Greathouse Butterfly Farm

We had a wonderful time on our field trip to the Greathouse Butterfly Farm!  We started the day by learning about butterfly bodies.  Next, we took a tour of the butterfly farm.  We got to see caterpillars, chrysalises, butterflies, lots of plants, other insects, and some spiders.  The highlight of the trip was getting to feed butterflies from sponges covered in fruit juice!  Check out some videos below:

Click to Play

Click to Play

Pictures of the trip will be coming soon!

Field Trip Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, all three kindergarten classes are heading to the Greathouse Butterfly Farm.  Check it out at: www.greathousebutterflyfarm.com.


We will be leaving school at 8:45 am and returning no later than 12:30 pm.  We will likely return to school earlier.  Here are some reminders to make tomorrow run smoothly:

*Have your child wear sneakers or tennis shoes.

*All children need to bring a bag lunch.  

*Check with your child to make sure he/she has a water bottle at school.

At the end of the day, all of the children will receive a butterfly-growing kit.  To see what it will look like, click here.  As your child's caterpillar grows and changes into a butterfly, please feel free to add comments to this post.  I think it will be a great way to share with each other about what the children are observing and learning! 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

As part of our butterfly unit, we read the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.  I want the children to make their own hungry caterpillar artwork, so I started looking up information about how Eric Carle (the author/illustrator) creates his art.

First I found out that the book is 40 years old this year!  Then, I found some great videos and slideshows on-line that show kids how he makes his artwork and how he got the original idea for The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  In class today, we watched these clips with Ms. Johnson's first grade class.  All of the kids were excited to see how Eric Carle created his art.  Check out these sites to find out more:

http://www.eric-carle.com/short_video.html--

Eric talks about getting his idea for the book and how it developed into the story we have today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpISHA8Fs4w --

Six-minute video of The Very Hungry Caterpillar

http://www.eric-carle.com/slideshow_collage.html--

Slideshow of how he created the very hungry caterpillar using collage techniques

http://www.eric-carle.com/slideshow_paint.html--

Slideshow of how he paints tissue paper to use in his artwork

http://www.eric-carle.com/slideshow_studio.html--

Slideshow of his art studio

What did your child learn about Eric Carle and his books?  Post a comment about what your child learned or found interesting!  Explore other parts of Eric Carle's website (www.eric-carle.com) together to learn more.  We can't wait to find out more about this beloved children's book author.

A Turtle Adventure

While on the playground today, some children spotted a turtle trying to get through the back fence.  I was worried that he was searching for the creek and had lost his way.  So, I went back to the room, grabbed some gloves and a cardboard box, then went to rescue him.  We all walked down to the creek, and the children gathered around to wave good-bye as I released him into the water.  

During writer's workshop, we retold the story together.  The children helped me to decide which important details to include my illustration, then together we labeled the picture with beginning consonants.  During their independent writing time, many of the students chose to draw and write about this exciting adventure as well.  Check out the slideshow below to see how it all unfolded:

Weeks Three and Four

Book Club Leader Schedule

Yay!  All of our book club spots have been filled.  Thank you to all of our great volunteers!  Here's our schedule:

Monday:

1. Michelle Klosterman (Chase)

2. Marie Broling (Anna)

3. Alison Hightower

Tuesday:

1. Wendy Hill (Taylor)

2. Debbie Krank

3. Tracey Hickox (Lola)

Thursday:

1. Marie Broling (Anna)

2. John Polefko (Patrick)

3. Mrs. Robertson (William)

Friday:

1. Michelle Klosterman (Chase)

2. Alex / Jack Polefko (Patrick)

3. Monica Feliciano (Julianna)

Week Two Pictures

We had another fun week.  Check out some of the exciting moments:

Scholastic Book Club's September order forms will be sent home in Friday folders tomorrow.  Ordering with Scholastic helps our class earn bonus points that we can redeem for free books and learning materials! Please look over the flyers and consider purchasing some books for your child. Scholastic has some great books at really affordable prices -- some are just $1.00!

This month, I recommend the following titles:

SeeSaw:

If You Take a Mouse to School, $3.00

The Mixed-Up Alphabet, $4.00

I Like Myself, $3.00

Firefly:

Llama Llama Red Pajama, $1.00

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, $3.00

The Pout-Pout Fish, $4.00

 

You have two options for ordering: 

1. Select your choices, fill out the order form, and return it to school with cash or check (made out to Scholastic).

2. Place your book orders and pay with a credit card on-line by going to www.scholastic.com/parentordering. Our class user name is Krank, and the password is books.

All September orders are due by Monday, September 14th.