Week of April 1 - 5

Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed the 3-day weekend; I sure did!

Here's what we did in the Science Lab this week:

• Kindergarten: We learned about plant lifecycles before planting our own [green bean] seed. Most students took the planted seeds home, but I think that at least one classroom teacher had the seeds stay in the classroom so she could help her students watch the plants grow daily. Either way, when the planted seed comes to you, please remind your student to place it in a sunny spot (like a windowsill) and water it every day. When the plant gets bigger, you can transfer it to a bigger pot or to an outside space where it has more room to grow. Enjoy your green beans! Home extension: if you have a garden, allow your student to help plant, weed, and water. If you don't have a garden, letting your student plant 1 seed of his/her choice to keep and nurture in his/her room would be great!
• 1st grade and 2nd grade: I did not get to see my 1st grade friends this week, due to the STAAR writing exam that I helped monitor. I can't wait to see them next week, though!
• 3rd grade: We reviewed measurement methods today by participating in some measurement centers. We reviewed area, perimeter, length, and width. Home extension: There are lots of opportunities to practice measurement at home! Make up a problem that requires measurement, and allow your student to solve it for you. For instance, maybe you need a rug to fit the living room; your student could measure the length and width of the room to figure out how big of a rug to buy. They could also calculate how many square inches or feet of fabric you'd need to buy if you were going to make the rug yourself.
• 4th grade: We made electroscopes today, and each student got to take home their creation! Home extension: Ask your student to dig their homemade electroscope out of his/her backpack and show you how it works!

 Green Thumb Club members: our next meeting is Tuesday, April 9. Hope to see you there!