Continued Learning

Website of the Week:
National Geographic Kids
Some highlights from the site...
Photo Fill-ins - Kids can fill in thought balloons with silly or serious quotes. This can also be done with magazine photos or even photos taken during vacation. There's a great website that allows you to create photo film strips with speech bubbles using Flickr - Bubblr.
Cartoons - similar to Photo Fill-ins
Make a Kaleidoscope!
Watch some baby wood ducks hatch!
Make beads from old newspapers!


Activities:

1. Reading ~ Have you read a book recently that you really enjoyed? Read some book reviews written by children and then write your own! Share What You're Reading
2. Language ~ Look through old magazines and catalogs for images that grab your attention. Cut out a picture (be sure to ask if it's okay first!) and then glue it on a piece of paper. Write adjectives all around the picture that describe it - try to come up with at least 15 words. 
3. Mathematics ~ Next time you are out to eat, ask for a To Go Menu (you can also find these online for most restaurants.) Pretend you have only $7.00 for your meal - what would you choose? What if you got to choose food for your whole family but only had $20.00 to spend? Try different combinations. You can also practice your 'ballpark estimates' by rounding the amounts or practice using a calculator.
4. Writing ~ Keep a vacation journal. Write about how you spent your days and who you were with. Not much to tell? Make up a crazy entry like in the book we read, How I Spent My Summer Vacation.
5. Health ~ Make a graph of the healthy foods you eat this week. How many items did you eat in each of the food groups? Did you eat more veggies than 'extras'?
6. Science ~ Walk around your yard or neighborhood and collect 15 things you find along the way. Sort them into at least two categories and label them appropriately.

Hey kids!

If you choose to complete any of these activities, take a photo and email it to me! I'll post it on the blog for your classmates to see. :)

I hope you are enjoying your vacation so far. I can't believe it's already been a week! I have already read a great book, seen a few movies, spent time with my friends and am now getting ready for my trip to Washington, D.C.  I can't wait to see my sister and my nephews. What have you been up to?

Here's a silly picture I took of my friend's dog Gunner, beside the pool. :)

I miss you and hope that you are having some fun! Do something to exercise your brain and your body this week. My next post will be from Washington, D. C.!

Big Hugs,

:)Ms. G

Let the learning continue!

Hi Families,
Providing summer learning opportunities is an important way to prevent your child from experiencing "Summer Slide" - a common occurrence for children when they have 2-3 months off during the summer. This loss of learning time can lead to problems for students down the road. According to a USA Today article, "...a well-documented "summer slide" in academics that, by sixth grade, accounts for as much as 80% of the achievement gap, Allington and other researchers say. Researchers note that low-income students lose about three months of ground each summer to middle-class peers." 

Three Ways to Prevent Summer Slide from Scholastic's Parent and Child Magazine
Keeping Kids Off the Summer Slide from Reading Is Fundamental

Sadly, our lease prohibits us from having summer school at LdV this year but that doesn't mean the learning has to stop! I will be posting some suggestions for educational opportunities here on our blog all summer long. I will try to provide a variety of activities, both things kids can do online and things that can be done easily at home and in your neighborhood. If you have any suggestions for activities or your child would like to share what s/he's been up to, please email me! I'd love to put their work up on the blog as well! I'll have the first post up ASAP.

Hugs to you all,
:)Ms. G

Free Access to World Book Online

Through the end of the school year, we have access to www.worldbookonline.com - an online encyclopedia and more. There are three levels of content and even a Spanish section so it's great for all kinds of students and can be used at home. Check it out today!

Login: sdcoeldv 
Password: library

Nourish Interactive

I found a website that I'd like to try out with the kids. It focuses on nutrition and gives them an opportunity to use what they've learned while playing online games. It is available in English AND Spanish!

Here's a direct link to the Kids' Area: http://www.nourishinteractive.com/kids/kidsarea.html
There you will find games, stories and links. The kids have their login and password on a label in their red folder.

