Week 3...Here we come!

During snack time outside, the kids found caterpillars! EVERYWHERE! We couldn't resist and had to bring them inside to see if they might make chrysalises and then turn into caterpillars. We'll need to do some research to find out what kind they are and what they eat but for now...the kids have given them all kinds of leaves to eat.

Class Pictures

What a wonderful group of kids!!

What a wonderful group of kids!!

A sad Wednesday!

We lost a dear friend yesterday...our sweet rat, Cutie! We buried her and had a funeral service where we shared "12 Good Things about Cutie." Here they are:

1. She was fuzzy.

2. She loved to play with Gracie's hair bow.

3. She was cute and liked to hide in our shirts and arms.

4. She liked to nibble on Gia's face.

5. She had big ears.

6. She had the best name.

7. She was nice.

8. She liked to crawl behind Ethan's back.

9. She liked to dig in the shavings.

10. She tickled us with her toes.

11. She liked when we snuggled with her.

12. She loved her picture that we put on her cage.

We love you, Cutie, and will always remember you!

Week 2 in 2nd grade

We started a new week yesterday with a study of amphibians. We learned about some exciting species of frogs, located their habitats on a map of the world, and found out some interesting facts about frogs. We acquired LOTS of new tadpole "pets" to observe as they change from tadpoles to frogs. I'll post pictures of them soon. We visited our new Reading Coach, Mrs. Payne, and got acquainted with "the literacy lab" where we will take turns reading on special occasions. We read Goldilocks and the Three Bears and discussed how readers choose "just right books." We also talked about how "reading is thinking" and the kinds of things that readers think about as they read. In Math, we are practicing tens facts, learning to tell time, and exploring how to cover shapes with various pattern blocks. In Writing, we added a list of "habits that we have" that we might like to write stories around in the future. We hope you'll come back and visit us again soon!

Pictures of Popping!

What's the best way to pop a balloon? Leave it to 2nd graders to figure that out!

I think I'll step on my balloon. POP!

How about using some scissors? POP!

Why not jump on it? POP!

Pull it hard enough and...POP!

Hmmm...Sharp pencil...POP!

Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze...POP!

Give it a nice little cut...POP!

Pull, pull...step on it...POP!

Heavy water bottle...throw it on the balloon...POP!

Come on pencil...POP!

I bet this balloon will pop if I scrunch up my face and pull hard...POP!

My foot was so quick you didn't even see it...POP!

With some very precise calculations, if I put this pencil right here in the center...POP!

Who needs a pencil when you've got muscles...POP!

And for the grand finale...sit on it...POP!

(For the record, Mrs. Woolard was the only person who chose to sit on the balloon to pop it. So...she begged these 3 to pop the extra balloons using her strategy.)

Catch ya later!

(One last picture...one of our millipede friends.)

Lots of learning...

Today was a busy but great day! We chose comfy reading spots, passed out book boxes, selected books to put in our book boxes, and spent some quality time reading. We solved 2 problems in our math journals and discussed different strategies that students used to solve them. We played a math game called "Roll to Make 10" and also figured out how much our names are worth if consonants are worth 2 points and vowels are worth 5 points. (How much is YOUR first name worth?). We read a book called Owen, by Kevin Henkes, and created a list of "treasures" in our writer's notebooks to use as ideas for future stories. The favorite activity of the day was one in which each child was given a balloon (already blown up) with a question inside. Each child decided how he/she wanted to pop the balloon to get the question out. Some students sat on it, and some used a pencil to pop it. Others tried throwing it in the grass, cutting it with scissors, dropping a heavy water bottle on it, and squeezing it between their legs or arms. Lots of creative ideas, lots of noise, and lots of FUN! Plus, we learned a lot about each other! I will add pictures tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who came to our parent meeting. I enjoyed meeting/talking with you!

A Wednesday funny...

A sweet student asked me the following question today. "Mrs. Woolard, are Cheetah Geckos rare?" She meant "Leopard Geckos" like we have as class pets. (I thought it was WILDLY funny and so cute!)

The new playground!

Today was another great day! We came up with our class promise (i.e. the rules that we need to abide by so that we can grow and learn in a happy and safe place!). We created birthday graphs and a list of names that we could use in future stories that we are going to write. Here are some pictures that we took today.

fun on the playground!

the only way to keep cool

It is so nice to have turf rather than dust storms this year! Thank you, PTO!

(I love this one!)

The kids learned how to cut and glue their problem of the day into their math journals.

We finished sharing our bags with 5 special things about us.

Please visit us again soon!

Happy first day of 2nd grade!

Hi, everyone! I've created this blog so that you will have a little glimpse of your child's day at school. I will try my best to update it weekly. Here we go...

Today was a great first day in 2nd grade! We learned about classroom routines and procedures and did a few "get to know you" activities. We found out that we have a few friends who are 6 years old but will be turning 7 very soon. We also have a few students who have already turned 8. We have 5 students who celebrated their birthdays this summer, and 4 August birthdays.

The kids met our class pets today. We have 2 leopard geckos (a male- Gator, a female- Bella). We have 4 female baby rats (who the kids will name this week). We also have millipedes. In the next few weeks, we will be getting tadpoles and caterpillars. Can you tell that I am WILD about animals? I hope your child is, or will be by the time the year is over. Our class went to the outdoor classroom and searched for living things. We found 2 toads, grasshoppers, a spider, a moth, a "leaf" bug (as the children called it), a grub, and a few other interesting insects. Here are some pictures from our outdoor exploration:

Thanks for stopping by! We hope you'll visit again soon!