My First Weekend of Break with Skylar...

 

Here we are at Saturday Storytime at the Cordelia Library.  We listened to some stories, danced to some songs, then went over to Arts & Crafts and made a turtle.  Skylar held the glue stick by himself and I helped him put on the dots for the shell.  Skylar liked pushing down the dots into the glue.  It was a fun start to Spring Break.  

Monday we went to Benicia to check out a Children's Gym put on through the City.  Skylar had fun playing with all the other kids and jumping on a little trampoline.  He showed off his skills climbing, going down the slide, and jumping up and down to the music.  Afterwards, we went to Walnut Creek and had an enjoyable lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.  Thanks Keegan for the gift card, we finally got a chance to use it and the food was really yummy!!

I hope that all of you are enjoying your time off with your family!

-Mr. Linnet

Check out the Riddle of the Month!

I'd love for everyone to make their own guesses as to "who?" the riddle is about.  Check it out, then reply to this post with your guesses.  We can then all see who has the most creative, the most wild, or the most unique guesses.  I will share the answer when we return from Spring Break.

(I will give you a hint: "It" is not a person!)

Are you ready for Vacation???

I know, I didn't even need to ask that question.  As you all prepare for a nice, long, two-week vacation; don't forget to stay sharp on some of your learning skills.  I know that many of you plan on giving your Wii some extra attention, but don't forget to pick up a book once in a while too!!  Spend some time outdoors (whenever it stops raining) and look at the plants around your home.  Tell someone in your family the different parts of a plant that you learned.  Maybe put your plant in the ground outside and see if it keeps growing? If your plant grows any fruits or vegetables, you can bring them in to show the class!

First Graders:  You have been practicing on a lot of outdoor skills in P.E.  When the sun is out, get outside and continue working on your Jump Roping Skills.  Toss a Frisbee around with a friend or family member.  You could even ask your parents to go on a hike and check out all the cool happenings in nature.  I know that some of you are in baseball and soccer, which is great!  Try to get outdoors as much as you can over the break!!  (And for all you skaters, scooters, and bike riders: WEAR YOUR HELMET!!)

Oh yeah, I know that we have been working on Digraphs in class all week.  You should all be able to identify (ch, sh, th, and wh sounds) in words now.  Use the next two weeks to hunt for them in stories that you read, words that you see on signs or in magazines, even on boxes or labels at the store.  You will be pretty surprised to see all the different places they show up.  I bet that some of you will be able to identify the "ch" in "chocolate" when you are in line to get snacks at the "th"eater.  Then when you sit down to watch the movie, you can remind Dad to turn off his "Ph"one, so that everyone can hear the movie.  Otherwise everyone will say "Sh".   See, I just found them all!!  Take one day on your Spring Break to go on a Digraph Hunt and see which sound you can find the most.  You could even play against your brother or sister to see who's the best (I know, you are, that's okay, they can still try right?!)

Have lots of fun and don't forget to check in on the class blog from time to time.  I will keep updating it with new posts, links, and maybe even some cool pictures of my adventures with Skylar over the vacation!!

-Mr. Linnet

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

I hope that everyone enjoyed learning about St. Patrick's Day.  Hopefully the Leprechaun's blessed you with a pot of gold on the other side of the rainbow, and not played too many tricks on you today.  Don't forget to tell you family all the you learned about St. Patrick's Day, and why we celebrate it.

Some key things to discuss:
     *Who was St. Patrick and why was he important?
     *Where is Ireland and why do we celebrate this Irish Holiday?
     *What are the colors of Ireland's flag, and what do the colors mean?
     *What are leprechauns and shamrocks?
     *What are some different ways we celebrate St. Patrick's Day in America?

Some great information to remember:
     *St. Patrick was NOT born in Ireland, but was stolen from his family in Britain and brought to Ireland as a slave.  He later left Ireland and returned to Europe, only to find that many of the cities were destroyed from warriors.  He discovered religion and became a priest for the Catholic Church.  After many years as a priest, he was made a Bishop and returned to Ireland to help the Country learn and appreciate Christianity. 
     *Ireland is called the "Emerald Isle" because of how beautiful and green the country is.  Ireland is a large island west of Great Britain or England.  Dublin is the Capital City of Ireland.  They celebrate St. Patrick's Day each year with a festival that lasts for 5 days.
     *Ireland's Flag has three colors: green, white, and orange.  The green represents the people of northern Ireland.  The orange represents the people of southern Ireland.  The white represents the peace and cooperation between the two. 
     *Leprechauns are fictional characters that Irish legend believes guards a pot of gold.   They are mean little fairies that like to play tricks on people.  If you catch a leprechaun, he has to give you his pot of gold.  Many people believe that leprechaun's hide their gold on the other side of a rainbow, so that humans can never get it.  Shamrocks are small green plants that grow in the fields.  They are usually 3-leaf clovers, however in rare cases, some can be 4-leaf clovers.  Irish superstition believes that the 4-leaf clovers will bring you good luck.
     *Some of the various ways we celebrate St. Patrick's Day in America are through parades and festivals, family gatherings, food and fun.  Many cities hold St. Patrick's Day events, with the largest parade held every year in New York.  In Chicago, the city will dye the Chicago River green in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.  Other events include Irish music and dancing, arts and crafts venues, as well as traditional family gatherings where the older members will share stories of "the old country" or show pictures of places they have been to in Ireland.  Some traditional meals include corned-beef and cabbage, soda bread, scones, and potatoes. 
     *In one video segment we watched in class, it was stated that over 70 million people can trace their ancestry back to Ireland.  Many people immigrated out of Ireland to America in the 1800's in hopes of a better life.  People also moved to countries like Argentina, Australia, and Canada.  Because so many people have roots in Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has evolved from a religious holiday, to a secular and global holiday that is celebrated all over Earth.  I hope that your children learned a lot about Ireland today and had fun at the same time!

     Here are a couple of links that they might like to try at home:

http://www.alphabet-soup.net/hol/stpgame.html

http://funschool.kaboose.com/fun-blaster/st-patricks-day/quiz/index.html

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/culture/stpatricksday/

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYBODY!!
-Mr. Linnet

Upcoming Events...

PIZZA PARTY this Friday, March 11th @ 11am (We won the Box Top Reciepts for 2nd Trimester)

Monday and Tuesday, March 14th and 15th are Minimum Days (Report Card Planning).
Thursday, March 24th is NO SCHOOL (Report Card Conferences)
Friday, March 25th is a Minimum Day (Report Card Conferences)

Monday, March 28th - Friday, April 8th is NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)

Please mark your calendars at home so that you are aware of the upcoming events!!