Overflowing with JOY!

Book Tournament

We've been looking forward to reading two books a day in our Joyful June Book Tournament! We even learned the word "unanimous" after one of our votes!  

Here are a few of the book pairings...

ABC Countdown

Our ABC Countdown allows us to try new things, connect with our classmates, and move and groove in new places and spaces!

J - Jokes and Jumping Rope

We enjoyed several knee slappers and side splitters!

Q: What do you call funny mountain?
A: HILLarious!

Q: What is a duck's favourite snack?

A: QUACKers!

The rain put a damper on jumping rope, but we plan to be flexible and tackle it on a sunnier day. 

K - Kindness

The boys and girls got busy spreading kindness! They wrote uplifting, colourful notes to share with people in their lives. Some chose to spread kindness to some special staff, and it was a joy to watch the deliveries!

L - LEGO Challenges

We were challenged to build a variety of structures!

M - Magazines

We were curious readers as we flipped through Chirp, Highlights, Chickadee, National Geographic Kids, and more! 

N - Nature Hunt

We did some exploring in nature! Using "nature trappers" or an outdoor scavenger hunt, we gathered our treasures as we explored. Good news... we beat the rain!

We sure are savouring these last few weeks together! Slow down, June! 

Chasing the Joy

We're going to keep chasing the joy as we approach the end of the school year!

Today we began our "Joyful June" book tournament! Each day we'll read two books and vote. The winning book advances!

E - Electronics

We are becoming independent chrome book users, and had fun playing phonic and word games on Teach Your Monster to Read, enjoying stories on EPIC, and learning about animals on San Diego Wildlife Explorers. 

F - Frisbees and Freeze Dance with Friends

Freeze Dance challenged us and we had a blast tossing frisbees to our friends! We learned how to use the disc golf stands out by Dinosaur Hill. 

G - Games (and Giggles!)

What a great opportunity to play fairly, take turns, and be gracious winners and losers! So much JOY!

H - Hula Hoops & Hats (and boy, was it HOT)

We went out early, found some shade, played a few cooperative games and learned some hula hoop skills!

I - Ink Pen

We were excited to set our pencils aside and use real ink! A word search with each of our names made for an awesome "inky" start! 

See you in June!

ABC: Finding JOY in 1B!

Our ABC Countdown has officially begun! Each day brings a new letter, a little extra fun, and special memories together. 

A - Awesome Authors and Animals

Cuddling a stuffed animal is the best way to enjoy stories!

B - BINGO!

We played our favourite BINGO game, Rhyming Word JINGO!

C - Chalk and Cup Stacking

We enjoyed sharpening our hand-eye coordination as we stacked cups. Our patterning, sequencing, and perseverance were all strengthened!

Team work makes the dream work!

Chalk in the sunshine with friends? Yes, please!

D - Dice and Dinosaur Hill

We tackled a partner adding game using dice IN dice! We each rolled a double die, added our total, and whoever had more took a counter. Gather 10 counters to win!

The sun was shining and a walk to Dinosaur Hill was in order. Can't hustle up a hill and not roll down!

As we step into the last weeks of Grade 1, one thing is certain ... we're squeezing in all of the joy we possibly can! 

Arbor Day Adventure

 Today we spent the morning at Strathcona County's Arbor Day Celebration!

We were in awe of the arborists! We learned that they are "tree doctors". We saw several of their special tools, including the chain saws! We met several arborists who gave us an amazing demonstration!

To keep our energy up, a quick cookie hit the spot! 

Trees have birthdays too! We learned to count the rings on a tree "cookie" and learned how drought and the seasons affect the rings. We even got to practice on our own little "tree cookie":

Our hearts were pumping at the "Nature-cize" obstacle course:

We planted our very own seedling in biodegradable cups, so that the cup can be planted along with the tree. Trees will come home next week. We also met Bertie Beaver, Alberta's fire prevention celebrity and mascot!

We headed towards a treed area to build "fairy houses" with dead material (e.g. sticks on the ground, fallen pine cones). What a collaborative, creative activity!

We learned about the importance of fire safety. We were strongly cautioned that fires are dangerous and never to be played with. We were, however, surprised to learn that forest fires are a natural part of the forest ecosystem and can play a role in maintaining a healthy forest. 

We each received reusable lunch bags filled with snacks and we settled in for an interactive performance by Crescendo Music Studio's musician Laurelle!

Strathcona County put on a fabulous Arbor Day for us and we had so much fun learning about trees! We are called to care for all God created and learned more about being stewards for our big, beautiful earth!

Duckling Joy

Over the past few days, we’ve had the joy of caring for five sweet little ducklings. What a gift it has been. Each day has held quiet moments of wonder, bursts of unbridled joy, and everything in between.

We're enjoying watching our ducklings grow so quickly. These babies have taught us about the beauty of new life and the goodness in God's creation. We've experienced patience, gentleness, and how something small can bring such deep joy.

The children were surprised to learn that the ducklings are born knowing how to swim - no swim lessons needed!  God's design is so incredible. 

The ducklings are off to the Beliveau Family Resort for the weekend and will return for a few more days next week. This experience has been rich in Science learning, but even more meaningful in growing our faith. We’ve noticed God in unexpected places. The ducklings have shown us just how awe-inspiring God's creation truly is. 

Hatching and Harvesting

Hatching

Our duck eggs are halfway through their growth! Our friendly farmer, Mrs. Junck, visits once a week to guide our learning. 

Mrs. Junck is always full of surprises and brought two grown ducks from her farm. We compared the drake (male) to the hen (female), noticing that the female is brown and camouflages well. This is because she has to sit on the eggs for 28 days and stay hidden from predators. 

We candled a few eggs from our incubator. Candling shows us if the egg is developing into a duckling. We made our classroom very dark. Using a bright light, we were able to see if something was growing inside by noticing the air sack, dark shadows, and even movement. Bright, lit up egg? No duck (bottom right). Dark, shadowy egg? Duck! (top right)

Ducks take 28 days to grow and we candled on day 14. Our growth is right on track. Isn't God's plan incredible?

Harvesting

The seeds we planted in our grow towers have thrived! Today we sampled the fruits (or veggies?) of our labour! Each student was treated to a fresh salad. What a wonderful experience!

Our class is bursting with new life, signs of spring, and lots of joy!

Happy Hatching

Spring fever has hit Grade 1 and ducklings are on the horizon! Our hatching journey has begun!

This morning we reflected on what we already know about ducklings. Here are a few of the students' comments:

"They come from an egg."

"They like to swim."

"Ducks have webbed feet."

"They can fly."

"They grow into a duck."

We also generated a list of what we wanted to find out about ducklings:

Our local farmer, Mrs. Junck, brought us 13 duck eggs and an incubator from her farm. She will be visiting us weekly to teach us about new life, rural communities, needs of living things, and so much more!

Our eggs don't come with a mama duck, so the incubator will act in her place. It will keep the eggs warm and moist, and will turn them twice a day. Our job is to carefully monitor the incubator's temperature and humidity.

Near the end of April and into May, we will be welcoming our ducklings! We are about to experience God's new life, right before our very eyes!