This week in the lab...

kindergartners learned that magnets can attract through solids, liquids, and gasses! Students "went fishing" to learn that magnets still work under water. Students used pole with magnets on the end to try and "catch" fish that had paper clips attached to them. Students also tried this will animals that were hidden under sand. We also learned how to make a paperclip float in the air by tying it to a desk with a string, and then holding the magnet above it. Magnetic force is such a neat scientific concept to learn about!

First graders checked our germy bread from the experiment we setup two weeks ago. The results were very interesting! We learned that things like pencils, glue bottles, and the computer mice all had germs on them which grew mold on our bread. The bread with the most mold had germs that were collected from the water fountain! We were very surprised to find out that the bread that was rubbed inside the girl's bathroom didn't grow any mold at all! This is because our fabulous custodians do such a wonderful job of cleaning our bathrooms each night!

During technology time, we finished our Animal Adaptation PowerPoints! We will be ready to present after we return from Spring Break. Keep an eye out for a flier that will be sent home with your student. It will have more information about the presentation date and times.

Second graders learned about the Salmon Life Cycle. Because we didn't have sunny weather this week, we played a board game inside the classroom, in which each student was a salmon trying to complete the life cycle without being attacked by a predator. After Spring Break (weather permitting!) we will go outside and play Salmon Run.

During technology time, second graders reviewed other second grade inference games. It was a fun day! The inference games will be displayed in the classrooms for Open House, so be sure to come and play your student's game.

Well, that's what happened this week at 260 Cedar Road. I hope you all have a fun and exciting spring break! I encourage you all to step outside and go exploring. You never know what interesting things you will come across! Until next time, stay classy, Casita...

This week in the lab...

Miss Phillips was not at school on Thursday or Friday because she was attending the Computer-Using Educators (CUE) Conference in Palm Springs Thursday-Saturday. While the district approved her to attend the conference, they did not approve for her to have a sub on the two days she was gone. Needless to say, we had to do some class shuffling to make sure every class either came to science lab or technology time this week.

The kindergartners attended technology time and continued to improve their typing skills using Dance Mat Typing.

The first graders attended science lab and participated in the penny boat challenge where they were each given a square of aluminum foil with which they needed to construct a boat. The boat was then tested to see how many pennies it could hold before the boat began to sank. During technology time, students continued to work on their Animal Adaptations PowerPoints. This week, students added pictures to their PowerPoint slides. We are nearing the end of this project. Parents, be on the look-out for a flier that will be sent home with your students that has the class presentation times. We would love to have you attend!

Second graders continued to work on their interactive inference games during tech time. Students added the "interactive" component to their PowerPoint project, by adding hyperlinks to their game. The games are almost finished! Parents, keep a eye out for a flier being sent home with more information on how you can view your student's project.

The Monday STEM class finished up their Assembly Line project this week. The class was divided into two groups and each group had to come up an efficient way to manufacture "Color Bricks." The team with the most efficient method won! Each product had to be inspected by the "Quality Control Department," a.k.a. Miss Phillips, so students had to take into consideration the quality of the product they were producing. It was very interesting to see each group interact and work together to complete the challenge!

Well, that's what happened this week at 260 Cedar Road. I can't wait to tell you all about the educational technologies conference

This week in the lab...

This week in the lab...

Kindergartners began learning about magnets! Ms. Phillips started off the class by showing the students a little magic trick...with the aid of her secret magnet. Students were presented with the challenge of making a magnet "float" on a pencil. Students then worked in pairs to sort through a bag of items, some were magnetic and some were not. During technology time, we learned the proper way to type the letters "e" and "i" on the Dance Mat Typing website.

First graders learned about wind direction and weather vanes! Students then took a mini field trip to three locations on campus. At each location, students blew bubbles to observe which direction the wind was blowing! We didn't have technology time this week, because we had our Read Across America Day instead! It was a fun day for everyone. Even Ms. Phillips participated in the rotations! Students that visited Ms. Phillips room read a shortened version of the story "Bartholomew and the Oobleck," and then did a short activity with Oobleck!

