Thanksgiving history and activities...

This is such a special time of year as the seasons change and we look forward to spending time with family and friends for the holidays.  I especially enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday as the focus is "food, family, friends, and fellowship"!  While you are relaxing and hanging out, here are some activities that you can do to learn about the history of Thanksgiving and some fun games to play.  Don't forgot that the Penguin Project (see previous posts) is also a great way to be a part of something exciting happening many miles away:)

Thanksgiving History -
The First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Timeline
Be A Historian

Thanksgiving Games -
Too Many Turkeys
Spot the differences
Turkey Swap
Word Search
Thanksgiving Bounce
Dress A Turkey
Make A Silly Turkey
Create A Thanksgiving Card
Thanksgiving Tale
"Fill In" Thanksgiving Story

Thanksgiving Stories -

The Story of Squanto
The Kitchen
Two Bad Pilgrims



Thanks to Emily Starr (of Starrmatica) for some of the suggested activities:)

Penguin Project Update...

 I wanted to share with you all an email that I received over the weekend about the Antarctica Penguin Project from Jean Pennycook (the Penguin Education Specialist in charge of the project):

Welcome to the 2014-2105 Adélie Penguin breeding season in Antarctica!   Starting Nov 17, follow 10 new penguin families as they raise their chicks at Cape Royds, on Ross Island.  Adopt a penguin family, keep a field notebook, record parent foraging trips, egg hatching and chick rearing data. Follow daily pictures as these amazing birds raise their chicks. http://www.penguinscience.com/education/royds_nestcheck.php

Combine science, art and geography. Have your students track their penguin postcards as they are mailed down to us, and then back from Antarctica.http://www.penguinscience.com/education/postcards.php

 Design and make a flag to fly at our research station.  http://www.penguinscience.com/education/design_flag.php

 Ready made  instructional powerpoints (with teaching notes) about penguins, Antarctica and more!

http://www.penguinscience.com/education/penguin_powerpoint_presentations.php

Something for everyone about Antarctica!

Penguin Science is an NSF funded project engaging and educating classrooms and the public about Antarctica and the amazing Adélie penguins as they raise their chicks and cope with global climate change.

Please let me know if you are interested in participating in this project or if you would like to meet with me during lunch recess to work on it.

Mrs. L.

Penguin Research

Over the past several years I have had students participate in a Penguin Research Project being done in Antarctica.  We watched the Adelie penguins nesting habits and enjoyed seeing the little ones as they hatched from their egg homes.  I have even had students send postcards to the researchers in  Antarctica and get them back with a postmark from that far-away place!  I am sharing the link to the website in case your child is interested in acting as a scientist and watching and documenting the progress of the breeding season of the penguins.  I am happy to help if your daughter needs assistance creating and sending a "postcard" to the researchers.  Whether they want to create a postcard or not, enjoy watching and learning about these amazing creatures who live in such a unique part of our world.

Penguin Science Website

30 days of...

I ran across this neat compilation of activities on the National Center for Families Learning website and I wanted to share it with you all.  I hope that you will be able to find and do some of the suggestions and then come tell me all about them!  The photo above is just that, a photo, so here is a link to the "full" list - 30 Days of Families Learning link (then click "download calendar").

Third and Fourth Grade Book Meeting Dates

The 4th grade book club will meet next Thursday, November 13th during lunch recess and the 3rd grade book club will meet the following Thursday, November 20th at the same time.  We will meet in the Lower School Library. 
Don't forget to check out the book club wiki for book recommendations from friends (see link on the right side of this blog).

How to help your child with homework...

Many of you know how much I enjoying researching educational (and food!) topics.  I try not to overwhelm folks with resources, but I want to share a good article that I ran across on a website for a Pediatric clinic (North Shore Pediatric Center in Illinois).  Although the article is directed toward parents of children with ADHD, these are tips that are good for ALL students.

6 Tips to Help Your Child with ADHD Complete His Homework:

1. Have the child start the work when he or she gets home.  These children oftentimes have difficulty with transitioning between tasks and initiating action with their work.  Children were in school all day and already have the mindset of doing academic work.  It may prove difficult for the child to take a break and then attempt to initiate the work.
2. Have a set location established for homework routines.  Keep the desk or table as clear of clutter as possible.  Keep the location in a quiet room away from extraneous distracters such as the television, other children and family members, and other items such as toys that may be distracting for the child.
3. Have the child create a list of daily homework tasks as well as an expectation of how much time each task would take.
4. Have the child stick with one subject and complete the work to fruition before moving to another task.
5. Encourage the child to take short, non-stimulating breaks between tasks.  Breaks should be going to get a light snack, walking around the house, etc. and not be anything that might be overly engaging such as playing videogames or watching television.
6. Have consistency with expectations of homework.  Make studying and homework completion daily habits.