March 9-12

In History we will read about Nurses and watch a movie about Florence Nightingale. We will begin reading Chapter 5 in The Wind in the Willows. In Science we will read about Echinoderms in Exploring Creation. We will read “God Will Make Everything Happy” from The Bible In Pictures.

March 2-5

In Science we will be labeling the parts of an octopus for our portfolios. The children will make their own Five Senses sticker activity sheets. In Bible we will practice singing spirituals for the Barnes and Noble performance. We will be practicing “The Snowflake” by Walter de la Mare for Barnes and Noble. The Barnes and Noble event has been cancelled because we might have icy roads. It will be rescheduled at a later date.

February 17-19

The children will use shells and clay to create a Mollusk for their Ocean Boxes. We will cover pinecones with peanut butter for the birds. In Bible we will practice singing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and “Open the Window, Noah”. We will begin working on our paintings for Barnes and Noble night. In History will read about Harriet Tubman and Booker T. Washington. The children will color pictures of them.

February 9-12

The children will visit the garden and plant bulbs this week. We will read about Sea Snails, Conchs, and Moon Snails. We will talk about Triops (Sea Monkeys) and place Triops eggs in our aquarium to observe. The children will decorate their own red bags to put their valentines in on Thursday. We will also make cards to take home. Our Valentine party will be this Thursday, February 12, at 3:00. Please send 8 valentines for your child to exchange with the other children.

February 2-5

In History we will read The Odd Boy Out about Albert Einstein. In Science we will read “Mollusks” from Exploring Creation. In Art the children will begin painting their own Picasso Portrait. In Music children will sing “Chatter with the Angels” and “Get on Board” from A Child’s First Book of African American Spirituals.

January 26-29

In Science we will read A House for a Hermit Crab this week. In Bible we will read “Make Way For The King” (John 12). In Music the children have been practicing their song for the Charlie Brown play. We are watching the Charlotte’s Web movie on Thursday to compare to the play that we watched and book that we finished reading. The children had a wonderful time on the field trip to Casa Manana.

January 20-22

In Bible we will read from Luke 12:27-32 and read “Jesus Teaches about God’s Care from The Bible in Pictures. In Science we will read About Crustaceans. The children will color a picture with lobsters and shrimp. In Music we will sing “All Night, All Day” from A Child’s Book of African American Spirituals. In Art we will watercolor a picture with shells and a crab for our portfolios. We will be going to see Charlotte’s Web at Casa Manana on Tuesday, January 27th. We will leave at 9:30 and the play will begin at 10:30.

January 12-15

In History we will begin learning about Alexander Graham Bell. We will begin to recite “The Snowflake” by Walter de la Mare. The children will sketch Cabbage and Swiss Chard this week. In Science we will finish learning about sharks this week and send home the shark sculptures on Monday. We will be going to see Charlotte’s Web at Casa Manana on Tuesday, January 27th. We will leave at 9:30 and the play will begin at 10:30.

January 5-8

In History we will read about the life of Milton Hershey. In Science we will be learning about the lifecycle of a shark. The children will create a sculpture of a shark. We will begin to recite “The Snowflake” by Walter de la Mare. In Music we will learn to sing “A Fox Went Out On A Chilly Night” (a folk song) along with the book.

December 8-11

In History we will learn about Santa Lucia and Hanukkah. In Music the children will sing “Eight Little Candles” and march with a Menorah. In Art children will be making their own manger scene with stickers to take home. In Science the children will learn about Sharks and Sawfish.

December 1-4

In Art the children will sketch the Poinsettia this week. We will be painting wooden angel and snowflake ornaments this week. The children will be making windmill ornaments and learning about Sinterklass Day in Holland. In Music we will be practicing many Christmas songs this week. The children will be practicing “Jingle Bells” and using jingle bell bracelets. There is a sign-up sheet in the hallway for the party next Thursday.

November 17-20

In History will be reading about the Pilgrims and Indians this week and finishing our placemats for the feast. The children made handprint turkeys this week. The children will be making pine cone turkeys to take home and finishing their fish. We will recite our poem at 11:30 on Thursday and eat after the performance. Be sure to bring the food or drinks on Thursday morning for the feast if you signed up to bring something.

November 10-13

The children will be sketching roses from the front of the school. We will be planting pansies in the front of the building. In History we will be reading about Williamsburg and making placemats for Grandparent’s Day. The children will be making their own fish bowls using stickers and decorating paper fish to take home. There is a sign- up sheet in the hall. We need parents to bring food for the feast on Grandparent’s Day. We will be presenting a poem with Mrs. Steincamp’s class and eating with our grandparent’s.

November 3-6

The children will be learning and labeling the parts of a frog. We will be coloring, cutting, and pasting the lifecycle of a frog. The children will be sketching a frog this week for their Nature Journals. In History we will be learning and reading about Elias Howe and how he invented the sewing machine. The children will be sewing buttons this week. In Music we will be practicing “Over the River and Through the Woods”.

