Mexican Jumping Beans!

In connection with our unit on Mexico, we used our March PLUSS day to jump for joy for the Mexican Jumping Bean!

Our morning kicked off with Mr. Scott and Senora Neyra reading Lucas and his Loco Beans by Ramona Moreno.

Next, we headed upstairs to the science room to receive our beans, observe them, and learn about their life cycle with Mrs. Filer.  

 We opened a few beans so we could see what the larvae inside look like:

 After lunch we headed up to the art room to work with Mrs. Weiss to make houses for our beans:

We concluded our day with a Mexican Hat Dance lead by Dr. Culbertson:

It was another terrific PLUSS day in first grade!  Thank you to all of our community members who made it possible- Mr. Scott, Mrs. Filer, Senora Neyra, Senora Pena-Welch, Mrs. Weiss, and Dr. Culbertson

I overheard a first grader as he was leaving with his mom today.  He said, "Mama, guess what!? We are going to have six moths in our house!"  Hopefully this won't be the case, but as your first grader should be able to explain to you, with the use of their life cycle drawings, this very well could happen! If you keep your beans in the refrigerator (the area of the fridge where you store butter is the recommended area), the beans will last longer in this state.

First graders, this was such a fun day with you!  What was your favorite part of today?  Post a comment to share with all of us!  

I posted our slideshow of photos from Dr. Seuss Day on Friday. Click here 

A Mystery from Down Under

We were super excited to reveal another set of Mystery Reader clues this past week.  The students in 1A are getting good at figuring these mysteries out!  Here were our clues:

• I have one son and one daughter.
• My birthday is in February.
• My favorite food is hamburgers.
• I really like watching and playing soccer.
• I am from New Zealand.  

That last clue sealed it FOR SURE and Lily and her classmates knew without a doubt that our Mystery Reader was her Dad, Mr. A!  

Mr. A shared a book from his childhood, that he's also shared with Lily and her brother, titled Miss Twiggley's Tree by Dorothea Warren Fox.  This book might be one that I share in Meeting for Worship coming up soon as it's filled with excellent messages that connect beautifully to Quakerism.  

After reading the story, Mr. A taught us a little about his country, New Zealand.  We learned some of the important facts and how to count to ten in Maori, one of the official languages of New Zealand.   

We also learned about their national symbol- The Kiwi Bird!

We even got to make a Kiwi Bird of our very own.  I'm convinced Mr. A would make an excellent teacher as organized as he was with our supplies!

Our finished birds:

It was another wonderful Mystery Reader Visit!  Thank you, Mr. A!

First graders, did you name your Kiwi?  Post a comment to share with all of us to tell us your Kiwi's name or your favorite part of this Mystery Reader visit.  

A Seusstastic Day!

It was a fantastic Dr. Seuss Day in first grade!  We were thrilled that so many parents/special friends were able to enjoy the morning with us.  Thank you!!  First graders, you did awesome with your quotes and your song.  I'm so proud of you!

Take a look at this slideshow of photos from our day:

                                                         

First graders, today (March 3rd) is National Read Across America Day!  It's also another snow day here in Maryland.  I hope you're able to find some time to curl up and enjoy a good book today.  What book are you currently reading, or listening to, and enjoying?  Would you recommend your book to a classmate?  Post a comment to share with all of us.

A Winter Mystery

On Monday, February 24th, we enjoyed a visit from another Mystery Reader.  Here were our clues:

• I love children's books.
• I travel around the world for work.
• I have blonde hair and blue eyes.
• I lived in a country in Europe that produces over 300 cheeses.
• I was born in the state most famous for potatoes.

Can you solve this Mystery?  

Sophia recognized this person......... it was her Mom, Mrs. A.K!  

Mrs. A.K. read the story Millicent the Monster by Mary Lystad.  She also read the poem If I Were in Charge of the World by Judith Viorst.  

 

After reading the story and poem, she asked us what WE would do if we were in charge of the world. Here's what we said:

If I were in charge of the world.............

• candy would be healthy- Annabel
• X-Boxes would be free- Quentin
• kids (not parents) would be in charge - Sam
• it would be summer all year so I could go to the pool outside and swim- Roisin
• we'd have more choices at meal times- Sophia
• everyone would be nice and no one would feel left out- Max
• candy would be served at every meal and it wouldn't rot your teeth- Lukas
• everyone would have lots of jewelry and fun- Lily
• school would start a little later in the morning- Laya
• kids would get sacks of toys everyday- Francis
• it would be Christmas everyday- Eva
• I'd have a gift card to Game Stop without a limit- Dylan

This conversation reminded me of one of my favorite books growing up:  If I Lived Alone by Michaela Muntean (Pretty cool that we have the same name, huh?- Lots of people have asked if we are the same person!).  It was one of the first books I learned to read by myself and I was just tickled that we had the same name only spelled differently!

First grade family members, how would you finish this sentence?  If I were in charge of the world.......... Post a comment to share with all of us.  Please remember to only use your first name or refer to yourself as _______(your child's name) Mom/Dad/Grandparent.