It's Fall, Y'all

Yesterday, we completed an estimation activity with an adorable, teeny tiny pumpkin (thanks, Mr. Slim!).  Each student guessed the number of seeds hidden within the pumpkin.  Some of the guesses were:

50
7
5
100
35
37
151
170

Then we rolled up our sleeves and dove head (or finger) first into the pumpkin goo.  It was fun! 

Each group was given a plateful of seeds to clean and count.  After each group finished, we were shocked to find that our teeny tiny baby pumpkin held 549 seeds!  Wow!

Then, we roasted the seeds in the oven and had a delicious and nutritious snack.  Yum!

We also have a furry new friend in our classroom...meet Lucy! 

It IS That Easy Being Green!

Halloween colors are traditionally black and orange.  This year, why not focus on making Halloween a little green?

Think about it...Frankenstein's Monster is green.  Goo is green.  Zombie guts are green (I suppose?).  Green is perfectly ghoulish!

How can you make your Halloween a little greener?  Here are a few easy steps:

Use recycled materials to create your costume.  Don't toss that cardboard away!  Let your kids paint and decorate and you can fashion it into all sorts of costumes.  You can also recycle old clothes (i.e. 80's prom dresses, bridesmaid dresses, etc.) into something fun your children will love!

Halloween candy is often produced in single-serving packages.  That's a lot of paper and plastic that will probably just be thrown away (after the goodies are gobbled down).  Instead, consider giving out erasers, stickers, temporary tattoos, or a single-serving goody that comes in a recycled container (i.e. raisins). 

Buy locally grown pumpkins or purchase your Jack O'Lantern from a pumpkin farm.  Support our local produce growers!  When old Jack is all done, turn him into compost or feed him to the cows/deer/pigs/whatever lives near your home.

If you're going to throw a Halloween party, consider sending out e-vites or creating an event on Facebook.  This saves paper.  You could also use real cloth napkins and real plates, cups, and utensils.  Think of all the trees you'll save!

Have your children carry a reusable canvas bag or metal bucket when trick-or-treating.  These items can be put away and used again and again for years to come. 

Sight/Spelling Word List 9

Can y'all believe we're already on Sight Word List 9??  This semester is flying by faster than I ever could have imagined!

about
may
these
good
stop
down
each
than
that
find

It IS That Easy Being Green!

How often do you drink a cup of coffee at school?  Once?  Twice?  Three times a day? (Coach Steele...we're talking to you!)

Now think about how often you rip open a Splenda packet, use a plastic coffee stirrer, throw away a Styrofoam cup, or use those little plastic creamer containers. 

All those elements that go into your daily cup of java=lots of trash.  Unfortunately, a large majority of that trash will never be recycled or re-purposed into something new.  Here are a few simple steps that will make your cup of joe a little greener:

Instead of using those Styrofoam cups, why not invest in a cute coffee mug that you can reuse each day? 

And instead of using individual sugar and creamer packets, why not buy a Sam's Club container of each?  It's more economical and less waste each day.

Don't bother purchasing those plastic coffee stirrers.  Why not just use a reusable spoon?

There are even ways to keep your actual coffee a little more green:

Buy your coffee beans in bulk and grind them at home.  Your coffee will taste fresher and you'll be saving money!

Check for a Fair Trade sticker on your coffee.  This means that the place where your coffee was grown has safe working conditions for growers. 

Choose organic or shade-grown coffees.  This means that your coffee has been grown without harsh chemicals.  Shade-grown coffee means that less trees are cut down in the rain forest.  This means that birds and other critters that call the trees "home" remain safe!

  Reuse and re-purpose your coffee grounds!  Did you know that coffee is great for scrubbing grease out of pots?  It is also a great natural fertilizer and deodorizer for the refrigerator.  You can even use caffeinated coffee grounds in place of a body scrub (the caffeine actually "wakes" your skin up)!

Celebrating Presidents

This week we've been discussing the qualifications for becoming president.  The students found a really unique way to showcase their new found knowledge.  Check it out!

Fact checking JFK.

 Precious hands.

 Students had to research several different facts about their assigned presidents.

 Students traced each other on a large sheet of paper and placed their facts on the "t-shirt." 

 They were surprised to discover that Ronald Reagan was a movie star before becoming president!

Another shot of precious, HARD WORKING hands!

It IS That Easy Being Green!

In honor of Jeans for Juvenile Diabetes Week (next week), we decided that this week we should focus on keeping your denim green.

Ways to keep your jeans "green":

Go vintage.  Why buy new jeans when you can buy name brand jeans at a thrift store.  Plus, they are already broken in!

If you do purchase new jeans, try to find a brand that uses all-natural ("organic") cotton.  Cotton is a very pesticide-heavy crop.  In fact, one pair of jeans can equate to 2/3 a pound of pesticides and chemical fertilizers!  Give the Earth a hug and find a brand that uses natural fertilizer and no pesticides.  

Only wash jeans when you must.  A good rule of thumb?  If your jeans can stand on their own, it's probably time to wash them.  When you DO launder your jeans, let them air dry.  This will save YOU money, keep your jeans from shrinking, and it will save energy.

Send old jeans here:  http://www.cottonfrombluetogreen.org.  Cotton From Blue to Green is an organization that turns old jeans into insulation.   What a novel idea!

Check back next week for another green-living tip!

Sight/Spelling Word List 7

The kids were really excited that next week they'll be getting a vacation from sight/spelling words.  Hooray for three day weeks!  This week, however, they'll need to study these words for their quizzes on Friday:

but
run
big
ride
been
out
be
other
away
or