Your April Newsletter

Dear Parents,

Feeling focused this evening. Here's your April Newsletter.

Our theme for show and share is Animals. Click through for some new pictures yet to be published elsewhere.

Sincerely,

Ms. Goegan

Eggs in Vinegar Investigation

 Dear Parents,

Before the long weekend, we set up a number of experiments which we'll be investigating the results of this week. Today, we focused on our eggs. Three were placed in vinegar, with different colours of food colouring and one was put in water as a control.

3 vinegar, one control

Investigating the immediate changes

Right away, the texture of the eggs in vinegar changed. Students observed tiny bubbles, and I likened it to our favourite experiment: the volcano. The texture of the eggs was also interesting. "Kinda slimy", one student said.

Today, we took them out of the vinegar and...they bounced.

The first fatality was quick. 

Here's a verbatim account of their investigation:

Oscar: The egg that was in the water is pretty normal
Noah: It's bouncy
Mavilia: It's a ball.
Annalese: It smells yucky and it's really bouncy.
Oscar: Maybe different kinds of vinegars for different colours
Wilson: Are they jelly beans?
Lydia: These colours are food colouring.
Amanda: The one in the water is hard

Lesson learned: bouncing on the table works, but those things are slippy

Justin: If you squish it, it will pop

Emma: The eggs in the vinegar are very stinky and break fast

 Mavilia:  The vinegar changed the colour

 Justin: It feels slimy

 Norah: It smells like soda

 Here are some questions students wrote:

Why is the egg smaller in the water?--Ella-Jane/What happens if we put water into the containers?--Oscar/What happened to the red egg and what happened to the green egg?--Emma/What does the vinegar do to the eggs?--Anna

How did the egg change colours?--Kennedy/How did the eggs get smooth--Linnaea/The vinegar changed the colour--Mavilia/ The egg in the vinegar smelling gross--Justin

Water, vinegar, dinosaur in egg, dinosaur out of egg

At home, you can do this experiment easily, with time and vinegar.

One follow up we may try demonstrates osmosis, by desiccating the pickled eggs in corn syrup. 

Here's a link to some explanations of the processes involved: Shrinking and Growing Eggs

Sincerely, 

Ms. Goegan

Short week, short post

Dear Parents, 

First, a reminder to return your acorn orders as soon as possible. Here are two that were returned on Monday:

 I read with all my SKs yesterday and am over the moon at the progress many are making in their reading. If you feel like you'd like more practice reading at home, shoot me an email about Raz kids. This photo shows a manta ray interrupting one such reading session.

Some of our more recent art is up on the walls. Students used metallic paper to make mosaics on the letters of Klimt's name. The paintings used oil pastels to make patterned backgrounds and central figures. Many students chose to do trees in honour of Klimt's tree of life and there are several houses and portraits as well. Students loved seeing it up and several more were inspired to do another painting today, or finish up their work. Simon's near abstract trees were a favourite of many students when we discussed their work in our circle yesterday.

The trees are middle right

 Finally, student and teacher twins:

Fashion icons in room 202

I'll do my best to get our next newsletter to you promptly. Have a great long weekend!

Sincerely, 

Ms. Goegan

Bookends to the week

Dear Parents, 

Since my main blog entry this week had no classroom pictures, please enjoy this bonus post:

On Monday, we had Henry's mom come in to do a science experiment. I didn't get the camera out until the last group, but each child got a chance to measure vinegar and baking soda, help fit the balloon over the mouth of the bottle, and see the gas produced by the mixture of the two elements. This is the same experiment that we use to make volcanoes, but it highlights the conservation of matter. The gas produced by the mixing of baking soda and vinegar is what fills the balloon.

 Next, I took a series of photos during our reading buddy time on Day 2, Wednesday (Also the library day)....

On Friday, we had our field trip to the local city library. Because we knew it would be a busy afternoon indoors, we took some extra time outside during the morning. We didn't get much snow this winter, but on Friday at least the field had a solid coating of white and we took the students out into the main yard to explore.

It's a conveyor belt assembly line for snowball manufacturing.  

Have a lovely weekend,

Ms. Goegan

Inspired by Warhol

Dear Parents,

Every year, the school runs a fundraiser where students are able to purchase copies of their own artwork as cards, placemats, etc. Last year, we had great success doing Georgia O'Keeffe inspired flower portraits.

This year, I'm inspired by the idea of doing Andy Warhol themed work and today I introduced some of his work to students.

First, I showed them one of his portraits of Marilyn Monroe, and then another. We talked about why someone would paint lots of paintings of the same thing.

"Maybe he really likes it"


"Maybe he wants to give one to all his friends"

"Maybe he wanted to get it right"
"Maybe somebody saw one and wanted it too"

















Then I showed them the soup cans and we talked about why someone would paint one painting with 32 of the same thing in it and whether it's possible to like soup cans that much. Nobody, I pointed out, had ever drawn me a picture of a soup can before, These were the responses:

"Well, now I'm going to"
"Maybe he's just weird"
"Maybe he wants to show all the flavours"
"Maybe it's a pattern"

For our Warhol themed work, each student will choose one thing and draw it 4 times, with different colour seclections. I've seen other classes do similar work using handprints or self portraits, but I thought it would be neat for each child to choose the thing they want to repeat. So, this is a great opportunity to discuss the idea at home and have students think about what they'd like to do.

Some students already have ideas:
A flower
A heart
A shoe
My dog
A planet
A dinosaur

Here's a couple of examples I've yoinked from the internet:

I hope you're as inspired as I am by this idea. 

Sincerely, 

Ms. Goegan

P.S. Our library walk is tomorrow. Look for your TPL applications in Mr. Zippy tomorrow night.
P.P.S. We just sent home information about our new school snack program today as well. Check Mr. Zippy and return asap!