Week of May 27 - 31

I hope everyone enjoyed their 3-day weekend!

Here's a review of our Science Lab activities for this week:

• Kindergarten: There was no school on Monday, so I missed seeing my kinder friends this week.
• 1st grade: We went on an insect scavenger hunt outside. Students were asked to find various insects, textures, colors, and shapes.
• 2nd grade: We learned about insects this week. First, we reviewed their parts. Then we went on an insect scavenger hunt outside. There are lots of Texas insects around Old Union!
• 3rd grade: We played a game about habitats this week. Each team competed by answering questions about a variety of habitats on our Earth. We had a lot of fun!
• 4th grade: This was our "big review challenge" week. We played a science game on the Promethean board with our teams to compete for prizes. I was so impressed the 4th graders' science knowledge!

Week of May 20 - 24

Here's what happened in the Science Lab this week:

• Kindergarten: We completed a nature scavenger hunt at the pond near OUES this week. Students were challenged to find various things outside, ranging from certain insects to special textures.
• 1st grade: We studied bats this week.We had fun mimicking a bat's echolocation abilities, and we saw how parent bats find their young pup(s) in a nursery.
• 2nd grade: We learned about parts of plants this week. To investigate the role of a plant's stem, we placed white flowers in different colors of water; we'll have to watch the plants over the next week or two to see what happens. 
• 3rd grade:We learned a little more about the layers of the rainforest this week. Ask your third grader to explain the four layers to you!
• 4th grade: I did not get to see my 4th grade friends this week due to a fun and exciting field day. Special thanks to Ms. Specht and all of the volunteers for arranging it. We had a blast!

Have a fun and safe 3-day weekend!

Week of May 13 - 17

Here's a recap of our Science Lab activities this week:

• Kindergarten: We learned about goldfish this week! We learned that goldfish have special physical features that allow them to live underwater. We got to observe real goldfish, do a goldfish puzzle, and play some other fun creature games.
• 1st grade: We learned about ants this week. We added ants to our ant farm and got to observe them in action. We also learned about an ant's life cycle and all of the amazing things they can do.
• 2nd grade: We studied the life cycle of a butterfly this week. We learned about the various stages a caterpillar goes through as it transforms into a butterfly. We saw how truly breathtaking nature can be!
• 3rd grade:We played a game about life cycles in the rain forest and saw how difficult it can be for certain creatures to survive.
• 4th grade:We learned more about erosion by studying how rocks can break down. We illustrated this with chalk, cinnamon, sugar cubes, and glass jars {ask your 4th grader how we did it!}.

Enjoy your weekend!

Week of May 6 - 10

Here's a review of our Science Lab activities for this week:

• Kindergarten: We learned about the life cycle of a ladybug this week; students were very excited to learn more about ladybugs, since they got their first "taste" of the subject at our Earth Day Ladybug Release! We learned how a ladybug changes throughout its life, and we got to observe some live ladybugs up close. Afterwards, Mrs. Lugeanbeal was kind enough to let us borrow her tadpole aquarium again, so we got to see if and how those little tadpoles were changing. Very exciting!
• 1st grade: This was week two of our tree study. This week, we learned about different kinds of trees and how their leaves look different. We collected leaves of our own, graphed our leaves, identified the leaves of Old Union, and made a book of our leaf rubbings.
• 2nd grade: We wrapped up our ocean unit this week by completing a culminating project over ocean food chains. Students had to create a full ocean food chain in their notebook; the only "rule" was that everything had to have something to eat! It was a fun way to end our ocean study.
• 3rd grade: Since we studied owls for the past three weeks {and dug through their pellets!}, we finished our owl study by creating an owl food chain. We used our knowledge of owl pellets to create prey for the owls in our food chain. Students who finished early had the opportunity to continue trying to identify the bones they found in their owl pellets.
• 4th grade:We explored stream tables this week. We looked at different kinds of weathering and did some investigations of our own to see what happens to the Earth when rain hits the ground.

A special thank you goes to all of you that were involved in Teacher Appreciation Week. I definitely felt loved! :) Thanks for your hard work and generosity!

Week of May 29 - May 3

Here's a look at this week's Science Lab activities:

• Kindergarten: We studied the life cycle of a frog today! A kind parent volunteer donated some tadpoles to Mrs. Lugeanbeal's room, and Mrs. Lugeanbeal was nice enough to let us borrow them for the day. We learned how a tadpole grows into a frog, played some frog games, and made a frog wheel to help us remember the steps more easily. Home extension: Ask your student to show you the life cycle wheel we made in the lab, and see if he/she can explain all the parts!
• 1st grade: We started our two-week study on trees today. Students participated in tree stations where they got to observe bark, tree cookies, and pine cones. Home extension: Go for a nature walk and allow your student to observe the trees in the area.
• 2nd grade: We learned about "beach things" today, courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum's artifact trunk. We rotated through stations, sorting appropriate beach things from trash, exploring the trunk's ocean artifacts, reading ocean books, observing sand from around the world, and identifying beautiful seashells. Home extension: Ask your student to share some interesting facts they learned about beach artifacts in the lab. Next time you go on a beach vacation, your student might want to collect seashells and other beach artifacts to start a beach collection at home.
• 3rd grade: We finished our owl pellet investigation this week. Students finished cleaning the bones they found in the pellets. Afterwards, they worked on gluing the bones into their notebook and identifying the creatures to which the bones belonged. Home extension: Visit THIS WEBSITE to virtually dissect an owl pellet. Your student can then tell you what he/she found in the lab.
• 4th grade:We started our last unit of the year this week: geology. Today, we studied various types of soil and their characteristics. Mainly, we focused on figuring out how much water certain types of soil could hold. Home extension: Ask your student to duplicate today's investigation at home by experimenting with soil around your home. Compare that information to the information he/she learned in the lab.