for this wonderful gift. As you can see, it is not only fun but it is a great educational tool as well teaching communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.

Homework
Reading ~ Read a good book or two.
Math ~ Home Link 5.10 Turn Around Facts

Important Dates
1/16 No School - Professional Development Day for Teachers
1/19 No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
2/13 No School - Professional Development Day for Teachers
2/16 No School - President's Day
2/26 Winter Voyage ~ Day 1 - not an overnight trip (Day 2 will be in April - also not an overnight trip)
3/23 - 4/3 Spring Break

Crew News August 9, 2012

Team Building
We had another great day in first grade. Today during morning meeting we played a game called People to People. It caused many giggles. We worked with a partner and had to connect with each other using different parts of our bodies. Then in math we did another team building activity. We used pattern blocks to create one design or picture. The challenge was that we had to work together as a team with our table groups to agree on a design and then construct it together. While that sounds relatively simple, lots of negotiating was needed to really work as a team. Check out the pictures below to see us in action.