And a direct link to the Parents' Area: http://www.nourishinteractive.com/parents_area/overview

Deciphering Food Labels

As we all continue on this journey toward better health, I have been trying to understand what nutrition labels actually mean. There's so much information there... just what should I focus on? Parents ask us questions like this all the time but none of us on staff at da Vinci is an expert so we are learning right along with all of you. We know that it's important for kids to eat healthy foods and we are concerned about childhood obesity rates (1 in 3 American children is considered obese!) so that's why we chose to center our charter school around that very issue. Here are some helpful resources I have come across on the web.

How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label from the FDA
As stated on the website, this resource will "make it easier for you to use nutrition labels to make quick, informed food choices that contribute to a healthy diet." Each section of the labels is clearly described and tells you which nutrients to limit and which you should increase.

Food Labels, Decoded from Real Simple Magazine
This resource helps you translate common label terms to help you make the wisest choices. It includes health implications and things to keep in mind.

Understanding Food Labels from PBS Kids
This page walks kids (and adults) through the label on a popular snack - hot and spicy crunchy cheese snacks (Flamin' Hot Cheetos, I think) and points out just why snacks like this are not good for you. For years, I've seen kids eating entire bags of these for their morning snack. :(

Dictionary of Nutrition from the American Heart Association
"If you are looking for information on common nutrition terms, you’ve come to the right place.  This dictionary from the American Heart Association will help you make heart-healthy decisions at the grocery store and in your kitchen."

Organic and Other Environmentally Friendly Foods from Kids Health
"So you may be wondering if organic foods are healthier and safer for your child, and worth the extra money if they cost more than conventional foods. How do they taste? And what do labels touting foods as "sustainable," "natural," "free-range," "grass-fed," or "fair trade" mean?"

Secrets from Inside Nutrition Facts Labels from Web MD
Still confused? Not sure what to focus in on? Try this resource to help!

Child Nutrition: Simple Tips for Busy Moms (and Dads!) from Web MD
This is a great article - consider printing it out to bring with you to the store. "The simplest tip to help your family get more of the nutrients they need – and fewer nutrients that contribute to disease and weight gain -- is to serve more whole foods and less processed food. Eat fruits and vegetables with every meal. Serve your children healthy, lean protein at most meals."

For teachers:
Kids Health in the Classroom
Nutrition Explorations
Dairy Council of California
Nourish Interactive

April is Poetry Month!

I love poetry. It's one of my favorite things to teach to children. Kids love to read it, love to listen to it and love to write it, especially when you tell them that poems don't have to rhyme. :) Poetry is very non-threatening and it can really level the playing field, especially for kids who are still mastering their reading and writing skills.

April is Poetry Month so we will be celebrating poetry all month long! I thought I'd share some online resources with you all so you can join in the fun at home. I'll add in a few more as the month goes on...

Shel Silverstein is one of those poets I think most people are familiar with. He has a great website with games and printables that are fun for kids of all ages. You can also find animated versions of his poems on YouTube.

Another undeniable kid favorite is Jack Prelutsky. His really fun website has a number of his poems (click on the sun) and in the 'Grownups' section, silly songs (click on Jack's Music) as well as some helpful tips for reading with young children and some very funny fan letters.

I had the opportunity to meet Brod Bagert when I was earning my teaching credential. He did a session about poetry at a reading conference I attended. He believes that poems should be recited OUT LOUD and provided great ideas about getting kids up in front of others, performing them. His books are always favorites with my students. The most popular of his poems is easily one called Llama - it has just the word llama in it, written over and over. When you read it, it's quite boring but as a performance - magic! Here's another of his poems that I really like...

Kenn Nesbitt writes a lot of poems about school and things that children can really relate to. His website includes an online rhyming dictionary (SO helpful!) along with lots of his poems that you can print and email, lots of great word games and links to all kinds of poetry stuff online.

Here's his poem Tighty, Whity Spider:

(to the tune of "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider")

The tighty-whity spider went down the waterslide.
Got a water wedgie halfway down the ride.
Jumped up and screamed and ran around in pain.
Now the tighty-whity spider will not do that again.

Inkless Tales is the creation of Elizabeth Bushey. On the site, children can listen to her poems, read stories, play games, create finger puppets and more. On one page of her website, visitors can make their own poem by dragging words around the screen - like a virtual Magnetic Poetry Kit.

