February 21-24

This week we began studying the continent of Europe.  We discussed how Europe has political boundaries separating countries from one another as well as boundaries created by biomes.  Unlike North America, Europe does not have all eight biomes.  There are no deserts or tropical forests in Europe.

We began discussing the wetlands of Europe since we just had finished learning about the wetlands of North America.  River deltas, bogs, swamps and marshes are examples of this biome.  Coastal marshes and bogs make up most of the wetland areas in northern Europe.  Much of the British Isles and Ireland are peat bogs.  The largest wetland wilderness left on the continent is the Danube River Delta.  La Camargu and the Pinsk wetlands are two other wetland areas.

We learned about plant and animal life of the European wetlands.  The plants and animals we discussed were the water soldier, the bearded reedling, the European grass snake, the pond skater, the water vole, the midwife toad, and the wels.  The children were particularly impressed with learning that when grown wels are usually between 3 and 9 feet!  They used rulers to measure and see how large that would actually be.


The grasses for the masses project is being closely monitored by the children.  We have seen our first tiny shoots appear this week!

In art, we have started an installation project along the South wall of the classroom.  The children have collaborated to create a wetland scene along the windows to serve as a habitat for their model fish we have been working on.  The project has been very engaging and meaningful.  Take a look next time you are at school!

The children are continuing their projects for our Worlds Fair which is scheduled for March 23.  Please look for further information coming home as to how you can help with this exciting event!

February 13- 17

Many children are working on making topographic maps of the continents.  Once a child has memorized the political map learning the names and locations of all the countries on a continent, they are able to create a topographic map.  The children are having fun using paper mache and painting beautiful maps!

Elise brought in some giant pieces of moss after our lessons on parts of the moss plant last week.  We had the chance to examine and review parts and stages of growth in a moss plant!

On Valentine's Day we learned the history of St. Valentine and its relevance to the traditional customs of Valentine's Day today.  We made chocolate filled roses and pop-up cards to celebrate.

We had a group lesson discussing the food web of the wetlands.  Each child was either a plant, plant eater, or animal eater.  We then used yarn to connect the plant eaters to the plants they eat then the animal eaters to the animals they would eat.  We noticed the intricate web that was created.  We then saw what happened when there is a disturbance anywhere in the web.  The children learned how nothing living exists in isolation and that nature works to maintain balance.

We learned about layers of a bog.  A bog is covered with spongy mosses that hold water.  They are found in colder climates in stagnant water that does not move.  When plants die, they do not decompose because of the lack of oxygen, the cold temperature, and the poor, acidic soil.  Instead of decomposing, the dead plant material builds up and forms peat.

We got a chance to see and touch peat moss.  We did an experiment to show how peat moss holds more water than soil.  In the wetlands, the soggy peat moss is so thick that you can walk on it without sinking into the water!

In art we are continuing to make our model fish!

We had a lesson on how aquatic animals benefit from webbed feet.  We discussed what animals have webbed feet and how it helps them move in the water.  The children then got to simulate the webbed feet feeling by putting a plastic baggie over their hand and moving it through water.

We ended our week with a trip to the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.  It was an amazing trip to culminate our wetlands/temperate forest studies!  Here is a brief list of conversation starters to have with your child about the trip!  This was an amazing experience for everyone.
• deciduous forest
• the underground railroad
• how the refuge used to be a refuge for humans
• white-tail deer
• turkey buzzards
• beaver lodges and dams
• algae and signs of spring in the swamp
• the fires that swept the swamp last summer
• lake Drummond
• bald eagles and bald eagle nests
• how to tell the difference between bald eagles and turkey buzzards in flight
• Washington ditch
• evidence of bears

Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters

Lake Drummond observation pier

beaver lodge

Washington Ditch trail

swamp fire damage

February 6- 10

This week we continued our study of North American wetlands.