Second graders learned about the frog life cycle. We watched a video about frogs, and then created an interactive worksheet that showed the life cycle of a frog. During technology time, students continued to work on their Interactive Inference Games in PowerPoint.

During STEM Academy, students explored the concept of Assembly Lines. Students were given the challenge of creating the most efficient way to make "color blocks." The class was divided into two teams. Each team had to work together to design the most efficient Assembly Line. Then, we tested and retested to see which Assembly Line could make the most "project manager approved" color blocks in 10 minutes.

Well, that's what happene

This week in the lab...

we had quite the break-in! 13 classrooms had windows smashed in and things stolen, including the science lab. The science lab was a mess. The cabinets were open and materials were scattered all over the floor. Glass from the broken window covered the area near the door. Unfortunately, Ms. Phillips' school laptop, 15 digital cameras, and some CDs were taken from the science lab. Our tortoise, Stella, was found outside in the drinking fountain by Rita, our Cafeteria Manager. She's okay, thankfully, but it was quite a scare. To top it all off, the incubator was broken, and our eggs did not hatch on Tuesday as planned.

In spite of this tragedy, it was amazing to see the spirit and camaraderie of Casita families as they joined together to clean up the mess.  A huge thank you to our custodian, Ray, and everyone else that helped put the classrooms back in order.

It seems as though these break-ins are occurring fairly frequently. Since Christmas, our school has been broken into 6 times. While the Sheriff's Department is investigating these crimes, I'd like to take this time to urge anyone who sees any activity on campus after dark or on the weekends, to please call the Sheriff's Department and report it.

Even with all the excitement this week, we still managed to squeeze in some solid science learning! Kindergartners went on a mini field trip around campus, and identified different clouds they saw in the sky. It was a WONDERFUL day for cloud observations! We drew pictures of the clouds we saw on our Cloud Log, and labeled them too! We aplayed an interactive game Ms. Phillips made for the StarBoard called "Swat It," where students had to "swat" the correct type of cloud. During technology time, students tried their typing fingers on for size. We visited the Dance Mat Typing website, and learned about home row, and how to properly place our fingers on the keyboard.

First graders learned anemometers! An Anemometer is a tool that scientists use to measure the strength of the wind. Students made their own anemometers to take home! During technology time, students continued to work on their habitat PowerPoints.

Since Turtle Hurdles was such a hit, we decided to play it again this week! To change it up a bit, we played the game twice. The first time, we had more sea turtles than predators. The second time we had more predators than sea turtles. It was interesting to note the difference in how many sea turtles made it back to the beach to lay their eggs during the first game, as opposed to the second game. During technology time, we continued to work on our Interactive Inference Games, which we are creating in PowerPoint.

During STEM Academy, students learned about the "handiness" of robots! We explored different scenarios where having a robot would be beneficial. Then, students worked in teams of 3-4 students, and used their engineering minds to design and create a robot arm of their very own! The arm had to be at least 18" long, and be able to pick up a styrofoam cup from the ground. Also, students were limited on the materials they could use. Materials available included: cardboard, tape, fishing line, yarn, paper clips, brads, binder clips, straws, clothes pins, rubber bands, and wooden popsicle sticks, scissors, and a hole punch.

I told the students that once the incubator is repaired, I will buy some more fertilized chicken eggs for us to incubate. Hopefully we'll have better luck the second time around!

Well, that's what happened this week at 260 Cedar Road. Until next time, stay classy Casita...

This week in the lab...

we candled the eggs again, and it looks like there is only one (maybe two) embryos that are still developing. We're going to keep our fingers crossed that we'll have at least one little hatchling on Tuesday! If not, Miss Phillips will order more fertilized eggs, and we'll try it again.

Kindergartners were introduced to a new part of the computer this week...the keyboard! Students began learning about home-row, and tried their luck at locating various letters on the keyboard. Students worked on the first stage of Dance Mat Typing, and Miss Phillips was blown away with how many students were able to pass the entire stage in their first try! She's never seen so many fast kindergartner typers before! Great job, kindergartners! Instead of doing an experiment in science lab this week, Miss Phillips made arrangements for the Helen Woodward Animal Center's AniMobile to visit the kindergartners at Casita! The AniMobile is a 32' learning center on wheels, complete with animals! The children had a blast. Check out the kindergarten page in the Photo Gallery to see pictures of the event!

