American Symbols Wonder Project

I love this time of year...for so many reasons; warmer weather, longer days, American symbols! If  you are wondering how that last one fits in, read on!

This time of year (with Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Fourth of July around the corner) we start to learn about our country and the symbols that represent our freedom, democracy, and our nation. The children learn songs that they will perform during our Flag Day show and we get to partner up with Mrs. Groden in the library to work on a research project that we call the First Grade Wonder Project! Our Wonder Project helps us research, write, and share all we have learned about the American Symbols!

This is a very hands on project. Children work in groups of 2. They pick a symbol and use an online research tool called  Pebble Go and library resources to learn about a symbol. They take notes, write a short paragraph, draw a picture and share their learning using an I Pad slide show app.

Here is a sneak peak at our hard work so far!

Researchers Hard at Work:

Taking Notes and Writing Sentences:

Working on Pictures:

We are so excited to share our finished project with you at our Flag Day Open House!! Stay tuned!

Stony Brook

We had a WONDERFUL day of  learning at Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary! The weather was perfect and the children were beyond excited to get out and experience the natural habitats that are found all around us. We took a nature walk and looked for all sorts of living things. We learned all about the forest, pond, and meadow habitat and the organisms that live in and around each of those habitats. Each group had a Stony Brook guide that lead us through each habitat and taught us about the specific animals that call each habitat home!

Pond
This was a favorite spot! We walked along the boardwalk and looked for turtles, frogs, and fish. We learned about snapping turtles and discovered they eat lots of things like berries, insects, and even other turtles!

Meadow
The first thing we noticed here were the family of geese pecking for food. We made sure not to bother them as we walked through the field. We learned  about coyotes and foxes and that some of the things they eat are rabbits, worms, and snakes. We saw some nesting birds, a beehive, and even few garder snakes!

Forest
There was a LOT of forest to explore at Stony Brook. We learned about the different trees and how to tell how old a tree is. We looked for half eaten pine cones and little caterpillars. We searched for pill bugs and learned that pill bugs eat rotting wood and other rotting insects.

The children had a great time on this field trip! Thank you so much for the parent chaperones that helped make the day even more enjoyable. Stony Brook has so many great things to offer including summer camps and family programs. If you haven't been yet, or maybe you haven't visited in awhile, you should check it out!