30 x 30 Nature Challenge! {get outside}

We are participating in an exciting challenge this May! The 30 x 30 Nature Challenge. The David Suzuki Foundation  offers this challenge each spring, challenging Canadians and people around the world to join the 30×30 Challenge by spending 30 minutes a day in nature for 30 days. We have responsibilities at school that we still need to take care of so we are going to be creative in how we get outside. Sometimes we will be exploring, sometimes we will be reading and sometimes we will be writing. You can join us in the challenge by clicking here and signing up. Also, follow us on Instagram (@terrifictwos) to see how we are getting outside and use the hashtags #natureiscalling and #30x30challenge


The David Suzuki Foundation also posts some great daily tips (see the link on the website) with ideas of what to do outside to connect with nature. We will certainly be using a few of these!
We hope you will join us! If you plan to participate, leave us a comment so we can connect.

First Juice, now Jello!

What's the best way to end the week? Making a treat to eat and learning at the same time, of course!
On Friday afternoon, we made Jello for Science. Monday, we reflected on our learning from our time in the kitchen.

I asked the kids: Why did we make Jello?
Evan explained that it would be a good way to show different states of matter when he said:
Its solid, and then liquid and then solid.

I then had the students think about and walk through our Jello making process:

We poured the sugar into the bowl, and it was a solid. (Adam)

Observing the solid crystals.

 We added hot water and we mixed it. The solid crystals dissolved. (Haylee)

Mixing to help the solid crystals dissolve in the liquid,

Next we put cold water and mixed it more, and then put it in the fridge (Sean)

And now... we wait!

Some further thoughts a few students had about the different states of matter that the Jello moved through,..

When we put it in the fridge, it made a solid, and when we ate it, it turned into a liquid in our mouth. (Katelyn)

When the Jello mixed with our saliva, it turned to a liquid (Sean)

Once the Jello was ready, everyone enjoyed a serving, and then we discussed how we could tell that the finished product was a solid. We did this by checking for the three properties of a solid.

It has mass/weight (Gabby)
It takes up space (Evan)
It keeps its shape (Chantal)














When I turned the bowl upside down, the Jello held its shape and didn't come out (Charles/Ciera)











Last but not least, the students shared some thoughts about eating the Jello!

Enjoying the finished product,

It tasted really good (Adam)

It was really delicious and I wanted another bowl (Gabby)

It tasted awesome (Katelyn)

Making juice....in Science?!

We are exploring properties of matter in Science. At the beginning of the unit, we filled out a KWL chart (What we Know, What we Want to know, and What we have Learned) about Solids, Liquids and Gases. One of the wonderings we had as a class was: what happens when you mix solids and liquids together?
We discovered that some solids don't change when mixed with a liquid, when we poured water over a wooden block.

Up next was to try and see if we could dissolve certain solids with a liquid. We found out that rice would not dissolve, but sugar would! 
Then everyone in the class got to explore with some juice crystals.

I think it’s a solid. (Gabby)

It sounds crunchy! (Evan)

Its tasty! (Sean)

Its just like orange sugar. (Kaz)

When you stir the crystals it sounds like a rattle. (Anthony)

Getting a closer look at the juice crystals.

After we added the liquid (water) we observed what happened...

Stir, stir, stir!

The water turned yellow. (Brooklyn)

It smells like orange juice. (Haylee)

The crystals are gone! (Gabby)

I think it will taste like orange juice. (Adam)

It looks yummy! (Ciera)

When you added the water the crystals dissolved! (Nathan)

After we tasted it...

It tasted awesome! (several shout outs)

Taste- testing

When the crystals and water mixed together, it tasted kind of sour, and the crystals tasted different before we added the water. (Gabby)

It’s kind of good. (Kaz)

When I was done, there were still some crystals at the bottom of my cup. (Ciera)

Delicious!

The class can't wait to continue exploring with different materials and states of matter. We will keep you posted on our next adventure in Science!

-Mrs. Chubey

Introductions

Hello!
My name is Mrs. Chubey and I am Mrs. Dent Scarcello's teaching partner. We share a classroom and students. I teach every day in the morning, and Mrs. Dent Scarcello teaches in the afternoon.
So far we have really enjoyed working as a team at school. We have also found many things that we have in common, such as our adorable children at home. Here is my little guy, Liam!

Liam and his Elephant (21 months)

And another, with Liam's dad and me!

Mrs. Dent Scarcello has graciously invited me to post on her blog, so that I can share what our class is up to in the morning half of our day.
Stay tuned for more posts about Math, Science, and other adventures in learning!

-Mrs. Chubey