Little Scientists!

Our Read Around the World read-a-thon has begun!  As a class we will read to earn miles on a trip around the world for the next 7 weeks!  We will mark our progress on this map, and hope to earn one continent a week, which would be equivalent to each student reading 60 minutes a week.  So far the kids have been excited about reading during their free time at school to earn minutes!  They can keep track of all of the minutes that they read or someone reads to them at home, on their reading logs.  We are keeping track at school, too.  We will earn prizes along the way, and get our passports stamped as we "visit" each continent through books!

On Wednesday we had a kick-off event with Mr. MacManus reading Dr. Seuss's "Oh the Places You'll Go".  Then the kids rotated through 3 different stations, visiting Asia, South America, and Antarctica.

Our week revolved around science, as the Science Fair was on Tuesday!  Monday was spent finishing up posters and practicing presentations to the pretend judges.  Then Tuesday the kids were so excited to display their projects at the fair!

The girls had a popular project about fingerprints.  Everyone wanted to come by and get their fingerprint taken so they could see what type of fingerprint they had!  One of our students decided after doing this project that she loves taking fingerprints so much, she wants to work for the FBI when she grows up. :) . 

Here Tanner and Jedediah are talking with Tim Lorenzini from Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, one of the judges, about their project on temperature and air pressure with balloons!

We spent the rest of the week reading about famous scientists and inventors in reading, and writing about inventions we would like to create!  The kids had such great ideas as a fairy drone that sprinkles fairy dust, rocket shoes, a heated cat bed, and a pumpkin shaped robot that would fill our water bottles and clean up our floor at school!  After reading about Thomas Edison and Ben Franklin we began exploring electricity.  We will delve deeper into electricity and magnetism very soon!

Last, but not least, don't forget about early release on Monday, at 2:15.  Parent-Teacher-Student conferences will be that afternoon.  I look forward to meeting with each of you and your kindergartener!!!