Up Close With Worms

On Friday we used a special microscope called a ProScope. You connect this to a computer and you can view what you are observing on the screen. Pre-K went a step further and we viewed what we were observing on the SMARTboard. And what we were observing was worms! Take a look at a few of the video clips we captured with the ProScope.

Sometimes technology just does not cooperate. Teresa and I have discovered the joy of catching video by using the imovie application on our laptops. This allows us to capture footage of play, journal time, and other activities without us physically holding a camera, freeing us up to work with the girls. This footage is helpful in so many ways. We can observe how your daughters are solving problems, resolving conflicts, creating masterpieces, and thinking out loud when we are not right by our side. This is incredibly helpful both for curriculum development as well as as another means for us to get to know and understand your daughter on an even deeper level. Well, as I earlier stated, sometimes technology just doesn't fully cooperate. We captured some of your daughters delighting in the challenge of using various cups to build structures. Hiccup #1, for some reason the sound was not captured. Hiccup #2, imovie would not allow me to edit the raw footage, Hiccup #3, When I uploaded the raw footage to blogger it is reading it on some sort of fast forward so seven minutes of footage is now a little more than two. Maybe this is all for the best in some way because the lack of sound protects your ears from the extremely high pitched shrieks of delight as structures were built and toppled and the fast forward helps you see the whole scenario quickly. I just had to put this up on the blog despite all of the problems because the joy in the girls is still so evident and the collaboration and problem solving of the exploration just epitomizes what you daughters are doing each day at Springside. Enjoy!

Ice Day

Ice Preview

The class took advantage of the frigid temperatures and placed some containers of water outside to observe what happened. This bit of footage will give you a preview of the excitement that will ensue on Tuesday when we have a full morning of ice experiments.

The First Walk to Our Woods

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We are fascinated by worms!!

It was a day of scientific inquiry last week as we spent more time with our worms.

Inquiry #1 - Will there be more, less, or the same number of worms in the worm bin?
Inquiry #2 - How many egg sacs will we find?
Inquiry #3 - How long will a worm stay on a leaf?
Inquiry #4 - How long will a worm stay under a leaf?
Inquiry #5 - How long will a worm stay on our arm?

Worms are Coming Home!!

During the past couple weeks in Science class, we set up a class worm compost bin. We have observed worms moving, studied their cocoons, and counted them to see if our worm collection grew. We also discovered that worms are great recyclers! They will eat plant leftovers and make a nice compost material that can be used on your house or garden plants. This week, your daughters have created a worm bin to go under your sink so that you can extend this experience at home!

Here's what can go in the worm bin:
-shredded paper products (not glossy pages or magazines)
-fruit and vegetable peels and trimmings
-egg shells
-tea bags
-coffee grounds and filters
-grains, beans, and breads (without butter, margarine, or mayonnaise)

What should not go in the worm bin:
-meat products
-dairy products
-oily products

Some tips:
Bury the food at least one inch deep to prevent odors and unwanted critters. Just lift a little bedding, add the food, and put the bedding back into place.
Try not to add too much of one kind of food, too many orange peels for example can add too much of a toxic chemical.
About once a week, mist the bin with water to keep it moist, just like worms like it underground. If it's too wet, add a little newspaper to soak extra moisture.
Worm composting (Vermicomposting) is not an exact science, please check on it occasionally and you may find that you have to adjust the amount of food you are adding. Your worms should be able to eat almost a half pound of food waste per day.

How do you make a home for worms?

1. Shred paper

2. Put the paper in a bin

3. Add some dirt

4. Squirt with water

5. Add things from our classroom compost bin

How a flower makes its smell

Many girls have been kind enough to bring in the flowers blooming in their gardens. Whitney had brought in Daffodils and asked, "Ms. Moore, how does a flower make a smell?" I decided to ask the girls what they thought.

How a Flower makes its smell:

Libby From the pollen
Sky The bees because they put honey in it
The bees make honey out of flowers
Lucy Maybe the flowers have honey in them or maybe the flowers are made out of honey
Ashley I think they have honey in them. Because they are pretty.
Whitney I think there is nectar in them
Gretchen Because some have honey in them and some don’t
Ella Because they might have pollen
Storrie Because the flowers have a little seed that grows and the seed has honey in the middle of it