The Very Hungry Caterpillar's 45th Anniversary

To celebrate the 45th anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and the first day of spring, all of first grade headed out to our school garden. We started our lesson by reading the book in English and Spanish. The students then worked in small groups to paint concrete stepping stones to look like The Very Hungry Caterpillar. After they dried, we added them to our garden as a pathway.

Living and Non-Living

The students visited the garden to determine various living and non-living objects. They then drew pictures to show their understanding.

Working in the Garden

We recently received potatoes to plant in the school garden. To prepare for the planting, four first grade classes teamed up with a third grade class and a fifth grade class to clean up in the garden. Everyone pulled weeds, picked up trash, added fertilizer, and turned the soil. We cut up the potatoes to let them air dry over the weekend. Early next week we will be planting them.

Living or Non-Living

We recently visited the school garden during science to identify objects as living or non-living. After exploring, they drew pictures of their findings. They circled living objects in red and non-living objects in blue and created a key for their illustration.

Taking Math Outdoors

After several weeks of freezing temperatures, we have been loving the warmer weather. So, we decided to take math outside. We have been learning about balanced equations or number sentences. The Students took a dry erase board outside and I called out various number sentences. They wrote the number sentences and then drew circles under each addend. They then counted the number of circles on each side of the equal sign to see if both sides were equal, or balanced.

Wind

In science we went outside to learn more about wind. We talked about what it looks and feels like when the wind is calm and when it is windy. The students experimented with the wind's movement with objects like streamers, luau necklaces, and plastic bags.

 



Natural vs. Artificial Sound and Light

In science we have been studying about various sources of sound and light. We recently went to the school garden to experiment with various sources. The students listened for natural and artificial sounds and light and recorded them on construction paper. They then illustrated at least one example of each.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

To practice retelling a story in order, our class and Mrs. Francis' class went on a "bear hunt." We went outside to the garden and read "We're Going on a Bear Hunt." After reading, we learned motions to go along with the story and acted out retelling the story.

Planting Potatoes and Onions

The students recently visited the school garden to plant potatoes and onions. The students took turns digging the holes, planting the potato pieces or onion bulbs, and then covering them. They have been watering them every two weeks. Upon our return to class, they wrote a How To paper on the steps to take in planting potatoes. The How To writing is a part of our writing program, Write From the Beginning.

Human and Physical Characteristics

In Social Studies the students have been learning to differentiate between physical and human characteristics. To assess their understanding, we took our lesson outside to the school garden. The students drew the school garden and then identified at least two physical characteristics and two human characteristics from the garden.