Sunday, March 6, 2011

Bartholomew and the Oobleck

On March 2nd, elementary schools everywhere celebrate the birthday of one of our favorite authors, Dr. Seuss.  This "holiday" coincides with Read Across America day, when we celebrate the joys of reading.  We completed a few morning activities such as a Dr. Suess crossword puzzle and reading several Dr. Seuss books.

In the afternoon, the students took turns reading from Bartholomew and the Oobleck.  Once we completed the story, we decided to make a little "oobleck" of our own.  Now this is a FUN, but extremely MESSY activity.

Just what is "oobleck" you may ask...

"Oobleck is a classic science experiment that's perfect for entertaining both kids and adults. If you haven't seen it in action, it's very fascinating stuff and before too long you'll have your hands covered with it, happily making a mess that can be washed away with water.

Oobleck is a non-newtonian fluid. That is, it acts like a liquid when being poured, but like a solid when a force is acting on it. You can grab it and then it will ooze out of your hands. Oobleck gets its name from the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck where a gooey green substance, Oobleck, fell from the sky and wreaked havoc in the kingdom. "

Other fun facts about "oobleck"
  • applying a constant force to the Oobleck makes it behave like a solid
  • when the force is stopped, Oobleck becomes liquidy again
  • when Oobleck is heated or frozen it will harden
  • hardened Oobleck will melt and mix with regular Oobleck and turn back to normal
  • Oobleck dissolves in water
  • fast movements through Oobleck are difficult because the Oobleck becomes very thick whereas slow movements are easier because the Oobleck is more liquid.




The look on Bailey's face says it all!






We made enough "oobleck" for each student to take home a cup full.  (Parents, you're welcome- haha)

Now if we have convinced you of how much fun this activity is, I am listing the "recipe" for you to make your own "oobleck" at home.  The recipe can be doubled.

2 cups cornstarch

3 drops food coloring
1 cup water

You need to start by pouring room temperature water into a bowl.  Slowly add the food coloring, then stir in the cornstarch.


This link will carry you directly to Seussville:
http://www.seussville.com/?section=home&isbn=&catalogID=&eventID=

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

by the incomparable Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!

Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

Southeast Region

In Social Studies, we toured the southeastern region of the United States.  We were able to board a riverboat and visit many exciting places such as the Florida Everglades, Memphis, Tennessee; Cape Cannaveral, Florida; and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

The Riverboat

Some of the things we did on our tour were as follows:
  • Watched a video of an air boat ride. (Also saw an alligator along the way)
  • Visited Kennedy Space Center and toured it online
  • Learned about coal mining and what a dangerous job this is
  • Visited the French Quarter in New Orleans and learned about Hurricane Katrina
  • Visited an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and learned how workers drill for oil
  • Viewed the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama
  • Listened to some Blues music and Cajun music
  • Visited Jamestown, Virginia and played an online game to see if we would have survived that first year in the New World
  • Visited Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and learned about the Wright brothers



Souvenirs from Kitty Hawk, N.C.

These are our "suitcases" that we made with folders, velcro, and some fun printed duct tape.
At each stop, students list information in their folders about the landmarks that we visit.  We are diligently working on our map skills and leanring fascinating things about our wonderful country. 

Monday, February 7, 2011

Touring the United States

We began our tour of the United States last week by completing some fun actvities that I found online.  One of our third grade history goals is to learn about the different regions of the United States.We loaded up on a "train" and went on a quick tour of the Northeast region last Wednesday.  In order to earn their train ticket, students had to label all of the states and capitals in the northeast region, carve a shape out whalebone (Ivory soap), and find a "Plymouth Rock."  Once they had completed these activities, they were given a train ticket and allowed to board.  Zoe was our wonderful conductor.  She did a great job of announcing each stop.   We visited famous landmarks located in the northeast, and we even stopped at a few places to complete some activities.  We made really cute suitcases to keep all of our papers in.  I will post some more pictures when our United States tour hits the next place.






Did you know that in the northeast, sailors used to carve and sell treasures out of whalebone?





Trey and Shaw locating states and capitals.


We toured the Hershey factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  We stopped and set up an assembly line.  We had a contest to see who could wrap the most kisses (chocolate chips) in foil.







These guys won by assembling 62 kisses.

We visited the following landmarks:
  • West Quoddy Head Lighthouse- We got to listen to the foghorn and see pictures of the lighthouse.
  • Mt. Washington, which is the highest peak in the northeast. (6,288 feet)  We learned about the wild weather they experience.
  • We stopped by Plymouth, Massachusetts and even did an online tour of the Mayflower.  We used a map to trace the Pilgrim's journey.
  • We stopped by the Boston Common, which is the oldest park in the country.  It is also the starting point of the Freedom Trail.  We also learned about the Boston Tea Party, and we all received a teabag to help us remember what we learned.
  • The next stop was the Erie Canal, which was the first transportation system between New york City and the Great Lakes region.
  • In Hershey, Pennsylvania, we learned about one of the great wonders of the world- chocolate!  We learned how candy bars are made, and we sampled a couple of fun-size candy bars.
  • Independence Hall in Philadelphia is where the Second Continental Congress convened and where the Declaration of Independence was debated and adopted.
  • In Washington, D.C. we visited the White House.
  • In New York, which was our final stop, we visited the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.  We did a litlle math to figure out how long it would take us to climb the stairs to the top.
We had a great visit, and luckily we made it back to SCA in time for dismissal.
Next stop- Southeast...coming soon.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Boxtop Competition/ Spirit Week

WE WON the boxtop competition!!  We strategized every day. We did not have the most boxtops for the week; just a really great, top-secret plan.  What does that mean for students? -one week of Friday dress code!  What does that mean for parents? -one week of not having to iron khakis!
Our class posing with the spirit banner-

Here are a couple of pictures from pajama day and jersey day-


And finally, meet Rockstar- the bull who "donated" for the "Moo-poo" competition. 



Our class pet has arrived

After polling the crowds, we decided on a guinea pig as a classroom pet this year.  The students enjoy taking him out to "graze" at recess, and sneaking in little bits of lettuce from the cafeteria as a treat for him.  We have learned all about the good, the bad, and the stinky when it comes to caring for a pig.  He has adapted well to his new environment and enjoys all the attention he gets.  The students get to alternate weekends taking him home.  We couldn't unanimously agree on a name, but we knew we wanted a Bible name.  It was either Joseph (for his coat of many colors) or Daniel (for his bravery).  We compromised on the name Joseph Daniel (J.D. for short).


Farm Day

Every third grader in Hardin County is invited to the fairgrounds to participate in "Farm Day" each October.  This is a fun event in which students learn about things such as pollution, electricity, wildlife, and farming.  Our class had the opportunity to attend this year.  Here are a few pictures of what we did.