Friday 10 May 2024

A TREE-riffic Day!

 Arbor Day was TREE-riffic! We were so excited to hop on the bus for an adventure! 

Did you know trees have birthdays, too? We learned to count the rings on a tree "cookie" and learned how drought and the seasons affect the rings. Trees need TLC! 

We met some very brave and bendy arborists who were caring for trees! As we nibbled a cookie, we watched in awe as climbed high in the tree and taught us about PPE. 

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

We planted our very own seedling in biodegradable cups, so that the cup can be planted along with the tree. Remember to give your seedling lots of sun, water, nutrients, and of course, LOVE! Trees will come home Monday.

We headed towards a treed area to hear a story and build "fairy houses" with dead material (e.g. sticks on the ground, fallen pine cones). The students loved this activity!

We learned about the importance of fire safety. We were cautioned that fires are incredibly dangerous and are never, ever 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 practiced being an unhealthy (tightly packed) forest and a healthy (spread out) forest. It was neat to see how the ball, which represented fire, moved differently. 

We each received fantastic lunch bags filled with water, bananas and cookies, and we settled in for an interactive performance by environmental activist and Juno-award winning Canadian artist Peter Puffin! Can you see our classmate who was chosen to be on stage?


What a fabulous morning of adventure and learning! It was bright and busy, and we loved every minute!






Wednesday 8 May 2024

Animal Research Projects

After spending a week at Zoo School, it was clear how much we all love animals! 

The children were challenged to learn more about an an animal of their choosing. We explored the San Diego Zoo Kids website to find an animal that piqued our interests. Then we worked with our Grade 4 buddies to read challenging text, gather information, and complete our animal research.


After completing the research part of the project, we wrote complete sentences about our animals and illustrated with detail. Wowzers!


We can't wait to share our reports with our Grade 4 buddies!

This writing and research project dovetails nicely with our forthcoming Science Unit, Living Systems of Plants and Animals. Watch for your child's animal report in our next package of Evidence of learning.