Worms, Word Clouds, and ... Cookie Monster?

We've wrapped up our Seasonal Changes in Spring mini-unit! Check out our word clouds! We included words that describe Spring, including what people do, how plants and trees change, what animals do, and the weather in Spring!

Here is a close up of a few of our fantastic Spring word clouds:

Thanks a million to Miss Smith and our patient, amazing Grade 5 buddies for helping us out! You rock!

This week we dug into our Needs of Living Things unit, and began by comparing living and non-living. We listed our ideas of what makes something living. Then, thinking about things we knew to be living (like a puppy and a plant), we crossed off ideas that didn't fit. 

Just to make sure we didn't miss any ideas on our list, we looked at a few more examples of living things from Kathryn Warner. We discovered we needed to add "It reproduces" and "It needs food and water". 

While we ALL agree Mrs. Beliveau is the bee's knees when it comes to effective teachers, there are some lessons best left for Cookie Monster to teach:

Then we double-checked our list to ensure what makes things living was accurate:

Today, to really compare living and non-living, we examined an earthworm and a gummy worm! The boys and girls were ecstatic! 

Comparing a gummy worm with an earthworm gave us a hands-on, real-life example of what makes something living!

We are ready to hatch chicks next week! The students are thrilled to prepare for the arrival of eggs on Wednesday! Please keep us in your prayers as we explore the miracle of God's creation. Watch the blog for daily updates, and please feel free to drop in to learn alongside us!

They're everywhere!!!!!!

3D solids are here and there, 

3D solids are everywhere!

We have begun our Geometry Unit! This week we have learned that 3D solids are FAT, not flat! 

This song has been stuck in our heads all week:

Students were sent out around the school to find real-life examples of 3D solids. Teams hunted for examples of cones, cubes, cylinders, and spheres, and they certainly didn't come away empty handed!

Look at all of the 3D solids we discovered in our school!

Super searching, boys and girls!

Solid Shape slides in the video are gratefully borrowed from Mrs. Ricca's Kindergarten's Geometry Freebie post. 

Join Our Spring Photo Hunt

I think it's finally safe to say that Spring has arrived, and she is here to stay!

Our Science mini-unit on Seasonal Changes in Spring has kept us busy the last few days. We've been reading books, examining YouTube clips, and taking our learning outdoors to explore nature! 

Look at the data we have collected so far:

There are so many signs of Spring all around us! Let's share them together! 

Here is how our photo hunt project works:

We have a "virtual wall" where we can all contribute our signs of Spring.

First, give your child a camera (it's as easy as handing over your phone!). Have your child take a picture showing a sign of Spring!

Then, to share your photo and/or comment on our wall:

(a) Double-click on the "Signs of Spring" wall below. 

(b) A box will appear with a place for a comment and even a picture! Type in a comment. Upload a picture. Ta da!

(c) Be dazzled with all of the signs of Spring our students have found!

Created with Padlet

Thank you for not mentioning first or last names on our blog, as well as any other identifying / sensitive information. 

Signs of Spring are all around! What can you and your child find?

Christ is Risen! Happy Easter!

Christ is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Today we celebrated the risen Lord by making a special little treat together, Resurrection Rolls! 

First, we dipped marshmallows in melted butter and rolled them in cinnamon and sugar. 

Next, students wrapped their sticky sweet marshmallow in a crescent roll. They were careful not to leave any holes!

Then, the rolls were dipped in butter and rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Off to the ovens!

While the rolls baked, we headed to the gym for some crazy 4-corner soccer! We all missed each other over the break and it was a blast to run and laugh together. Boy, we worked up an appetite! 

Look at how our rolls turned out:

Wait!! Did you notice the roll is empty? We sure did! 

Not only did the rolls taste warm and sweet, they had a deeper meaning. Can your child explain how the Resurrection Rolls retell the Easter story? 

To make these simple treats, follow the Empty Tomb Marshmallow Delights recipe. 

But our Easter fun didn't stop there! 

(by now, you should know it NEVER stops there) 

Today we introduced an engaging new little behaviour reward system to keep the kids motivated, now that most of them have a case of the "Spring Sillies" (disclaimer: not a medical diagnoses). 

Introducing, the Easter Egg Reward System!

