Snow!!!

Well, guess what?  We read about snowflakes on Wednesday and that's exactly what we woke up to this morning!  I hope that you all are able to enjoy the nice surprise that Winter brought North Carolina. 

We learned that all snowflakes have six sides and no two are alike. We also learned that snow benefits plants and animals by providing a blanket to the ground.  It's also like rain in that it softens the ground for plants to grow later. 

We talked more again about hibernation.  I think the children are finally learning that big word.  In keeping with our study of bears, we created a gummy bear graph as seen in the picture below.  The children were asked first to sort the bears into groups by color.  After that, they were to count the bears and stamp a square on the graph that represented each color of that particular gummy bear.  I was impressed with their math skills! 

 

Next week, we'll be going on a bear hunt.  I've told the kids to wear their hunting gear.  Also, if you have any snow pictures to share, send them over.  I'll post them on the blog later.  

 

  

 

Jackson showed the children some lanterns from Grand Asia Market. 

He taught us what he learned about the traditions of Chinese New Year.

Hibernation Homes

This past week, we learned more about places where animals hibernate.  We read the story, Time For Winter.  From the story, we learned about animals and insects that hibernate such as ladybugs, bears, frogs, turtles, skunks, and snails.  We even walked through to woods and discovered some places where these animals and insects might be hibernating.  We learned that animals start preparing for hibernation during the fall.  They store up food and they eat more so that fat is stored in their bodies.  During art, the children spent a lot of time working on hibernation houses.  They used the houses for their bears that they brought for show and tell.  Some of them included lizards and spiders in the homes.  I was impressed with their creativity and the amount of time that each child spent on his project.  Below are pictures of  some of  the finished products:

We finished the animal counting graphs which are in your child's journal.  We also did some counting with Honey Nut Cheerios.  We got a lot done on Wednesday but we spent an ample amount of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather.  Speaking of, the boys worked very hard making a bridge in the woods.  They were so cooperative and diligent. 

 

Hibernation and Winter

We had a fantastic day last week.  With the warmer temperatures this week, I'm expecting another wonderful day with the kids.  Ironically, every year that we've studied Winter, we end up with unseasonable temperatures.  It's always a nice treat. 

Last Wednesday, we focused on what animals do when winter arrives.  We learned about hibernation.  When animals hibernate, their body temperatures and heart rates drop and their breathing slows.  Bats, frogs, snakes, ladybugs, and bears are all examples of animals that hibernate.  Some animals take "naps" in the Winter but wake up often so they aren't true hibernators. 

Please bring a box tomorrow as we'll be using them to make hibernation homes.  Also, send a bear stuffed animal to class with your child.  We'll be using those for several activities.  See you tomorrow!