We learned about mosses and the parts of a moss plant.  The children went on a moss hunt to find specimens so we could better understand the function of their parts in terms of a moss’s adaptations to the wetland environment.  We explored the life cycle of a moss plant.  Mosses were some of the first plants to develop on land.  They still depend on water in order to reproduce.  Their reproductive cycle has two phases that correspond to two different parts of the plant.  We had a chance to see different examples of mosses in different phases of its life!

The class had lots of fun setting up our own balanced aquarium.  We talked about all the elements necessary in a balanced ecosystem as we put together our aquarium.  First we added land (gravel) and water.  We then introduced elodea, an aquatic plant.  The purpose of the plant is to put oxygen in the water.  The animals in the aquarium will need the oxygen.  We then introduced a goldfish to our environment.  The fish can eat the plants for food.  When the fish eat, they will produce waste that will provide nutrients for the plant.  If they produce more waste than the plants can use, a new, microscopic plant called algae will begin to grow.  To take care of any algae growth, we added some snails to the aquarium.  We will be watching our aquarium over the next few weeks to see if it needs adjustments to maintain its balance.  Once it is balanced, it will not require cleaning or feeding of any kind!  The children promptly named our goldfish Lola and the snails Sticky and Stucky.  We have all enjoyed this recent addition to our classroom!

To observe how underwater plants breathe we set up an experiment to see how plants produce oxygen.  Our experiment demonstrated  how the elodea plant in our aquarium, like other plants, produces oxygen.  With aquatic plants, this oxygen is released into the water, where it becomes available to animals that need it.  These plants that are especially adapted to rowing underwater help create an environment that supports an abundance of life in the wetlands.

We learned about the different parts of a tadpole madtom (catfish).  In art, the children are working on constructing 3D models of fish that reinforce learning all the names and locations of the different fins and body parts.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Norfolk to hear the Virginia Symphony.  Here is a list of the music we heard:

The Love for Three Oranges Suite, III March by Sergey Prokofiev

The Marriage of Figaro, Overture by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Violin Concerto No. 5, Mvt.I By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing by Duke Ellington

Harmony by local student composer Arr. B. Kuebler

Overture From West Side Story- featuring Mambo  by Leonard Bernstein

Harry Potter Suite: Harry’s Wondrous World by John Williams

We learned about the cajun people who inhabit the North American wetlands.  We learned how the cajuns meet their need for food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and cultural celebrations.  The class had lots of fun dancing to cajun music, hearing samples of cajun language, and learning about crawfish boils.  On Friday, we prepared a traditional cajun meal of Jambalaya that everyone had a chance to taste!

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Norfolk to hear the Virginia Symphony at Chrysler Hall.  Here is a list of the music we heard:

The Love for Three Oranges Suite, III March by Sergey Prokofiev

The Marriage of Figaro, Overture by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Violin Concerto No. 5, Mvt.I By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing by Duke Ellington

Harmony by local student composer Arr. B. Kuebler

Overture From West Side Story- featuring Mambo  by Leonard Bernstein

Harry Potter Suite: Harry’s Wondrous World by John Williams

January 30- February 3

We began working on our pop art pieces during art this week.  Some of the things children are painting include slurpee cups, coke bottles, ritz cracker boxes, kit kat bars and many other pop culture items!

We have finished learning about the temperate forests of North America and are now studying the wetlands.  The Everglades is the largest wetland area on our continent. We learned about three different types of wetlands: marshes, swamps and bogs.  We also talked about the different layers of the wetlands.  Next week we will begin to learn about the flora and fauna that live in North American wetlands.

We have had introductory lessons on timelines, keeping track of the passing of days we are in school.  These basic lessons on the time line are to prepare for our upcoming study of the timeline of life!

To prepare for next week's trip to hear the symphony, we have had lessons on the instruments in an orchestra.  We have learned that the instruments in an orchestra can be divided into four families: strings. brass. percussion, and woodwinds. The children have been working to learn the names of many orchestra instruments as well as which family they belong to.