Special Delivery From Africa

Ummmm what?!!? Yes you heard me right! We just got packages from Africa. 

As many of you know I have been applying for a grant to go to Africa and study the animals, culture, and nature in a few african countries. Hopefully I will be camping in a tent for 40+ days in. In an effort to get my students ready I have had some special deliveries arrive in our room.

P.S. Special thanks to http://lilysarahgrace.org/ for donating what is inside!

Update: The students have been opening the delivery and guessing what is inside. Their faces were priceless as these animals emerged. Through the next few weeks the students will be reading along side the animals and learning all about them. This is an initiative I have created to get students more interested in reading and writing while keeping it fun and engaging. Needless to say it was very successful. By the end of the project students had created their own writing, illustrated it, recorded it in a QR code, and published it into a book!

 

Geographic Butterflies

Have I mentioned my love for travel and the world? Maybe just a few times? Well I try to incorporate things from around the world every chance I get. 

Every spring the First grade explores the world of butterflies. These creatures are amazing to kids and adults alike. For a few years I have been collecting butterflies from all around the world to share with my students. They are always amazed to see the different types from South America, Asia, and Africa.

 

This year I sent out a letter to some butterfly stores and was lucky enough to receive some new specimens to share with the students. I could not wait and let the kids have a sneak peak. Check back in the Spring for some real excitement!

** Update- Butterfly Art

 

Who doesn't love to look at butterflies? They are such beautiful creatures and have captivated me since I was a young girl. Growing up I loved finding them and was always sad to find a dead butterfly. One day while I was walking down a street market in Thailand I came across a beautiful pair of butterfly earrings. What a great way to keep the beauty of a butterfly.

Fast forward a few years and here I am teaching First Grade Science. To my delight, this year I was able to teach all about butterflies. I was thrilled to get started. Thanks to the help of a few donors and grants we created an insane butterfly unit! I used some of my own collections to show the students the art of preserving butterflies. 

Gorgeous right? The students learned about where the butterflies came from, different traits, and why they have specific markings. 

The next part of the project was to pick our own butterfly wings and create artwork. Each child received one wing, a piece of cardstock, and assorted markers.

Together I gave them ideas for drawing the grass, hills, flowers, sun, and much more. They drew them with black markers and then scribbled in with the highlighters. By coloring them in with strokes instead of a solid color it gave them an artistic look!

Here is an example of the one I created and below some student examples. We used a Scotch laminator to seal them in tight and keep them safe for years to come!

  

**Update Butterfly Release

Boy oh boy these kids took a liking to the butterfly project! Every day these little ones came running into the school and would clamber around the cage and take note on any of the changes in their cups or the chrysalises. I could go on and on about this project. It was by far my favorite unit I have ever developed over my four years of teaching. I will do a post later about the projects we did during the unit but here I want to share the pictures of our butterfly release.  The 1st and 3rd grade classrooms took a walk to the local park to release the butterflies in the local community garden. My 2 year old nephew joined the class in the excitement! Take a look!

My nephew and I opened the cage as the students watched eagerly!

 

Some lucky kids had the butterflies land on their hands!

Exciting Visitors!!!

 

Last night while everyone was snuggled in their beds someone paid us a little visit. It turns out that the elves decided to travel up from the North Pole and give our room a make over. The joy of the holidays sure is here!

Also, we got an unexpected visit from one of the student's new puppies. How adorable!

Recycle and Save!

 

What a wonderful lesson we had today! Student got the chance to not only discover the world of science through electricity but also practiced enviromentally responsibility by using recyclables. 

Halloween Haunts!

Pumpkin Pumpkin!