October 27-30

The children will be sketching Salvia and Gaura this week. We will be sequencing the life cycle of a pumpkin. In History we will be reading about Rosa Parks this week. The children will be narrating If A Bus Could Talk. We will be playing Nursery Rhyme games on Thursday morning. We need a few more people to sign up to bring prizes for the games or treat bags. There is a yellow sign-up sheet in the hallway. Your child may wear a Nursery Rhyme costume to school on Thursday. The children may bring a change of clothes if they would like to take off their costume before the field trip. We will eat lunch at 10:45. School lunches will not be provided on Thursday since we are eating early. Please bring a lunch to school. We will leave to go on the Field Trip to Country Critters Farm at 11:30 and will be back around 2:30. Be sure and wear tennis shoes for the field trip.

October 20-24

The children will be sketching Ben Tu (tortoise) for the Nature Journals. We will be reading about Awesome George and the Giant Tortoise this week. Your child may wear a costume to school. They can change clothes before the field trip. We will have lunch at school at 10:45, and leave for Country Critters at 11:30. Please return your field trip permission slip with $7.00 for each child and parent attending. We are planning fall games with a Nursery Rhyme theme for the morning of Thursday, October 30. There will be a sign up sheet in the hallway if you would like to bring non-candy prizes for the children or treat bags for the students.

October 14-16

In Science we will begin learning about Sea Turtles this week and the children will be labeling the names of several different turtles for their portfolios. We will read Sea Turtles by Jeffrey Rotman. The children will plant Swiss Chard seeds into the garden this week. We will be practicing the “Over in the Meadow” song with the book. We will be taking a field trip to Country Critters Farm on Thursday, October 30th from 12 to 2pm. We will leave at 11:30. It cost $7 for adults and children. Please turn in the money to Mrs. Hague by next Monday, October 20th. Please wear tennis shoes on the field trip. We will eat at school before we leave.

October 6-9

We will be learning about walruses this week and read Awesome Walruses.The children will paint their Seal Sculptures that they created last week. In History we will be reading about the people that invented the Cotton Gin, television, light bulb, and electrical battery. In Math we will practice telling time by the half hour in class this week. In Music we will practice listening to “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong.

September 22-25

We will continue to read about the different kinds of whales this week. The children will be drawing an animal from the ocean and writing sentences about their ocean animal they have chosen. The children will be planting cabbage into the garden this week. We will be narrating Chapter 5 about Charlotte meeting Wilbur. The children will be practicing with rhythm sticks to “The Living Sea” Please be sure to bring a snack for snack time each day. You can drop it off in the basket by the classroom door every morning. Be sure to put it in a baggy with a name on it.

September 15-18

The children will sketch Petunias for their Nature Journals and take turns planting them into the front flowerbed. We will be reading about different kinds of whales and make a Life in the Sea mini-book. The children will make their own paper bag whale this week. The children will move like whales with crepe paper while listening to “Motion of the Ocean”. The Spaghetti Supper will be at the school on Thursday, September 25th. Take-out orders will be available if you aren’t able to attend.

September 8-11

In Science we will read Animals of Rivers, Lakes, and Ponds by Sandra Donovan. We will do an Experiment on “What is Heavier” this week. The children will color a portrait of Benjamin Franklin with colored pencils for their portfolios. The children will practice moving slowly and quickly to Raffi’s “Water Dance.” We will read about Van Gogh and begin painting the “Sunflowers”.

September 2-4

We will begin reading about Benjamin Franklin by Edgar Parin d’Aulaire. We will read about Aquatic Life and Invertebrates. We will also plant spinach into our garden. The children will make their own paper plate ocean this week. The children will listen to the “Baby Beluga” book and CD by Raffi. On Wednesday afternoons the children will be learning jazz from our new dance teacher.

May 12-15

In History we will finish reading about George Washington and begin to learn about Abraham Lincoln. In Science we will read from Common Bird Songs and listen to a CD with field recordings of the songs of various common birds. We will go on a plant hunt, and the children will record their observations. Please bring your child and meet us at the Hillcrest Church of Christ this Thursday morning at 9:30am. to practice for our performance on Thursday evening. We will come back to school after we sing our song and practice the poem on the stage Thursday morning. On Thursday, May 15, we will perform before the production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. The children will sing “You Are My Sunshine” (accompanied by Mr. Collum on guitar) and recite a poem, “Foreign Lands”, by Robert Louis Stevenson. We are hoping that all of our children will be able to attend with their parents and stay for the play. We will perform at 7:00 (please meet at the Hillcrest Church of Christ and drop off your child to Mrs. Steincamp/Mrs. Hague at 6:45.

May 6-8

We will begin to learn about the life of James Audubon. We will practice Narration with “The Cardinal” as we continue to learn about Perching and Birds. We will pick and press leaves and flowers for our Nature Journals. In Art the children will work on special Mother’s Day surprises. In Music we will practice singing “You Are My Sunshine” with accompaniment by Mr. Collum on the guitar.

April 28-May 1

The children will begin to paint birdhouses with acrylic paint.We will continue to learn about Perching Birds as we read “The Brown Thrasher” in our Christian Liberty Nature Reader. We will read excerpts from Birds by Usborne. In History we will continue to read from In The Wilderness (about Lewis and Clark). Our Field Day is this Thursday, May 1. Activities for the children will begin at 11:00, and hot dogs will be provided for lunch (your child may also bring a lunch box if desired). We hope that you will be able to join us for lots of fun!