University of Illinois Physics Van

Today, the University of Illinois Physics Van came to visit us. It was so COOL! We learned about all kinds of scientific things. We learned that when you cool a balloon with liquid nitrogen, it will shrink. As it returns to room temperature, it will expand back to it's original size. We also learned that 'for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction'. When you let go of a balloon, the air goes out one direction and the balloon goes the other direction. A fire extinguisher can be used to push a person on a cart. It is really loud! And, when soapy warm water and liquid nitrogen get together, THEY EXPLODE!!! Make sure to watch the video (sorry there is no sound but you can watch the soda bottle filled with liquid nitrogen inside the garbage can EXPLODE!!! IT IS AWESOME!!! What a great way to learn about science.

University of Illinois Physics Van video

Let's Make a Cake

In Math and Reading, we are talking about doing things in sequential order. What comes first, next, and last or first, second, and third. What better way to learn to follow directions in the correct order (and what better tasting way too!!) than to make a cake.
First, we gathered our ingredients and tools that we need to make a cake.
Second, we read the directions.
Third, we mixed the ingredients and poured it into the pan.
Fourth, we baked the cake.
Fifth, we put frosting on the cake.
Last, we ate the cake!!! Yum yum yum! We are great bakers!

The 100th Day of School

On February 4th, we celebrated the 100th day of school. We brought in collections of 100 items. We counted them out into 10 groups on 10. We counted by 1's, 5's and 10's. We wore 100 day crowns. What a great day!

Scooter/Ag in the Classroom/Bulletin Boards

Scooter is our class pet. He is a turtle. Miss Terwelp has had him for 12 years!!! We got him out to feed him. He eats lettuce. We were able to pet him if we wanted, but you must wash your hands after touching him! He even tried to escape.
Mrs. Burris came to do a lesson on corn for Agriculture in the Classroom. We learned about the different types of corn, the products made with corn, and then we got to eat corn chips. Yum, yum!
When it was very snowy outside, we made snowflakes. We also traced a few of our classmates to make people to put up a big bulletin board in our hallway.
For Groundhog Day, we talked about shadows. The groundhog saw his shadow, so six more weeks of winter. Yuck! We saw our shadows, too, and traced them.

Sock Hop and Races

January has been a pretty busy month, including a few snow/cold days. We had our 2nd quarter reading incentive reward-a sock hop- where we danced with scarves, did the Hokey Pokey, and danced with partners. When we got a little crazy from being inside so much, we had races in our classroom. January brought us A LOT of indoor recess/play time. The Douglas County Health Department came and showed us how to wash our hands to get rid of the germs. We squirted "germs" onto our hands and then washed them. After we washed, we held our hands under a black light to see the "germs". Did you know that you should sing the alphabet all the way through while you scrub your hands?