Motion: Toy Cars & Dominoes!

We used toy cars and dominoes to help us learn about motion in science. We made ramps out of dictionary books and a mini-whiteboard to build a ramp. We then let our play cars go down the ramp and measured the total distance traveled.

We learned that:

Color and size did not make our car travel a farther distance. What made our car go farther was the change in position of the car from the top of the ramp to the bottom of the ramp. The height of the ramp allowed the car to gain speed to travel farther. The higher the ramp, the farther the car traveled.

We also looked at the results of the different cars our friends brought in to see which car traveled the farthest and why?

We learned that color, size, or change in position was not the key for the fastest car.

We concluded...It was the weight of the car that made the difference. The lighter the car = the faster the car traveled down the ramp. The faster the car traveled down the ramp = the farther distance the car traveled.

Dominoes!!!

A domino designer (via video) taught us how the energy stored in a domino can actually topple a domino close to twice it’s size.  He used graduated sizes to demonstrate the concept.   We also watched a domino artist (via video) who created designs with a variety of techniques to learn about dominoes and chain reaction.

Then, we had time to experiment with dominoes to build our own designs and learn about chain reactions. Our 5th grade book buddies from Ms. Marron's class joined us in this adventure. See some of our designs and the fun we had below.
 

A free scrapbook design by Smilebox

We learned:

That creating a domino design is not easy! It can be very frustrating because it takes so long to set up and one little movement will cause the reaction to start.

Once a motion starts, you can't stop it. Then you have to begin again.

If your chain reaction stops in the middle, next time you have to make sure your domoinoes are close enough together so that energy can transfer from the previous domino to the next domino to continue the chain reaction.

Learning is FUN!!!

Fun with Magnets!!!

We went on a classroom magnet scavenger hunt this week to see which items in our classroom were magnetic or non-magnetic. See some of what we learned below.

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Winter Party Info.

Hello  Parents,

It’s hard to believe that the holidays are upon us and it’s time to start planning our WINTER PARTY!  Our party is scheduled for Friday, December 21st from 1:50p.m. to 2:50p.m. 

We are asking for each child to please contribute $5.00 cash to go towards the purchase of party supplies and crafts.  Please send your contribution to your  child’s teacher  in an envelope marked “Winter Party” by  Friday, December 7th.  Make sure your child’s name is also on the envelope. 

Our theme for this year’s party is Snowmen!  We have some fun and exciting activities planned for the kids and we are looking forward to a great time! 

If you have any questions or you would like to help out during the party, please contact Cristina Crawford via email at Crawford_Cristina@yahoo.com

Thank you in advance for your support in making our Winter Party a big success for our children.  We really appreciate your help and cooperation. 

Sincerely,

Cristina Crawford

Room Parents for Ms. Matt's Class

Slime U Celebration of Learning!!

Fun Times At Slime University!!!

See Mr. I and Mrs. Davis get slimed and k, 1, and 2 perform in activities.

Free slideshow design generated with Smilebox

Mis-Matched Day and Pajama Day

The kids had a fun time dressing up these days and did a great job with their wardrobes!!!
Very Creative!!!!
   

2nd Grade's Small World Holiday Angels

2nd Grade is collecting items for two children in need this holiday season.

Below is the information you need to know if you would like to contribute.

Angel # 910 - 2047

Age:11         Gender: Male

Pants: boys (7-16) - 18 H
Shirt:  boys (7 - 16) - 16
Coat:   boys (7-16) - 16
Underwear: boys large
Shoes: Men size 10

Needs: Clothes and shoes

Wishes: fighting game for PS2 or car racing game for PS2.


Angel # 930 - 2105

Age: 4       Gender: Female

Pants: toddler 3T
Shirt: toddler 4T
Shoes: kid 8
Coat: girls (1-6) size 5
Underwear: toddler 4T

Needs: coats, tennis shoes, pants/jeans

Wishes: 12 inch bike with training wheels, barbies, baby dolls

Please send the unwrapped gifts in a bag with the angel number on the bag.

Thank you for helping to make a difference in the life of a child during this holiday season!

Summer Trip to Egypt

One of our writing prompt's this last month was to write about a trip that you went on with your family. I chose to write about my trip to Egypt. This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Egypt to teach tennis to teens at a sports camp for 7 days outside of Cairo.  In addition to teaching tennis, I taught kids how to get across the high ropes, climb up a climbing wall, and go down a zipline. We also worked at different team building stations. You will see some of these in the pictures. At one station, my only prop was a huge spiderweb. The whole team had to get threw a hole one at a time without touching the rope. All holes were different sizes. They had to work together as a team to get this done to get everyone to the other side. At another, 7 team members had to kick a soccer ball and have it land on a small circular rug. This was actually pretty difficult to kick it with just the right touch and soccer is the main sport in Egypt. We also had the opportunity to get some sightseeing in as well. We traveled into Cairo and shopped for souvenirs at the bazaar. After touring the Pyramids at Giza, we rode a camel. Riding a camel, for those wondering, it's like riding a horse. Lastly ,we took a trip to the Red Sea. At the Red Sea, we relaxed on the beach, which looks very much like one of our beaches in the USA. We played some volleyball and I collected some red rocks from the Red Sea. Not all rocks were red. But, I was amazed at how many were. I had an amazing time and enjoyed many activities for the first time ever. This was definitley a trip of a lifetime for me. I will not ever forget this trip because I saw so many cool things. The slide show below is just a quick look of what I did while I was there. The kids have really enjoyed hearing about my trip. So, if they have been telling you about it, now you get to check it out for yourself.  :)

Photo album created with Smilebox