Week of March 18 - 22

Welcome back to Old Union! It was so nice to see everyone's smiling face this week.

Here's what happened in the Science Lab:

• Kindergarten and 1st grade: We kicked off our "organisms and environments" unit by learning the difference between living and non-living things. We also talked about basic needs of plants and animals. Home extension: If you have a pet at home, allow your child to take part in feeding and taking care of the animal; that would be a fantastic opportunity to talk about basic needs and living/non-living! If you don't have a pet, you could always adopt a virtual one; click here, here, or here for my top picks. Another option is to allow your child to help you plant something and be responsible for helping it grow.
• 2nd grade: We finished our meteorology unit by learning about wind and making an anemometer. We also talked about a case of extreme wind -- tornadoes -- and how to keep ourselves safe. Home extension: Your student got to take home his/her own anemometer and wind speed scale this Wednesday. Encourage your student to measure and track the wind speed for the next week.
• 3rd grade: We finished our three week study over simple machines today by focusing on pulleys and wheels. Home extension: Go on a "simple machine scavenger hunt" -- at home, at a store, or wherever! -- and see how many simple machines you and your child can find.
• 4th grade: Since we are still studying circuits in our force, motion, and energy unit, we did a fun little activity this week that involved making "quiz cards" with circuits on the back. Students had to come up with 4th grade math questions that would help them study for their STAAR test, and they had to make sure that the correct answer created a complete circuit on the back of the card. We used multi-meter testers to quiz ourselves afterward. A few quiz cards and multi-meter testers are now in the 4th grade math rooms so that students can quiz themselves during their free time. Home extension: You don't have to have multi meter testers to do this activity! Students could create their own quiz cards at home and test them with a light bulb and D Cell battery -- they know how!

 Green Thumb Club members: Our next meeting is Tuesday, March 26. Hope to see you there!