Kindergarten and Tree Cookies!

We have been looking at sections of tree trunks (strangely named tree cookies)! We learned that the bark protects the tree, like our skin protects us, and the rings tell us not only how old a tree is, but if the tree grew a lot that year!

This birch tree log has moss growing on it.

The bark is smooth compared to the tree cookies.

This has so many rings!

The rings are close together.

This trunk is smaller.

Surprises at Ghouls and Gourds!

One of my favorite places to visit is the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.  It was such a lovely day on Saturday, that I thought I would go enjoy the Ghouls and Gourds festivities!

Imagine my surprise when I saw an insectorium and petting zoo!  I had to check it out!

The hornworms are such a gorgeous green!

They have a fake tail at the back to scare off predators and are so soft!

Wasps, bees and hornets!

Different moths that live in Connecticut and New York too I would think.

Then I saw the Madagascar hissing cockroaches.  We have some in the science classroom, but I have never taken them out of their habitat!  I thought now was the time...I had to do it!  Deep breath....

I held the hissing cockroach!

They eat the same foods we do!

A Beautiful Day For the Harvest Festival!

Thank you to all the families that came out to help harvest the produce in our school garden!  We had a beautiful day and lots of help to pick tomatoes, peppers, onions, mint, basil, parsley, sage, oregano, thyme and even lavender! The many of the herbs will be served in our school cafeteria and the rest were given to Chef Rob from Nightingale 9 to be used at the restaurant.  Nightingale 9 has been a huge supporter of our school garden!  Be sure to stop by the restaurant and taste our produce!

A gorgeous pepper from our garden!

Leaf head bands!

The leaves from our garden were the perfect size!

Raking up the leaves.

Worms to help our soil!

Boy do the worms move around a lot!

Onions!

Tomatoes and peppers!

Nothing like a leaf pile!

Chef Rob examining the harvest!

Everyone is having fun today!

Garden bounty!

Pre-K Explores Their Sense of Taste!

Pre-K has started to explore the 5 senses!  Our five senses help us to better understand our world!

After reading 10 Red Apples by Pat Hutchins, we really, really wanted to eat apples, so...the taste test!  Which color apple tastes the best to you?

Does the red apple taste best?

Does the green apple taste best?

"It looks like a banana!"

Most of us tried both apples, but some of us
just didn't want to try the green apple!

The green apple tasted sour!

The red apple just tasted good!

Well.....I think I like them both!

Juicy red apple!  My favorite!!

Now, draw your favorite apple and place it on the chart!

Ms. Bidgood's class really liked both apples the best!

It was close in Mrs. Hatheway's class both red apples and
 green and red apples tasting the best!

In Ms. Clark's class, red and green apples taste the best!

Once we finished tallying up all the "votes", everyone wanted to take the taste test again!

Harvest Festival, Monday, October 24th!

2nd Grade Explores Volcanic Rocks

Three very different looking rocks....how can we describe them?  How are they the same?  How are they different? What happens when we rub the rocks together? 2nd graders are starting to learn about properties of rocks:size, shape, luster, texture, color and even hardness.

All of the rocks are about the same size.

The white rock is smooth.

Look at the holes in these rocks!

The gray rock is heavier than the other rocks.

This rock feels rough and bumpy.

I'm making red rock dust!

The white rock makes flakes of dust.

The gray rocks don't make any dust, but they do
make lines on the rock!

It's like snow.

I can smell the rock when I rub them together!