Roger Stevens is a silly British poet. His website is a bit overwhelming but allows 4-18 year old children to share their poetry with the world! He also has animated poems available on YouTube. Here's my favorite...

The Owl Box

You may have heard that we've been keeping an eye on a mother barn owl and her 5 eggs for the past several days. They are in an owl box in someone's backyard in San Marcos and have become quite an Internet sensation. The eggs will be hatching any day and it's been fascinating to see the birds in their home and to witness what they do on a daily basis. We've even been able to see her eat a few times! Here's the link so you can check it out from home: http://www.ustream.tv/theowlbox

*A warning - the chat section can be a bit inappropriate at times for children. We always watch using the full screen version, where the chat window is not visible. This can be accessed just below the video window next to the sound.*

We've made many observations and hypotheses about owl behavior while watching Molly, the female. (McGee, the father, comes in very early in the morning and in the evening so we haven't seen him while at school.) We did a bit of research on barn owls yesterday so that we could learn more about what we were seeing (and it ties nicely in with our science standards.) Here are a couple of links in case you are interested in learning more too.

EEK! Critter Corner - The Barn Owl
Backyard Barn Owls
Barn Owl Facts (state of Washington)

We learned that the owls stay home for about 60 days before learning to fly. That means we'll be able to see them as they develop from inside the box. Too cool!

Habits of Mind

Another Habits of Mind progress report came home with children this weekend. In case you have questions or want more information about the Habits of Mind, here are a few helpful links.

A video of Art Costa explaining his Habits of Mind:
http://www.habitsofmind.org/module-1/content/what-are-habits-mind

A video made by teens that shows how the Habits are important in daily life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mscdS8Jnghw&feature=related

Information for parents from a school district in NY:
http://www.pelhamschools.org/site_res_view_folder.aspx?id=f63c1305-ef99-48d4-bda3-aed6451d34fd

Mineral Websites

http://www.mineraltown.com/
http://www.mii.org/mineralphotos.html
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/photos/minerals/
http://www.rocksforkids.com/RFK/Rocks&Minerals.html
http://www.yuprocks.com/

The children will be talking to you about our study of rocks and minerals during Student Led Conferences next week. We are moving on to another science unit but they still have such curiosity and so many questions that I posted these links for them to continue their study independently.

Raising funds for Haiti

A couple of weeks ago, Maya told me that she had heard about the earthquake in Haiti and wondered if we could do something to help, like we did with Feeding America. We decided to talk to the rest of the class about it and see who else wanted to help take the lead. A small group of them meet with me several times last week to come up with a plan. As a class, we did some research about the earthquake and about Haiti so that we could understand why they needed our help. The numbers we discovered were dramatic and the photos, very powerful.

• 3 million people are in need of emergency aid
• more than 217,000 people were killed in the quake
• at least 300,000 people were injured
• nearly 2 million people are living in makeshift tent cities
• at least 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings were destroyed

One of Maya's big concerns was that the money we donate should be given to a reputable aid organization. She chose the American Red Cross.

On Friday the leaders instructed groups of their own, making posters for all of our classrooms and collection envelopes while Maya and I wrote a script to use at the assembly on Monday. They learned that being in charge of other kids and giving directions can be difficult but, in the end, they got the job done.

I am so proud of the children for showing such empathy for these people they don't know. They had so many ideas about ways to help - from giving the children stuffed animals "to help them feel better" to collecting canned goods and water. Several of them spent their recess or free time talking about their ideas and making plans for the project.

Here are the basics about our project:

• We will share our project with the school on Monday, March 1st at the assembly.
• We are collecting coins and bills.
• Collection will run from March 1-12th.
• Collection envelopes will be given to each classroom and to the office.
• The leaders will collect envelopes every morning. (Money will be counted and we will keep track of money collected on a spread sheet during our math time.)
• The money will be donated to the American Red Cross. (We'll use the CoinStar machine at Wal-Mart to donate the coins and bills will be donated online via the Red Cross website.)
• We will provide daily Twitter updates about money collected.
• We will ask teachers to have their students/Families make cards or write letters to Haitians. These will be sent to Haiti via UNICEF.

We hope that you will support our project by donating. No donation is too small - every little bit helps!