Dear Families,
We have had a very full week. We spent a good deal of time discovering leaves and their function for the tree. We sorted and graphed leaves according to their edges; smooth, toothed, lobed, toothed and lobed. Then we used centimeter graph paper to measure the length, width, and surface area of one leaf. We noticed that most leaves are symmetrical. That was our math lesson for that day. We read a book called “Why Do Leaves Change Color?” The children learned the properties of leaves. They discovered that leaves need air, sunlight, and water to make food for the tree. We will continue with this next week when we make leaf collages and paint pictures of leaves in the style of Georgia O’Keefe.
We made apple sauce using the apples that we picked at Windy Hill. We used an apple corer to core and peel the apples. It made 5ft. peels, which everyone ate with great delight. Some pictures are in the cubby area. We took the seeds out of the cores and will plant them. The apples were cooked into sauce and then we ran it through a Foley mill. We noticed that both simple machines had cranks and springs. The applesauce was delicious. The next day we spread the left over applesauce into our dehydrator and made apple fruit leather. Yum!
In math we started looking at how to take numbers apart and then add them back together. We started with facts to 7,8, and 9. We played games like “On and Off” and “In and Out”. If there are a total of 9 bears and 5 are out of the cave how many are in the cave? We use small bears and cups for caves. It is fun and they are beginning to see how different addends can make the same number. Next week we start the magic sum of 10.
On Mondays we have math mixer with second grade. Mrs. Allentuck, Mrs. Malloy, and myself each have a group and we run math games for about 30 minutes. The groups have combined ages and abilities. It can be a challenge for the first graders but they really love it. On Fridays we have a mixer with kindergarten and second grade and the children all play together and have various choices in both rooms. It is a wonderful way to build community in the Lower School.
Happy Birthday to Elias!
I hope everyone has a chance to stop by at the Apple Squeeze, in Lenox, on Saturday. Ms. Rossi promises a treat for all students who wear their BCD T-shirt to the BCD booth.
Enjoy this glorious weather!
Fondly,
Miss Milani