More Pumpkin Patch

Here are a few more photos from our trip:

 

Math in the classroom!

In math, we have been learning a lot about sorting and subitizing. Below are some photos of the kids on Thursday, Nov. 1 demonstrating their learning.

Subitizing is the ability to ‘see’ a small amount of objects and know how many there are without counting. Subitizing is what tells you what number you roll on a six sided dice – most adults no longer have to count the dots after playing board games for a while.

Subitizing is a fundamental skill in the development of students’ understanding of numbers. Students use patterns recognized to discover properties and skills such as counting 1-to-1 correspondence, counting on, composing and decomposing numbers, as well as understanding of arithmetic and place value.spa

Here is a link to a great concentration game that practices subitizing skills - Concentration with Subitizing. The kids have really developed their ability to subitize and it has been exciting to watch them learn!  Have your child teach you the game.

Sorting by colour!

Sorting objects by colour!

Playing the concentration - subitizing game!

Sorting dinosaurs by colour!

Pumpkin Patch Fieldtrip

Hi everyone!

The pumpkin patch was a great time for all.  There was plenty of laughter, excitement, and of course, pumpkin picking.  Thank you to those parents that helped on the trip.  Here are some wonderful photos taken by Ethan's mother - I had a difficult time selecting which ones to put on our blog.

Waiting for the bus.

Watching the salmon spawn in the creek beside the school.

                   

                     

                     

                               

On the bus to the pumpkin patch.

                             

In the chicken pen.

Finding our way through the strawbale maze.

Looking for eggs in the chicken barn.

Petting goats!

Pumpkin display at the farm.

Learning about pumpkins from the farmer!

Thanks for the wonderful memories!

Float or Sink?

We looked carefully at our class pumpkin and tried to determine what would happen if we put it in a tub of water.  We each took turns holding it and making our decisions.

Most of us thought that such a heavy object would sink.
We placed the pumpkin in a large tub of water and found that it didn't sink at all.  It floated! It bobbed up and down at the surface, about halfway in and halfway out.

 When we carved it later, we found that it was full of air.

Have a Safe Halloween

There are a few reminders for parents to ensure everyone has a good time trick-or-treating.  

• -- Make sure younger children are accompanied by an adult while trick-or-treating.
• ---Older children should trick-or-treat in pairs or groups.
• ---Know the route your children are taking.
• ---Children should carry flashlights, glow sticks, or wear reflective tape to make them more visible.
• ---Children should never go inside a home.
• ---Instruct children not to eat their treats until they get home and an adult examines them

Happy Halloween - Miss you all Tons
Ms Croonen

Our Beautiful Tree - October

If you have visited our classroom, then you have probably noticed the amazing trees that surround us. Division 8 has adopted one of these trees as "Our Class Tree".  It is the big, beautiful maple which stands between our modular and the playground.  Each month, we will go outside as a class and observe the changes that our class tree is going through.  As scientists, this will help us understand the changes of the seasons and their effects on plants.  We will study the bark, the branches, the sap and, of course, the leaves.




This week we studied our class tree for the first time. We got up close and admired the stripey bark, the big hole in the trunk and the patches of moss.  We found roots that are peaking up from the soil which we could even stand on, as if they were branches.  We had to stand really far back in order to see the top of the tree.  We noticed that some of the branches were shaped like the letter Y.  The green, yellow, orange and brown leaves dripped water on our heads and in our eyes!




We went back into the classroom and immediately started drawing a realistic picture of our tree. Here are a few examples:

Air Experiment - Candles Need Air

Did you know that fire needs air, just like we do?  This is how we found this out...

Equipment:
- 3 tea light candles
- 3 different sized jars
- an adult to use the lighter or matches

We put 3 tea light candles on the table and Mrs. Grant lit each one.  We discussed what was in the jars.  Many of us said "Nothing!" but some students knew that AIR was in the jars.


We each made a hypothesis about what would happen if we covered the lit candles with the jars. Some of our ideas included:
- the jars will burn
- the table will catch on fire
- there will be a smoke bomb
- it will explode (of course!)

 Mrs. Grant carefully put the jars upside down over the lit candles.  We watched and waited to see what would happen.


The smallest jar didn't have much air inside of it. We managed to get a photo of the candle flame before it went out.

In this photo, the two smaller jars are filled with smoke because their candles went out and the smoke was trapped inside the jars.

The large jar still has a flame. It is hard to see but there is a brightness of the flame.

The large jar lasted the longest because it had more air inside it.




So the scientists of division 8 know that fire needs air.  If a fire runs out of air, it will go out.