First graders continued to learn about weather conditions, and appropriate fabrics to wear in each. This week, we did an experiment to find out which fabric was the most water-resistant: cotton, polyester, nylon, or wool. Students placed a piece of each type of fabric over a cup, secured it with a rubber band, and then poured 1/2 cup of water over each fabric. After testing the fabrics, students compared the cups to see which fabric allowed more/less water to seep through. Students learned that the nylon fabric was the most water-resistant, and therefore the best fabric to wear in the rain! Students also learned that while wool can keep you very warm, it is the least water-resistant fabric that we tested, and therefore should not be worn in the rain. During technology time, first graders continued to work on their Animal Adaptations PowerPoint.

Second graders learned about the life cycle of a chicken this week, which was fitting since next week the eggs are supposed to hatch (fingers-crossed!). We learned the following parts of the egg: eggshell, membrane, albumen (egg white), yolk, germinal spot, chalaza, and air sac. Students also dissected an egg to find each part and examine it up close. Then, students watched a video which explained the process of how eggs get from the farm to the grocery store, and all the steps they have to go through! At the end of class, we candled the eggs in the incubator and compared them to the unfertilized eggs we used during the experiment. We noticed that several of the embryos never began to grow, a few began growing but for some reason have stopped developing, and a couple eggs seem to be developing as normal. During technology time, second graders continued to work on their Interactive Inference games.

This week, only the Monday STEM Academy met. Since Miss Phillips was absent last week, we finished building and testing our aluminum boats. Our winning boats from the penny boat competitions were: Rose and Alyssa from the Monday STEM class which held 300 pennies, and Gisele and Briana from the Thursday STEM class, which held 138 pennies. Congratulations to our winners! Since there is no school on Monday due to President's Weekend, I invited the Monday STEM class to help me with a project on Friday after school. Mrs. Gilot, a parent of a STEM student, is creating a scaled model of the solar system on the playground! She asked if the STEM Academy and I could help her, so Friday afterschool we'll be paining the planets. It should be very exciting!

I hope you all have a safe, and fun-filled 4-day weekend. I'm of to San Francisco to visit my sister! She recently moved to S.F. because she got a nursing job at San Francisco General Hospital. I'm so proud of her! While I'm up there, I will be getting a behind-the-scenes tour of the Academy of Science Museum from one of my good childhood friends who works there...I can't wait! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures so I can show the students next week.

Well, that's what is happen

This week in the lab...

This week in the lab...

was a very exciting week! Our chicken eggs have arrived! Miss Phillips ordered 12 fertilized chicken eggs from a farmer in Florida, and they came in the mail! Unfortunately, since they came a week earlier than Miss Phillips had anticipated, she had to wait about 4 days before placing them in the incubator. It takes chicken eggs 21 days to hatch, and when Miss Phillips calculated the hatch date from the day she received the eggs, they were set to hatch the Friday of President's Weekend! That would mean that the chicks would have to stay in the incubator from Friday until Tuesday since we have a 4-day weekend and no one would be at school to take them out of the incubator. Miss Phillips decided to wait a few days before incubating the eggs. Now, the eggs are supposed to hatch Tuesday, February 22nd, the day AFTER we get back from President's Weekend. Miss Phillips is a little nervous about the eggs though, because the did travel a great distance to get to Casita, and after doing some research online she found out that the eggs should be placed in the incubator within 10 days after being laid. Since she does not know when the eggs were laid, keep your fingers crossed that we'll at least have one egg survive this crazy ordeal!


Kindergartners began learning about clouds in science lab this week! Students learned about 4 main types of clouds: cumulus, cirrus, stratus, and nimbus. Students also began creating a cloud book, which shows the four kinds of clouds made from cotton balls. During technology time, students explored various websites we have learned throughout the year.

