I thought I should do a quick classroom update to share some things that have been (or will be going on in our classroom).
First of all, as many parents probably heard, our salmon eggs have started hatching! We had one alevin hatch yesterday and I'm sure more will begin to follow very soon! We have 110 eggs and have only lost one in the process so far (which is better than normal). So hopefully soon we will have 109 alevin swimming around the tank. We will keep them at a cool 5 degrees so they don't turn into fry and lose their food sac until we are back from Spring Break (once they turn to fry they need to be fed 4 times a day - not very easy when I'm in another country! ;)
Also, we planted daffodil bulbs in the ground this fall. They have been growing fast! We just started measuring and tracking their height on a bar graph today! I wasn't expecting them to come out of the ground so soon and so quickly, so some are already measuring 20 cm tall! We will measure and graph them each week to see how high they can grow and compare the growing rates from week to week.
More exciting news - our class will be planting and harvesting POTATOES! I will be picking the potatoes up this week and once they have had a chance to sprout, we will be planting them in groups! (Right before Spring Break). The students will get to take care of their potato plants; put them out in the sun, water them... and eventually harvest and EAT THEM! This program is great because it teaches students the benefits of growing their own food, how to garden and also shows them how delicious home grown produce can be!
Speaking of food... we have begun trying new fruits and vegetables in class and the students have been eagerly trying the random tastes of fruits and vegetables I have brought in. I have really appreciated all of them being willing to TRY it and for the most part, they have been very open minded to the new tastes! We tried starfruit on Monday, today we tried fennel and tomorrow we will be trying parsnips or beets. There's lots more that we will be trying in the next few weeks.
Finally - the Creative Creatures! Wow! The students all worked so hard and did a fantastic job on their creatures. They really should be proud! They are displayed around our room - so if any parents would like to come have a look, feel free! The students have presented them to their classmates and did a good job answering any extra questions their peers had. On Thursday we have invited Mrs. Pearce's and Mrs. Letendre's classes to come in and view our creatures. This will help us work on public speaking and answering questions. Plus, they worked so hard on them that it will be nice for them to show off their accomplishments!
I took some photos to share on the blog, but sadly the picture upload isn't working - I will try later, or perhaps get them developed for our term books!
