Static Electricity

The last few weeks have been really weird. Since the pumpkin patch we have really one had one normal week of program. Last week was our parents night so we spent all week practicing our dance that we were performing for our parents. My students and my team teachers students got together and did the macarena and the chicken dance.  Totally cute. 

The week before that there was only two days of school and I had a sub both days. So the did spider webs and a halloween safety lesson. 

This week however we had an awesome science activity. We did static electricity. So heres the lesson plan. 

Static Electricity

Materials: 

Balloons

Felt

Salt and pepper on a plate

A good wall for balloons to stick to

Procedure:

Each student is given a balloon that they blow up and tie. Then the students put in groups of four. The groups are then each given a plate with salt and pepper. They are told to charge the balloon by rubbing it on their head or on the felt.  They then pick up the pepper and salt with their balloon.  

Next the students are asked to explore how else they can use the balloon. We had then stick them to the wall and to each other. They also made each others hair stand on end. 

Last the class had to work as a team to make a shape or line with their balloons on the wall. We have a felt covered wall that we used. We then explained that this is called electricity and that if it had been dark enough they would have been able to see a spark. 

Before the students cold leave they had to pop their balloon and throw the  pieces away.  

It was so much fun to watch them explore through this self lead activity. 

Any questions? Raise your hand.  

Miss Hadleigh 

Pack Pumpkin Patch

This last Friday, my after school program managed to take all 120 kids to a pumpkin patch. Everyone got to take home pumpkins. We also had a short lesson from the farmer who then carves a pumpkin in less than five minutes. The other rotation we did was a straw maze. The kids loved it. I didn't. I had a really bad reaction to the hay.

Anyway, what I want to get to. While we were picking pumpkins on of my student starts yelling from the other side of the patch. "MISS HADLEIGH!!! I FOUND YOU THE PERFECT PUMPKIN!" He had been puppy guarding this pumpkin from all the kids. When a seven year old tells you it is the perfect pumpkin, you take that pumpkin home. It was a really good pumpkin.

That's all for today.

Miss Hadleigh

Silly Pumpkin Slime

This week for science we made silly pumpkin slime. It was super fun and super easy. I didn't let the kids make it themselves, I made it and then let them take some of it home. While I was making they had to write down what I was doing. Then half way through I had them make a prediction of what was going to happen next. After that they wrote what happened. The day I did this I was actually being observed by the district. I was so glad the kids were having fun and giggling when she came in. 

Here's the recipe. 

In a small bowl combine: 

3/4 a teaspoon of Borax

1 1/3 cups of very warm water. For my warm water I warmed water to the boiling  point. I used a cup of this and then 1/3 a cup of room temperature water. It worked well. 

In a larger bowl combine 

2 cups of white school glue (about 4 to 5 bottles)

1 1/2 cups of very warm water

Orange food coloring 

1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice. I made my own pumpkin pie spice. I'll include that at the bottom. 

Once both bowls are combined separately combine in the larger bowl. Stir. Stir. Stir. The mixture will congeal into a slime. If all the water doesn't go away, take the slime from the bowl and mix with your hands. 

And thats it. They loved it!

Now for my pie spice. 

3 tablespoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

Combine in a small bowl and mix well. Store in a small jar. 

Thats all!

Any questions? Don't forget to raise your hand. 

Miss Hadleigh

Mistakes lead to Learning

I needed to put this out there. I needed to see what everyone else thinks about this subject.

So here's the story. I have a team teacher right now. Yesterday we were working on a project that will be displayed at parents night in a few weeks. Each student was asked to write two thinks they like about afterschool on  a paper light bulb. My team teacher was teaching while I was cleaning the cafeteria. She would not let them write in marker. She MADE them write in pencil. When I suggested she let them use marker she said, "no. Then they will mess up and we will look bad." Keep in mind our students are in the second, third, and fourth grades. They WILL mess up!!! It going to happen. I politely told her that mistakes show they are learning. She still didn't budge. The students then colored the light bulbs with markers and now you can not even see what they wrote.

 This is a pretty common occurence with us. I let them use markers anytime we write she always makes them use pencils. I only make them use pencils on homework.

Who do you agree with? Me or my team teacher? Should the students be allowed to make mistakes or should we control them so much that there is never a mistake on work we show their parents? How do you feel? Do mistakes lead to learning? Or should we never show the mistakes?

Please leave your comments and ideas!!

Any Questions? Don't forget to raise your hand!

Miss Hadleigh 

I Love ME!! Prevention Lesson

This is a few weeks late. I keeping meaning to post this. Well I have plenty of time in between classes to do it now.

On September 23 I taught a lesson to my students about self esteem. It was simple and easy to understand for the younger students.

Materials:
Paper with a five petal flower drawn on it, one for each child
Markers or Crayons

Objective: Students will learn how to appreciate themselves and like themselves for who they are. The students will demonstrate this by writing five things they like about themselves.

Instruction:
Give each student a paper flower. Instruct students to write their name in the middle of the flower. Talk to the students about things they like about themselves such as they are nice or they like their hair. Have each student write one thing they like about themselves on each petal of the flower. (Five total.) Go around the table or room and ask each student to share one thing they like about themselves.

NOTE: Every lesson I post will be very short and to the point with minimal instruction, as I only have twenty minutes to teach my lesson.

My students seemed to understand this well and followed directions and each completed their flower. This is pre lesson to a positive self talk lesson I am working on.

Any questions? Raise your hand.

Miss Hadleigh