Giving Thanks

Hello Class,
We are still in the early stages of our latest project related to the read aloud with the same title as this post. The backgrounds that you are working on in Paint are starting to look really great. Your task for today is to think about something that you are thankful for in the natural world and post a comment. This idea will help you plan your artwork later on. Please think about writing why you are thankful for your idea and please try and use descriptive words like we have been doing in Writing Workshop to bring your image alive! Good luck,
Mr. Willis

CQs!

Hello Class,
I was thrilled to see the many responses to my last CQ about Switzerland. I hope that some of you take this challenge on as well. The first one comes from our Four Winds session called Cones and Conifers. What is the life cycle of a pine cone or other cone?
My second question is related to the photo below. I found this crawling across my kitchen floor last night! We caught it in a yogurt container, I took some photos, and then I let it go outside. Eliza was quite upset that I let "her bug" go. What is this?? You can post a comment, bring in some research, or share your information in another creative way. Good luck,
Mr. Willis

Brick Oven Project

Brick Oven

By: Adam, Nathalie, Hanna, Jillian, and Martha

Mr. Willis’s class and Andrew from the garden made mud bricks for a mud brick oven that we will bake bread in. We went outside between the NECAP testing sessions. The weather was cold and wet. It was sprinkling rain but we still went outside with a spirit. In a few weeks we will be having a garden fest and we will be singing a garden song and making the bread in the oven on the same day. The mud oven is in the middle of our garden between the parking lot and the track and next to the woods. It took us 2 hours a day to make the oven and 2 weeks to dry. We had the first fire in the oven on November 5, 2009 in the morning. We have no idea if the oven will be there next year but we hope so. We are so excited for the fest.

Adam says: “I liked the garden because we got to go outside and make mud bricks.”

Hanna says: “I liked the garden because we got to drink hot cider and I liked stomping in the mud.’’

Martha says: “I liked the mud bricks and I liked stomping in the mud, sand, water and the hay.”

Jillian says: “I liked pulling up the carrots and stomping on the mud.”

Nathalie says: “I liked being with all my friends while stomping on the mud and drinking hot cider.”

Full Moon Fever

Hello Moon Watchers,
The full moon the past few nights has been amazing! I saw it set over the Adirondacks the other morning and it looked as big as a beach ball. Your assignment this week is to look at the web pages linked below. You can click once on the titles below to take you to the page. I want you to answer the following questions using the information from the pages:
1. What was the name of last night's full moon? Why was it called that?
2. What is the name (or names) of the full moon in your birthday month? Why does it have that name?
3. What phase will the moon be in on your next birthday?


Moon Phase Calendar
Farmer's Almanac
Moon Phase Page