Monarch Butterfly

I found my Monarch Butterfly in my classroom at Leon Springs.  Some teacher's refer to my CT as Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus.  She loves science and that is clearly her passion.  She lives on some property that has milk weed and when she finds eggs or caterpillars she brings them in for her students to watch turn into butterflies.  Below are some pictures taken from the butterfly....I was there just in time because later that day we let her go so she could migrate to Mexico.

Simple Machines Around the Home

When I think simple machines, I think more along the lines of non-traditional items that would be found somewhere other than at a home.  There are so many simple machines at someone's home that we don't even think about it. When I was taking pictures, I kept finding different things that would be considered a simple machine.

This is a picture of a can opener that acts like a lever.

The clock on the wall in the kitchen acts as a wheel and axel.

This lid on the jar acts as a screw.  I never thought something so little as this could be a simple machine.  

The knife and fork pictured here are called wedges in the simple machine world.

My nieces play gym in our backyard is an example of a simple machine.  The slide serves as an inclined plane. 

These are just some of the simple machines I found around my home. What can you find around your home?

Recycle-Reuse-Reduce

 Recycle

We recycle at our house by saving the plastics, glass, and styrofoam for the curbside pickup.  You wouldn't believe how much of the things you use around your house daily can be recycled. 

Also, my mom saves all of the paper things to put in a separate basket to take to the schools to dump in their large recycle bins to help them earn money. 





Reuse

To reuse around our house, we use the recycled bags when we go grocery shopping at HEB instead of using the plastic bags each time.   








Once in  a while, we will refill water bottles.  If we don't refill them
though, they will end up in the recycling bin.







Reduce

You can't tell very well from this picture, but during the day when no one is home, my mom keeps the air conditioner turned up very high so that it is not cooling the empty house.  During this time of the year, however, it really isn't that bad because we can open some windows and catch a nice breeze once in a while. 

 In most of the lamps and light fixtures throughout our house we have the energy efficient light bulbs.  Personally, I don't really notice a difference in them from regular light bulbs.  This is something simple that everyone can do to help reduce around their home.

Science at Leon Springs

When I first started looking around the classroom for science things, one of the first things I noticed was this thermometer.  It is placed right next to the white board so all students can see it.  It is also a fairly large one so that students can read it and tell what temperature it is in the classroom. 

Next I found this plant the classroom teacher has sitting on the shelf.  I have noticed that she keeps her blinds shut most of the time, so it is nice to have something a little green in there. 

These two pictures are of the science center available this week.  They are learning all about magnifying glasses and how to use them and what they do.  My teacher had different insects present for the students to look at with the magnifying glass to see what all they could find on them. Specifically they were looking for antennae, and different parts on the butterfly that they have been learning about.  In the paper cup to the left covered with paper towels was a live moth a student brought in to share.  By the end of the day, the students were afraid  the moth was going to fly away so they covered it with paper towels and poked breathing holes for it.  The kids really like this center and enjoyed finding the parts of different insects. 

 Also in the science center was this science project they were to complete.  They had to finish this by writing the correct words in the appropriate places and writing a sentence at the bottom of the page.  This went in their super spiral.  The sentence at the bottom reads, "A hand lens makes things look bigger."  I guess now they are teaching them hand lens not magnifying glasses like they did when I was in school.   

In this cage/aquarium was lots of little things.  There was a gecko, grass hoppers, cricket, and a few more insects.  There was grass layed at the bottom with lots of water in the small bottle caps.  This was just placed on a desk so students could walk up at any time and look for these critters in their habitat at any time.  They really liked looking for everyone and making sure no one had escaped. 

I asked a few students what they thought science was, but didn't get a really clear answer from any of them.  They are first graders, and it is the beginning of school, but I am confident that by Winter Break they will have a definition of science. 

Science in our home and neighborhood

When thinking about what living organisms are around my home I immediately thought about my mom's rosemary bush that is placed next to our front door.  Everyone who walks in and out can see it and smell it.  Although you may see it, one may not always think about it being a living organism. 

In our neighborhood we have a park where I found this pretty purple flower almost hidden by weeds.  Someone may have not noticed it if they weren't looking  for it.  Nevertheless, it is a living organism that needs food and sunlight to survive. 

As you pull into our driveway, this tree is most likely going to be one of the first things you see.  A huge sycamore tree towers over our house.  This is going to be obvious and you won't miss it, but I do love this tree!  It provides great shade to the harsh sunlight that beats down.  Trees are everywhere, but you may not always think of them as living organisms. 

 At the park where I found the purple flower, I also caught this bird.  He didn't really want me to take his picture, but I caught him just as he was trying to run away!!!

In our neighborhood we also have a duck pond.  These little guys loved getting their pictures getting taken!!!  It's not everyday that children are able to see ducks!!!! 

Lastly, but not least is my cat, Krystal.  She is the only intentional living organism that lives in my house!!!

Project Wild

This is Dominique and I as we first arrived at Project Wild waiting for everyting to start!!!  I wasn't exactly sure what to expect because of all the rain, and the fact that it wasn't slowing down at all.  However, I was still pumped about this new experience and learning something new that I can implement into my classroom one day. 


                                                 

Unfortunately due to Tropical Storm Hermine, we were not able to take our nature hike on the trails, so we took a "hike" through the wonderful books that were given to us. After we "hiked" through our books we got to play an ice breaker activity. We played BINGO and the object of this game was to have a blackout on the entire card. We had to get up and walk around to meet new people who fit the scenarios that were on our BINGO card. Kristin was the lucky winner at our table who found someone for each square! She won a neat poster that she can hang in her classroom!

We had many group projects that involved our new Project Wild and Growing up Wild books.  This particular one was a venn diagram of animals that are inside or outside of a classroom (or both).  It was our task to put each animal in the appropriate circle as a group.  There were many controversial animals that were questioned as to if they were inside or outside, but we went with majority rule!

After lunch, we were assigned groups as to which we were going to have to present a lesson plan from one of the books, either Project Wild, or Growing up Wild.  Our lesson came from Growing up Wild and was called Aqua Charades, which was very appropriate for the weather that day.  As a group we had to brainstorm how exactly to present it to our "class" (i.e. the audience).  We went up singing a song about water, and then asking "students" to act out what we use water for.  It was fun for everyone!!! 

Sadly, we had to cut our day short because Hermine wasn't going to wait for us to finish!!!! :(