Blossoming Botanists

Aloha, Parents of Blossoming Botanists,

Botany Inquiry
Yes, we began our Inquiry Botany Unit in earnest this week, and your children are excited about collecting and sorting plants and plant parts, investigating seeds, sprouting lima beans, and growing molds on cheese and bread. We will pull out our Timeline of Life and trace the development of plants throughout the earth’s history, learn what plants need to grow and thrive by doing interesting experiments, and investigate the functions of plant parts.

I will be sending home a Science Adventure sheet for a fun weekend investigation of plants that you can do with your child. I think you will enjoy this interaction. If you are a gardener or know something special about plants, please let us know so we can arrange for you to come in and share your knowledge with us.

Geography Inquiry
Our Geography Inquiry is still going strong! We had a very special PowerPoint presentation on Africa this afternoon by Maya Hayashi, Marc’s sister, and, tomorrow, Mrs. Hayashi is coming to tell us about her experiences in Russia studying ballet. She will also show us money and costumes from all over Asia. We are fortunate to have so many family members and friends who are willing to teach us. Ours is truly a community of teachers and learners!

We have several more presentations and a visit to Mr. Costello’s shop scheduled in the next two weeks, and we are still researching countries and continents. Ms. Byrne’s class will show us how to prepare PowerPoint presentations. You will have a chance to see them the week of May 14th. We will also be ready to show you some of our botany experiment results by then.

Pennies for Patients
Mid-Pacific Elementary is supporting the Pennies for Patients drive again this year. This is a worthy cause that raises money for children with leukemia and lymphoma and their families. This drive is an excellent opportunity for your child to understand the value of giving to others in need and to practice their money and math skills. Last year, our class was honored with a pizza party for raising the most money! Let’s all do what we can to help.

Please encourage your child to earn some of the money to donate by doing chores or helping around your home. They can also ask family and friends to contribute. Have your child count the money they collect (1st graders may need help with this, and all students should have parents check their totals), put it in a zip-lock bag, and write the amount on the outside of the bag. When they bring it to school, they will tell us how they raised the money, how they counted it, and how much they are adding to the collection box. We will keep a running tally in class to practice our awesome addition skills. The deadline for donations is Friday, April 27th. Mahalo for your help with this!!

Math
The children are enjoying learning about measurement, and we will soon be learning more about fractions, too. Both of these math skills will be incorporated into our Inquiry Botany unit.

Photos
Be sure and check out our website photo gallery for pictures of the Peru trip and the latest, exciting, learning adventures in our class!

Posted on April 19, 2007 4:45 PM | Permalink