First grade is well underway and we could not be having more fun! One of their favorite subjects is science. I love the science curriculum we use in lower school. FOSS (Full Option Science System) is a hands on system, it challenges the students, and it encourages creativity. The children have fun while they are learning and they get so excited they can’t help but reach out to one another and problem-solve.

Our first unit covered was Balance and Motion. The class balanced paper crawfish, used counterweights to counter balance objects, and tried different ways to make a sharpened pencil balance on its sharpened tip. These investigations teach the principles of balance, force, gravity, stability, and motion. The investigation that involved the children trying to balance the tip of the sharpened pencil on the table was very challenging. Each group/pair of students was given the task to get the pencil into a stable position; they had an aluminum wire, two clothespins, and a sharpened pencil per group/pair. The children worked diligently to achieve the stability.  After about ten minutes of working, one group had a break through and was able to use the counterweights and get the pencil to counterbalance.

It was like watching magic before my eyes – to see such excitement when they were successful with the pencil! Then those two students went to other groups and taught those children how to balance their pencils. This took the lesson to a higher level of Bloom's Taxonomy. Being able to take what you learned and teach it to others solidifies it to the one teaching, and can make the subject matter more relatable to the peer group. One of the best things a teacher can see is her students having fun while learning. I am looking forward to many more of these moments this year!

WOW! I cannot believe that we are already at the end of the year, it has truly flown by! We have had the opportunity to end the year with some really fun activities. We had a week of testing, and I think that the students loved that week more than any other week of school. They enjoyed getting to have relaxing afternoons and popsicles, and most of them loved taking the tests because "they were more fun than learning new things"- according to a few of my students. :) 

I was also able to share some exciting news with my students, that I am expecting a little girl in the fall. They were all so very excited and had plenty of advice and name suggestions from me. 

We still have a few more fun events to end out the year with. The students have spent the morning at their field day, playing all sorts of fun and muddy games. The air is full of giggles today. I am thankful for all of the happy memories that were made this year with my sweet group of kids! 

Our first grade class has loved watching our ladybug larvas change into pupas and then into adult ladybugs over these last couple of weeks. No one in our class had ever experienced the lifecycle of a ladybug, so everyone was in awe of each change that our little insects went through. Once the ladybugs hatched from their pupa stage, it was time to feed them as they prepared to be released into nature. This was another neat part, we were able to observe the color changes that they went through. When they first came out, they were pale with not much color and by the time we released them they had a rich color on their back with their signature spots. The day we released them was bittersweet, we were so proud to see our little ladybugs take flight into nature, but we were also sad to see them go. Of course, we did have to pray for them before they took off! 

One of my favorite parts of spring, is getting to see all of the new life. There is something so exciting about flowers blooming, trees getting their leaves, and new incests coming out. So, we decided to study and learn about the complete life cycle of a ladybug. Last year, we were able to do this with butterflies, so we are excited to compare these ladybugs with our butterflies from last year. We ordered our ladybug land and larva and we just go them in, so we are excited to begin observing their behaviors and physical changes that will occur. We were all so surprised by what the larva looked like and can't wait to watch them change into their different stages. Everyone is loving to watch the ladybug larva crawl around in their habitat!

We began my favorite unit of the year, plant life cycles! I always love this unit and it always lands perfectly at the start of spring. The kids also always love learning about new growth, there is something so mesmerizing about it. We got to start out our unit my placing a bean in a clear ziplock bag with a wet paper towel and each day watch the beans sprout roots, a stem, and some even have leaves now. It is so exciting to see new growth with each passing day, and to be able to watch these plants sprout and grow from our window. We have also taken time each day to journal about the changes that we have observed. This has just been the start of an exciting unit, we can't wait to get back from spring break and learn some more!