The system is simple. Throughout the day, a student's name is pulled in secret. If that student is on-task, they are called up to choose an egg, which has a "non-tangible" reward inside (so rather than stickers or trinkets, an activity or special privilege is the prize). 

Here are the prizes...

Now, if by some itsy, bitsy slim chance the student whose name was pulled is off-task, their name is returned and is not revealed. 

We still have the behaviour clip chart, as well as a revised version of our Weekly Choices Journals. 

We already have students who demonstrated excellent behaviour! Tomorrow, three special students have earned Super Supplies, Computer Time, and Silly Student! Keep it up, boys and girls!

Our Easter Egg Reward System and Spring certificates are adapted from What the Teacher Wants. The eggs are filled with prizes adapted from Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations and were designed on rainbow frames made by Ashley Hughes. 

Spring Fever!

March has been SO MUCH FUN!!!

It seemed like there was something extra special taking place almost every day! 

After a month of fierce competition, we held the finals for our March Madness book tournament. It has been an absolute BLAST reading with Mrs. Haston's Grade 2's each day, and it was no surprise that the kids were thrilled to read every day! I couldn't be happier about having so many kids SO EXCITED ABOUT BOOKS AND READING!

Our winner? Memoirs of a Hamster! Ta da! Fantastic read aloud about the challenges of being a hamster. The illustrations are so detailed and realistic, and the writing is catchy and suspenseful. THANK YOU to the super-mom who put us on to the "memoirs" series!

If you would like to borrow our class copy of this book, please write a note in your child's agenda.

A huge focus this past month has been our Lenten Initiative, which supported the Holy Childhood Association. This week was our final opportunity to donate to "break a rule". Students brought in their money so they could watch a movie in class! 

Boy, did they enjoy an oldie, but a "goodie", The Land Before Time! Produced in 1988, this movie was one of Mrs. Beliveau's favourites as a little girl! 

The students were so generous with their donations, and while we do not have an exact total at this minute, we know we blasted our goal of $1,500 out of the water!!! The most recent count has us at $1,600!

We worked really hard, and had loads of fun, raising money for children around the world who are less fortunate. Please enjoy photos from our Lenten Journey:

To finish up the month, we headed to the rink for our last opportunity to skate! CAN YOU BELIEVE WHO SHOWED UP TO SKATE WITH US?!?!

While the kids are ALWAYS excited to skate with Mrs. Haston,
the giant bunny was the biggest hit!

As the snow begins to melt and the birds begin to sing, may the blessings of Spring be a constant reminder of God's presence in our lives!

We toured Alberta!

We enjoyed a 360 view on Jasper's sky tram, we rode the roller coaster at Calaway Park in Calgary, we explored the UFO landing pad in St. Paul, and we ooooh-ed and aaaahhh-ed at the Three Sisters mountains in Canmore. What a week! We had a ball!

Surprisingly, we never left our classroom at Holy Redeemer! We enjoyed several websites, webcams, YouTube clips, interactive sites, and more! What a fun and exciting week! Please explore below to see all of the Alberta landmarks we "visited" this week!

Zoom in on Alberta, click on a red "pin", and see an Alberta landmark! Links are included with several of the pins. Enjoy!




Thank you for preparing your child for our Alberta Landmarks Project!

March Madness!

Did you know March is Read Aloud month? 

Today we had a guest from the Strathcona County Library come and kick off March by reading a few books and sharing information about the read aloud contest sponsored by the County (log your minutes here). 

But, like any other day in Grade One, the fun didn't stop there! March Madness began today! Whaaaaaat?!?

March Madness has the primary kids going bananas for books, not basketball! We have a 16-book tournament ahead of us:

Here is a close up of the books playing off:

We asked Mrs. Haston's Grade 2 class to share in the fun, and today we read our first two books of the tournament! Mrs. Beliveau read The Pout Pout Fish and Mrs. Haston read Memoirs of a Hamster. 

Overwhelmingly, the winner was Memoirs of a Hamster! 

Mrs. Beliveau posting today's results ... and thoroughly confusing
several students with the tournament draw!

Be sure to ask your child about the books we are reading, which was his or her favourite, and why. March Madness playoffs will continue tomorrow!


March Madness idea inspired by Playdough to Plato.