This Week in Review - December 5 - 9

This information will also be found in Walter's weekly email.

This week seems to be all about presentations and performances! We have rehearsed our myth for the all-school play several times, and were excited to finally be able to practice on the actual stage. We also learned and wrote about the raptors who live at the Leslie Science and Nature Center, and have practiced our Friday morning meeting presentation. And, finally, my math group has been practicing a magic trick that we hope to perform for other math groups. 

On Wednesday morning, our small scientists dissected owl pellets as part of our month-long project about birds of prey. We learned in a very hands-on way more about the food chain. Also, several children found a great skeleton on the playground, and were so excited to research what type of animal it was. Luckily, we have a good selection of science books to look through. They think it may be a rat. We finished the first of our raptor chapter books, one called There's an Owl in the Shower, by Jean Craighead George. This is an interesting exploration for these children as the book explores the world of loggers vs environmentalists, and introduces concepts like clear-cutting and soil erosion (and the long-term and complicated effects of altering even one part of the natural environment). 

Of course, we continue working on spelling, writing conventions, poetry anthologies, and more. It is a busy and productive time. We look forward to next week, when we have several families coming in to share their family and cultural traditions, as well as preparing for the "Birdie Bake Sale".