IPS/Butler University Laboratory School

We have been taking care of the chickens this week.  So far we have collected one egg.  Today, we fed the chickens wheat grass that Mrs. Argus’s class grew for them.  We have also been bringing the fruits and vegetables from lunch out to the compost.  The students had a great discussion with Miss Crume about how the compost works.  Many of them have a good understanding of why we are composting and how it will help our garden!

Our classroom blog is working again! Today, we started our conversation about the heart and why it beats. Students already had prior knowledge about the heart as a muscle and about what makes it beat faster! We visited the gym today to try a few exercises to see which would make our heart beat the fastest! Walking in place kept our heart the same, jumping over a line sped it up a little, but running made it beat very fast! Tomorrow, we will engage in an experiment that will help us deepen our understanding about the heart.

Today is day three of our pedometer experiment– students have been amazed that they take so many steps every day! As we collect and analyze this data, we will use it to help us create a plan to ensure we are taking the number of steps that is recommended each day!

We had an exciting day in Math Workshop today!  We are fortunate enough to be working with the Butler friends that are here for their math practicum work.  Similar to past semesters, we will have 4 butler students in our classroom every week.  This semester we have an extra special treat.  ALL of the Butler friends are coming into our classroom to work with us during Math Workshop once a week.  So we have 23 extra teachers helping us learn and grow as mathematicians.  Today, the kids learned how to play a game called Capture 5.  I am excited to see where this extra support takes us this semester!

So, through creating a new home for Sam and his family, through studying homes this week, it appeared to Miss Boyle and I that habitats was the common thread.  The children have always had such a fascination with the animals in our room so today we put out a few provocations that would follow both animals and homes…create various habitats and explore.

One thing that was a hit today was the projector and farm landscape!  The children LOVED creating stories with the animals and letting their imaginations run wild.  We will have this out as long as the interest is but we will explore various backgrounds and landscapes to explore various habitats.

Habitats….

When Mrs. Williams is not here on Mondays and Tuesdays we do Yoga in our classroom before we start our day.  Usually this is a little more difficult than doing yoga in Mrs. Williams’ room where everyone has their own space and a mat.  Today, the students did such a great job in our classroom that we were able to work in partners.  I was really proud of the students’ cooperation and determination with their partner.  Check out some of the great poses that happened today!