First graders learned about measuring temperature with a thermometer. Last week, we used traditional thermometers to take the temperature of three difference cups of water. This week, however, we were introduced to digital thermometers, and used them to measure the air temperature at various points around campus. Then, we discussed why the air was cooler in some spots and warmer in other spots, and how shade can play an important role in keeping us cooled off...and shade is free! During technology time, first graders began their next technology project, an Animal Adaptations PowerPoint! Students created their Title Slide, and saved their PowerPoints.

Because it was rainy during the early part of the week, Miss Phillips decided to plan and indoor activity instead of going outdoors and playing Turtle Hurdles again. Miss Phillips showed the students a video created by some Animal Care Specialists at Sea World who focus on the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of sea turtles. The students LOVED IT! Then, in groups of 3, students played a sea turtle board game, similar to the game "Life," in which players simulate the trials and tribulations of a sea turtle's life with the roll of a die. During technology time, students began their next technology project, an Interactive Game! This game will be created in PowerPoint. This week, students created their Title Slide, background, and saved their PowerPoints.


During STEM Academy, students tested their paper bridge designs to see how many pennies their bridges could hold!

Well, that's what happened this week at 260 Cedar Road. Until next time, stay classy Casita...

This week in the lab...

kindergarters continued learning about the three states of matter. Students experimented with soda and ice, and found that the carbination in soda creates a gas! Then, students learned that some things can change from one state of matter to the next. Students competed to see who could melt their ice cube the fastest!

First graders continued learning about temperature. This week, we used digital thermometers to take the temperature of 4 spots around campus. Then, we discussed the differences in temperature and why some spots on campus are hotter than others. Next, we discussed how we can use natural things, like trees, to shade our homes and keep us cool instead of using air conditioning and electricity. During technology time, we continued to work on our Animal Coverings PowerPoints.

Second graders learned about the life cycle of a sea turtle! Students acted out the life cycle in a game called Turtle Hurdles. Half the class were predators, the other half were sea turtles. next week, we will switch roles so everyone will get a chance to see how tough life is as a sea turtle! We also discussed limiting factors such as pollution, construction, and egg collectors, which are leading to the declining numbers of sea turtle populations. Students discussed ways to help sea turtles and other endangered animals of the ocean. During technology time, students continued to create inferences in preparation for our upcoming technology project.

During STEM Academy, students finally learned who borrowed Mr. Bear! Students watched a video from Detective Phillips, and then read the Case Story that Detective Phillips had sent Miss Phillips. To see Detective Phillips' video, click here. Then, students were introduced to our next unit, which will be based on Engineering. Students learned about various types of engineering from the Discover Engineering website. Then, students were presented with the challenge of building a bridge out of a single piece of 8.5" x 11" paper that could hold 100 pennies. For more information about this challenge, click here.

Well, that's what's happening this week at 260 Cedar Road. Until next time, stay classy Casita...

This week in the lab...

kindergartners learned about the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Students observed three balloons, each containing a different state of matter, and they had to determine which had the solid, which had the liquid, and which had the gas. Then, we opened them to find out if our predictions were correct! Next, students watched a BrainPopJr. video about the three states of matter. Because of the shortened week, kindergartners did not go to technology time this week.

First graders learned about thermometers and how to use them to determine what the temperature is. Students made predictions, then found the temperature of cold water, and hot water. Then students predicted what the temperature would be if they mixed the hot water with the cold water, and finally they tested it to see how close their predictions were to the actual temperature. During technology time, students began making their Animal Covering PowerPoint using microsoft PowerPoint. Students learned how to open a PowerPoint and save it. Then, students created their Title slide.

Second graders learned about animal that lay eggs. Students played a matching game, and then competed for prized with the knowledge they gained during the matching game. During technology time, students continued to write their inferences for their interactive game.

Due to the shortened week, there was no STEM Academy. Next week, students will find out who borrowed Mr. Bear!

Well, that's what's happening this week at 260 Cedar Road. I'm off to go camping. I hope you all have a wonderful 3-day weekend. I'll see you next week! Until next time, stay class Casita...