Solids and Liquids

Our 1st graders engaged in a variety of science experiments this past week to culminate our unit on solids and liquids.  

At the start of the week we made sensory bottles.  The children combined salt, glitter, glue, and water to make their shakeable concoctions.  






At the end of the week we made our much anticipated SLIME!  The children dissolved borax in water and combined the mixture with glue, water and food coloring.  











Up next, we will shift our focus to the study of maps in social studies.  

100th Day Ideas

Looking for some inspiration for the 100th Day on Wednesday?  

Girls: glasses, canes, pearls, skirts, dresses, heels, wigs or gray hairspray, makeup for wrinkles
Boys: glasses, canes, suits, suspenders, mustaches, wigs or gray hairspray, makeup for wrinkles

Here's a quick glimpse into our 100th Day last year for some additional costume ideas!











We're looking forward to seeing the creative 100-year old outfits on Wednesday!

Pen Pals

You may have noticed that your 1st grader recently came home with a letter from a new friend!  This year we will again be partnering with a 1st grade class in Allentown to be pen pals.  We have received our first letter from our Allentown friends and have successfully written back to them.  We discussed the 5 parts of a friendly letter.  (See if your child can sing our song and name all 5 parts.)  We also learned that in friendly letters we SHARE and CARE.  We share by answering our friend's questions and telling them about ourselves, and we care by asking questions that we'd like to find out more about.  



The excitement on the children's faces when they received their letters was priceless. Consider having your child write a friendly letter to a relative or friend!  

We will be having a picnic to meet our pen pals in person later this spring!

Measurement

This month in math we're studying measurement.  Our children are learning how to measure with standard (centimeters) and non-standard (paper clips) units.  Through our investigations we have uncovered 4 tips for measuring:

1. Line up objects by their endpoints
2. Connect the length units
• No overlapping
• No gaps
3. The length units must be the same length

Consider allowing your child to use non-standard units to measure items around your house using the above guidelines.  Children could measure using toothpicks, paper clips, pennies, etc.  Or, if you have a standard measuring tape or ruler around the use the children could measure using centimeters.  1st graders can also practice ordering groups of objects from shortest to longest and longest to shortest.  

Our next investigation in math will involve organizing and analyzing data using charts and graphs.  You can prepare your child for our upcoming topic by reviewing how to draw and read tally marks to match numbers up to 30.