Chumash Challenge, 2014!

Today we had an opportunity to experience

what it might have been like to be a Chumash Indian!
Our friends Karen and Ross from  Camino Real Historical and Historical Interpreters  provided us with activities from   The Natural World of the Chumash!

Please enjoy the slide show, and leave a comment to tell about 

what you enjoyed doing and what you learned!

The Creative Hard-working Chumash! on PhotoPeach

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What activity did you most enjoy and why?

What facts did you learn?

Do you know some other Chumash facts that you can share?

Our Trip to Korea!

Because our class recently read the story of Yunmi and Halmoni who visited family in Korea,...

Michelle and her mom shared their Korean heritage 
and customs with us.

 

 First, we were able to sample buns filled with sweet bean paste!

Then, Michelle shared a display of items from Korea, ...

including a photo of herself in traditional clothing!

Finally, Michelle's mom came in and taught us how to make Korean dumplings, called mandu, just like Yunmi learned to do in the story we read!

After we tried our hand at making mandu ourselves, 
we sampled three different kinds Michelle's mom had made especially for us!
 

 

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What did you enjoy most about your 
Korean experience?

Wouldn't you like to thank Michelle's mom for teaching us about mandu?

Maybe you would like to use Google Translate to 

write a Korean phrase!

Vernal Equinox, 2014!

The vernal equinox, which occurs on March 20 or 21 each year and signals the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, is also the autumnal equinox—the first day of autumn—

in the Southern Hemisphere!

(The autumnal equinox in the north, which occurs 

in late September, is the 

first day of spring south of the equator.)

Fun Fact About the First Day of Spring:

If you were standing on the equator during either the vernal or autumnal equinox, you would see the sun pass directly overhead, the only two times in the year when that is true.

Here is a link to a video from Brainpop Jr. to

help explain the Vernal Equinox!

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What do you like about spring?

Do you have springtime hobbies or activities?

A Joyful Jogathon!

We had a very jubilant time at our

Jogathon today!

We jogged, sprinted, skipped, walked, 

crawled, leaped, jumped, and hooped it up!

At the end, we all cooled down with a 

perfectly delicious popsicle!

Check it all out for yourself in this slideshow!

Jazzin' It Up at the Jogathon! on PhotoPeach

 

What did you enjoy most about your 
Jogathon experience? 

Origami Geometry Takes Flight!

As a culmination to our geometry unit, we have created 

3 origami projects!

 

(Origami is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding.)

Our latest project was folding paper airplanes!

 Look at our amazing array of aircraft ready for take-off!

 First, we practiced with some test flights!

 Then we were ready to take flight...

into the wild blue yonder!

 

Once our flights landed....

 

We worked with our co-pilots to measure the distances

 of our flights!

 Check out the stats of our top 3 flyers!

After all information was recorded we discussed what we had learned about symmetry, wind, and measurement!

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What did you enjoy most about this experience?

What did you learn?

Do you plan to try some other designs at home?   

Across the Wide Dark Sea: The Mayflower Journey

 This week in Mrs. Ranney's class,

we are studying the story Across the Wide Dark Sea:

The Mayflower Journey by Jean Van Leeuwen

 The story is told from the point of view of a small boy who sets sail with his father set sail from England in 1620.  They journey on the Mayflower, which carried nearly 100 passengers across the ocean, to a new life.

 The author tells how this small group of immigrants faced the unknown terrors of a strange new country. Actual records written by one of the Mayflower's passengers were used in writing the book.

It is possible today to visit Plimoth Plantation in 

Massachusetts, so you can experience Pilgrim life!

Here is a link to the website for 

Plimoth Plantation.

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Do some research on the website or on 

World Book Online!

Share some facts that you learned about the voyage of the Mayflower

or about the life of the Pilgrims!

Origami Geometry!

As a culmination to our geometry unit, we created 

two origami projects!

 

(Origami is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding.)

One item we created was a beautiful box!

First we colored and cut out a rectangle.

We had to fold it into a smaller rectangle.

Next we opened it up and folded each side into the middle. Do you see the hexagon that was formed?

After that, each corner had to be folded to form an isosceles right triangle.

Can you see the octagon?

 

 

 

We then folded skinny rectangular flaps over the triangles.

Finally we were able to open it up into a handy box!

Another item we crafted was a clever paper drinking cup!

First, we cut out a square.

Next, we had to fold the square into an isosceles right triangle!

Third, we had to fold to create more triangles.

This had to be done on the other side too!

Can you see the three triangles? One of them is scalene!

Once the flaps were tucked in....

We were able to use our cups!

Which project did you enjoy making the most?

 

Have you made any other origami items?