Dear Families,

We had a wonderful trip to the Berkshire Botanical Garden. We went there to study evergreens. The first part of our experience was outside among the frosted evergreens at the gardens. We learned about the four varieties of evergreens; Spruce, Fir, Pine, and Juniper. There is a poem that we learned to help us identify which is which. The children brought home a copy of it on Wednesday. At school each child drew and cut out an evergreen, which has a fact pasted on the front of it. They are displayed on the board, with fresh evergreens surrounding the drawings. It smells really great in our room. After our outdoor exploration we went inside to make paper. The children made slurry (paper pulp), added bits of nature to the screen then padded the pulp dry with a sponge. They are quite beautiful and drying in our classroom. Please take a moment to come in and look at the paper and the display. Enjoy the pictures below.

We continue to write poetry. We compared a poet’s notes to a scientist’s notes when looking at the same object. They wrote several poems about weather. Then selected one to illustrate with pen and watercolor. They had to edit and rewrite the published poem. These are also on display in the classroom. We spent one day writing “terse verses”, which are very short rhyming poems. They are beginning to understand that poets can write about anything at all. On the day it snowed we wrote snow poems.

In math we started a unit on money. I didn’t realize how difficult it was going to be to find a penny and a picture? I guess the culture of paper pictures is gone. Digital has changed how we record time passing. In any case the children did learn what year they were born in and also that coins have a ton of information on them. Now we learn to combine different coins together to get a variety of sums. They are also learning their math facts quickly. I compared it to reading. We can read some words “in a snap”, without too much thought. Well we have to learn some math facts in the same way. They need to be quick and accurate. To make if fun we play “Beat the Calculator”. Your child should be able to explain the game.

Thank you for bringing in the gifts, the Book Fair form, pillows, and manila envelopes. It is a lot to remember and I appreciate all your efforts.

Happy Birthday to Bronly and Everett!

Have a great weekend! Let’s hope it snows.
Fondly,
Miss Milani