spiders

Did you know? Spiders are not insects,they are aracknids.spiders have up to 4  body parts.Spiders have oil on their feet.The mother layes it's eggs and wraps them up in a silk sack. Spiders live up to be 10 years.Tarantulas have been around for millions of years.Spiders have been around longer than dinosaurs and insects.        by    Teagen and Laura,Brody,Jake
                                                                                                               

Spider Fun

Learning about spiders can be so much fun and yummy too!

spiders,spiders,everywere!

I'm a black widow spider and I live all over the world but not at antartica or  in deserts.  I sometimes eat my mate by mistake.  Black widows lay 400 eggs at a time.  Black widows will eat almost anything they even
take bites of us! Thanks for reading our information!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spiderflakes

We continue our study of spiders. Today we made these "spider flakes." As usual students used their creativity and elaborated on the original idea of a simple "spider flake."

Thanks for Coming to Open House!

Thank you for coming to Open House!  I hope you enjoyed seeing a little of what we do each day.  Don't forget to subscribe to this blog.  You can enter your email address on the tab "Follow by email" on the right of this post and you will recieve an email each time the blog is updated.

Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

Today we read a book called "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" by Carol McCloud. This author has the idea that everyone walks around carrying an "invisible bucket." You "fill" a bucket when you show love to someone, when you say or do something kind, or even just by smiling at someone. A bucket "filler" is kind and treats others with respect. You can also "dip" into a bucket and take out these good things and feelings. You are a bucket "dipper" when you make fun of someone, say mean things, or even ignore someone. A bully is a bucket "dipper." The author says,"All day long, we are either filling up or dipping into each other's buckets by what we say and do."

This year in our class we are working on becoming bucket "fillers." So, have you filled a bucket today? Click here to listen to "How Full is Your Bucket For Kids."

Meet the 2nd Grade Chefs

2nd graders had a great 1st day back in our Z&S Learning Cafe!  We began our day reviewing our "Daily Menu" and got right to work.  First in the menu was our "Waker Upper." This is a critical and creative thinking sheet we will do each Monday to "wake up" our brain and get our creativy going.  Check out your child's waker upper sheet in their binder.  We "met our chefs" with a getting to know more about you activity.  The kids drew themselves and described what kind of chef they were, these will be on display in your child's binder.  We talked about our school "Recipe for Success" theme and after discussion about ingredients for a great year each student wrote their own personal "recipe" for their school year.  Ask your child what ingredients they chose.  What day in the "kitchen" would be complete without making tasty treats?  We created our own trail mix and we talked about what ingredients each item represented(goldfish=teamwork; marshmallows= kindness; pretzel sticks=we stick togther, m&m's=fun, etc.)  What a yummy and fun activity!  It was "raining cats and dogs today" and we read a book called Butterflies in my Stomach and Other School Hazards.  We discused the meaning of  some of the idioms in the book and had fun illustrating one too! 

To be a "5 Star Chef" each week your child needs to: 1. Have you sign their daily menu. 2. Come prepared with their binder and lunch. 3. Follow our classroom rules. 4. Finish their work. 5. Be a classroom contributer.  They will write highlights from their day and/or challenges and goals, please review this with them each week and help them be "5 Star Chefs"!

What We have Been Up To...

"Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?"- Winnie the Pooh

That's how I feel about my blogging efforts!  I have great intentions when it comes to blogging, but sometimes no follow-through on actual posts.  Our gifted days are filled with learning and activities and I will try to do a better job of sharing those with you.  Here are a few things that we have been up to:

K/1st Grade-
Not a Box-  This clever book by Antoinette Portis sparked our creativity and imagination!  Check out this video and ask your child what they drew for their "not-a-box." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KXuBcdmktY&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

K/1st/and 2nd-

Six Thinking Hats- All three classes were introduced to the Six Thinking Hats this week.  Six Thinking Hats is a proven and pratical thinking tool. It provides a framework to help people think clearly and throughly by directing their attention in one direction at a time:
White hat- facts(logic)
Red hat- feelings
Yellow hat- benefits(positive)
Black hat- cautions(negative)
Green hat- creativity
Blue hat- summary

Ask your child about Six Hat Thinking!

Coming Soon...
~Sweet Pete's Field Trip Pictures and Wrap Up
~Guest Student Bloggers
Save the Date...
~ We are going to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm on April 24th!  Mark your calendars!  Permission slips coming soon