We continue our journey through the South American rain forest and discovered that the largest tropical rain forest is in Brazil.  In four square miles of rain forest over 1,500 different flowering plants live along with 750 species of trees.  70% of the world gets some form of medicine from plants native to the rain forest. 

Researching animals of the rain forest

Some common medicines coming from the rain forest help us with symptoms of asthma, headaches and even cancer fighting drugs.

We are also learning about the wonderful spices and foods that come from the rain forest including nutmeg, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, coffee, black pepper and gum.  Also, rubber comes from the rain forest and gives us the means to make rubber bands.

Spices from South America

We were treated to a wild life presentation of several animals from the rain forest earlier in the week.  We saw beautiful specimens of reptiles and mammals and learned that one of the most important things a student can do is to learn as much as they can about the rain forest and the importance of preserving as much of it as we can.

Last week we recycled paper and put the food scraps into the composter in the outside classroom.  The children were also taught to look for the recycle sign and place those items in our recycling bin.

Thanks to Addie Z. and her family for providing a bountiful amount of delicious snacks and beautiful flowers.  Additional wonderful snacks were also provided by Chad and his family and we are grateful to them as well.

Have a restful weekend.

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie

This week we have been taking excursions into the rain forests of South America.  We learned that there are four distinct layers to the rain forest*:

The emergent is the top layer where gigantic treetops rise above the rest of the forest trees.  Mostly birds and insects live there.

The Canopy is the next level down where treetops reach up to 165 feet high.  This area traps the most water and sunlight.  These treetops produce the most food for the forest’s creatures.

The understory is below the canopy and is where shrubs and shorter, younger trees grow that can reach to about 60 feet.  Only about 2 percent of sunlight reaches the understory.

dried plants of South America

Finally, the forest floor is dark.  Only 2 percent of sunlight and very little water reach the floor.  Few plants can grow in this darkness.  The soil is weak due to the enormous amount of rain (lluvia-“rain” in Spanish-pronounced “juvia”) that flows down through the canopy and understory. Humidity in the forest floor is almost always above 70% and the temperature remains relatively constant.

There can be up to 350 inches of rain annually in the rain forest. The rain forest provides homes to a large and beautiful variety of plant, animal and insect life and is also considered to be the “lungs” of the planet due to the large amount of oxygen generated by the trees.

We are looking forward to our RAIN FOREST assembly next Monday, 4/15 at 10am and encourage our afternoon students to attend (and bring a lunch).

Thank you to Oscar and his family for providing our delicious snacks this week.

Have a restful weekend,

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie

*”The AmazonRain Forest” Galadriel Watson, Pg.9

Welcome back to school!   We hope that you had an enjoyable and restful spring vacation.  We are studying South America this month and will be exploring the magnificent rain forests and all of the many layers of life that the forest provides.

Our science lens will be turned onto the parts of the bird.  If there are craft ideas you may have that could enhance the students learning on any of these subjects, please let us know.  We welcome you to our classroom to share your knowledge.

We will also enjoy an afternoon cooking project and welcome the chance for the students to experience the joy of making food and then eating the fruits of their efforts.

Please refresh your child’s extra set of labeled clothes at school.  Now that the weather is changing, shorts and tee shirts are preferred.  Remember, tennis shoes are the best shoes to wear at school.

Thank you to Bella and her family for taking great care of our pet lizard, Spikey during our recent spring break.

A big thanks to Anya and her family for providing the snacks this week.

Have a restful weekend,

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie

 We finished studying Asia by sampling Japanese sweets (thanks to Paige and her mother, Amber) and with handmade sushi (thanks to Oscar and his parents, Helen and Jin).  It really brings a culture to life when we are able to touch authentic clothes and taste foods made by people who share their culture with us.  Thank you very much.

 During the month of April we will be studying South America, recycling, the rain forests and birds.  If you have interest or knowledge of these subjects, please let us know and we will schedule a time when you can visit our classroom and share your information.  A 15-20 minute presentation is best.

Our Spring break begins on Friday, 3/22.  We will be doing reading in class, but not sending books home over the vacation.  We will resume sending books home during the first week of April. School resumes on Tuesday, 4/2. 

A special thanks to Isaac and his family for providing delicious snack last week.

Have a restful spring vacation.

Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms.Julie

We began our study of dinosaurs this week by traveling to the Natural History Museum and seeing the display of “terrible lizards.”  Did you know that a meat eater is called a “carnivore?”  A carnivore has very sharp teeth and claws and typically their eyes are in the front of their heads so they can see their food targets from far away.  A herbivore is a “plant eater” who has grinding teeth and their eyes are on the sides of their heads so they can see around them and run away from other dinosaurs who wanted to eat them! 

A special shout out to our parents who traveled to the museum with us making it a smooth, flowing, and enjoyable field trip.  Thank you to Gail (Jonas’s mom), Kerry Frances (Jack and Lucy’s mom), Jay (Addie’s dad), Kevin (Thomas’s dad), Mario (Bravo’s dad), Mariam (Isaiah’s mom), Kari (Elie’s mom), and Maria (Emma’s mom). 

This week we also talked about amphibians and the qualities that make an amphibian.  Amphibians are vertebrates (have back bone), are cold blooded, and unlike reptiles, do not have scaly skin.  Amphibians have smooth and moist skin and they lay eggs like fish eggs.  This means that amphibians need to live near water.

This week we enjoyed Russian performers. 

Next week we are exploring the wonders of Asia traveling to China, India, Japan and the Middle East.  We are looking at the people, their customs, and the plant and animal life of the largest Continent on Earth.  We are looking forward to sampling some Korean food early in the week when Helen (Oscar’s mom) does some cooking with us, thanks!!

Please be reminded that Spring Break begins at the end of next week, when school is dismissed at 11:15am on Friday, March 22.

Now that the weather is changing, please provide a fresh set of clothes as back up for your child.  Please label all their clothes with their name clearly marked.  If we have lent you clothes in the past, please return them. Thank you.

Thanks to Isaiah and his family for providing us with delicious snacks.

 Have a restful weekend,

 Ms. Lina, Ms. Nancy, Ms. Julie