At recess some crew members found and watched a bee on a dandelion. Ms. Meghan captured a video of it. I love hearing their voices in the background of the video as they discuss the bee.
Bee Video from Recess
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Collecting Pollen with Our Bees
Today we learned about how bees gather and spread pollen from flower to flower. Bees are certainly important in our world. (Note: While we were taking turns rubbing our bees on the flowers, there was a very loud scream. It sounded like someone got stung by a bee but really it was just two kids bonking heads. They were checked out by the nurse and all is fine.)
At recess some crew members found and watched a bee on a dandelion. Ms. Meghan captured a video of it. I love hearing their voices in the background of the video as they discuss the bee.
Bee Video from Recess
At recess some crew members found and watched a bee on a dandelion. Ms. Meghan captured a video of it. I love hearing their voices in the background of the video as they discuss the bee.
Bee Video from Recess
Monday, May 8, 2017
Scientific Drawings
Last Friday we did some scientific drawings of bees (at a first grade level). We tried to draw bees as accurately as we could and labeled all of the parts that we have learned. Check out a few samples:
Important Dates
5/10 Third Grade Showcase of Learning Presentations
5/24 Sixth Grade Showcase of Learning Presentation
6/1 Last Day of School - All School Drum Circle at 9 am
Important Dates
5/10 Third Grade Showcase of Learning Presentations
5/24 Sixth Grade Showcase of Learning Presentation
6/1 Last Day of School - All School Drum Circle at 9 am
Friday, May 5, 2017
Tidbits
Today I am just offering up a bit of this and a bit of that. No real theme - just some nice moments in our week.
Check out the video below to hear the voice that Ms. Meghan used to read the book. She is quite the actress! Unfortunately, I hit stop on the video right before the crew cracked up. She had them mesmerized. (The book even had her laughing so hard that she could barely read.)
My door was decorated for Teacher Appreciation Week. I love it!
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| Ella and her family checking out her Showcase of Learning video at conferences. Aw... (I am sure that I missed many other great moments, too.) |
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| Ms. Marla sent in this book so the crew could read it. We loved it! |
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| Ms. Meghan read the book to the crew |
Check out the video below to hear the voice that Ms. Meghan used to read the book. She is quite the actress! Unfortunately, I hit stop on the video right before the crew cracked up. She had them mesmerized. (The book even had her laughing so hard that she could barely read.)
My door was decorated for Teacher Appreciation Week. I love it!
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| Our tent and campfire - complete with marshmallows. |
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| Some sample marshmallows from the fire. |
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
This is Your Child's Brain - Sleep is Important
Sleep or more specifically, the lack of sleep can have a significant impact on your child. Research is showing that lack of sleep impacts more than just mood and alertness. It can also impact brain development, cognition, behavior (mimicking symptoms of ADHD), weight and more. I have a linked to a few articles about these impacts for you below. I pulled out a few important quotes from each article for you.
The 7 Reasons Your Child Needs Sleep
2. Sleep helps the heart.
Experts are learning more about how sleep protects kids from vascular damage due to circulating stress hormones and arterial wall -- damaging cholesterol. "Children with sleep disorders have excessive brain arousal during sleep, which can trigger the fight-or-flight response hundreds of times each night," says Jeffrey Durmer, M.D., Ph.D., a sleep specialist and researcher in Atlanta. "Their blood glucose and cortisol remain elevated at night. Both are linked to higher levels of diabetes, obesity, and even heart disease."
6. Sleep increases kids' attention span.
Children who consistently sleep fewer than ten hours a night before age 3 are three times more likely to have hyperactivity and impulsivity problems by age 6. "But the symptoms of sleep-deprivation and ADHD, including impulsivity and distractibility, mirror each other almost exactly," explains Dr. Owens. In other words, tired kids can be impulsive and distracted even though they don't have ADHD. No one knows how many kids are misdiagnosed with the condition, but ruling out sleep issues is an important part of the diagnosis, she says. For school-age kids, research has shown that adding as little as 27 minutes of extra sleep per night makes it easier for them to manage their moods and impulses so they can focus on schoolwork.
Lack of Sleep Linked to Behavior Problems in Kids
“Children who aren’t getting the recommended amount of sleep have more difficulties with attention, with emotional control, with reasoning, with problem-solving, and also have behavioral problems,” lead author Dr. Elsie Taveras told Reuters Health.
The bedtime routine should involve a winding down period with relaxing activities such as reading a bedtime story, Beebe added. “It seems old fashioned but it's very calming, it's very connecting. It can be very soothing, and it's very predictable,” he said.
7 Ways Sleep Affects the Brain (And What Happens If It Doesn't Get Enough)
If you have kids, you know that without sleep, they can be a tad difficult. Sleep deprivation in children has lots of short-term ramifications, and over the long term, it may even affect brain development. Sleep is especially important for the growing brain, which is why babies, kids and teens sleep so much.
Some studies have reported that kids who are sleep-deprived because of nighttime breathing problems are significantly more likely to have ADHD symptoms than kids who sleep well. Others have found that a little extra sleep can make a significant difference in school performance: Just 18 more minutes per night was linked to better grades in math and English in elementary school kids.
The 7 Reasons Your Child Needs Sleep
2. Sleep helps the heart.
Experts are learning more about how sleep protects kids from vascular damage due to circulating stress hormones and arterial wall -- damaging cholesterol. "Children with sleep disorders have excessive brain arousal during sleep, which can trigger the fight-or-flight response hundreds of times each night," says Jeffrey Durmer, M.D., Ph.D., a sleep specialist and researcher in Atlanta. "Their blood glucose and cortisol remain elevated at night. Both are linked to higher levels of diabetes, obesity, and even heart disease."
6. Sleep increases kids' attention span.
Children who consistently sleep fewer than ten hours a night before age 3 are three times more likely to have hyperactivity and impulsivity problems by age 6. "But the symptoms of sleep-deprivation and ADHD, including impulsivity and distractibility, mirror each other almost exactly," explains Dr. Owens. In other words, tired kids can be impulsive and distracted even though they don't have ADHD. No one knows how many kids are misdiagnosed with the condition, but ruling out sleep issues is an important part of the diagnosis, she says. For school-age kids, research has shown that adding as little as 27 minutes of extra sleep per night makes it easier for them to manage their moods and impulses so they can focus on schoolwork.
Lack of Sleep Linked to Behavior Problems in Kids
“Children who aren’t getting the recommended amount of sleep have more difficulties with attention, with emotional control, with reasoning, with problem-solving, and also have behavioral problems,” lead author Dr. Elsie Taveras told Reuters Health.
The bedtime routine should involve a winding down period with relaxing activities such as reading a bedtime story, Beebe added. “It seems old fashioned but it's very calming, it's very connecting. It can be very soothing, and it's very predictable,” he said.
7 Ways Sleep Affects the Brain (And What Happens If It Doesn't Get Enough)
If you have kids, you know that without sleep, they can be a tad difficult. Sleep deprivation in children has lots of short-term ramifications, and over the long term, it may even affect brain development. Sleep is especially important for the growing brain, which is why babies, kids and teens sleep so much.
Some studies have reported that kids who are sleep-deprived because of nighttime breathing problems are significantly more likely to have ADHD symptoms than kids who sleep well. Others have found that a little extra sleep can make a significant difference in school performance: Just 18 more minutes per night was linked to better grades in math and English in elementary school kids.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Garden Mural
Last Friday afternoon we worked together as a crew to create a mural of a garden and all of its many parts. We worked in small groups on various parts: worms, underground tunnels, flowers, green plants, items in the sky, bees, birds, rabbits and a scarecrow. I didn't give them any directions - I just helped them get into groups, got out some paper and let them go. They worked very well together. Later in the afternoon, Ms. Meghan and Ms. Jen finished adding all of the various parts to our mural. We think it is just beautiful. Below are a few pictures and a very short video of us working on the mural. (If you get this post by email, you will need to go directly to the crew blog to view the short video.)
Monday, May 1, 2017
Ms. Meghan Teaches Writing
Last Friday, Ms. Meghan began teaching writing to the crew. She had them brainstorming ideas and writing a progressive story. She is a natural teacher and really inspires the crew to be writers. This gives me the chance to work with small groups or individuals on their specific writing needs. We are so lucky to be able to do this sharing of the teaching duties. It helps us meet more of the needs that are in the classroom. Thanks, Ms. Meghan!
Important Dates
5/3 Student-Led Showcase of Learning Conferences for First Grade
5/10 Third Grade Showcase of Learning Presentations
5/24 Sixth Grade Showcase of Learning Presentation
6/1 Last Day of School - All School Drum Circle at 9 am
Important Dates
5/3 Student-Led Showcase of Learning Conferences for First Grade
5/10 Third Grade Showcase of Learning Presentations
5/24 Sixth Grade Showcase of Learning Presentation
6/1 Last Day of School - All School Drum Circle at 9 am
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