Fabulous First Graders: June 2015

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Last Blast

Each June, our awesome PTO sponsors one of the student's favorite events... Last Blast! This wonderful activity takes place on our final day of school. This year, the Critter Barn brought animals for us to touch and learn about, we had a Strong Man show, and activities and play time at the Heath Township playground! Fun was had by everyone and too soon the kids asked, "It's done already?" Thank you to our fabulous PTO for planning this culminating event for our students and teachers! It is a fantastic way to celebrate a year of learning and fun.

Our first station was the Critter Barn station. We began by watching their pot bellied pig do some tricks! After that, we were given the opportunity to pet many types of farm animals. Don't worry... there was a fantastic hand washing station for us at the end of our petting experience!

Jenny Lou could sit, spin around, roll out rugs with her snout, and even beg (although she could not get up very high due to her big belly!) The kids were very entertained by her!

Feeding and petting baby goats

We were fortunate to be the first group because the animals were hungry for breakfast!

Maddie, Sierra and Kaylee try to feed and pet a sheep

Levi pets a baby goat

Hunter takes a turn petting the baby goat

Kendrick feeds a sheep

Gavin touches the bird

Milking a goat!

Kairi pets an angora rabbit

Ariyah pets a rabbit

Sierra takes a turn with the rabbit

Kairi holds a baby rabbit

Teagen and Claire hold baby rabbits

Maddie and Lilly hold bunnies

Mason holds a baby rabbit

Jessica holds a baby bunny too

Kaylee loves the bunny!

Holding baby chicks

Kendrick holds a bunny

Next we went to a Strong Man show in the gym! Our presenter began by breaking a pile of paving blocks with his arm! He then went on to show us his hand grip strength by ripping a phone book in half, then a deck of cards and then ripped the half-sized deck in half again! He also bent a bolt in half and broke a nail in half! He invited our Mason up to pick up a very heavy ax. Mason could barely even hold it without help. This man took two of these and held them out over his head and then lowered them down to his face! He also bent a horse shoe! Finally, he laid down on a small bed of nails and placed a board on his chest. Mrs. Ferrell then went up and stood on top of the board! Wow! The kids were very excited by his amazing strength!

Not only did he amaze us with his strength, but there was a message too. He pulled out a $100 dollar bill and asked the children who would find it valuable and would like it. Every hand went up. He then crumpled it up and asked who still found it worthy. Many hands still went up. He then stepped on it, and finally he rubbed it under his armpit. He then went on to explain that sometimes we feel like a crisp, fresh $100 dollar bill. But other days, we might feel crumpled up, or stepped on, or grubby like we forgot to brush our teeth. But no matter what, we are ALL valuable! We need to motivate each other rather than step on each other. We need to value many talents - not just pro athletes or pop stars! He told the children to think about what they are passionate about and work hard at it! Maybe a sport, but possibly an instrument, or art, or whatever dreams they might have. Encourage each other and help keep each other accountable! It was a neat message. I'm not sure if the kids will remember the message over the amazing feats of strength, but maybe parents can reinforce the message at home!

Do you see that stack of paving bricks???

Getting ready to break them!

Here he goes! His arm went through the entire stack, causing a roar in the crowd!

Getting ready to show grip strength by ripping a phone book in half!

Here he goes! Success again!

Next, he showed us his grip strength by ripping a loose deck of cards in half.
He then took the ripped half and ripped it in half again!

Mason was invited to hold one of the heavy axes. He needed help to hold one!

He took two of the heavy axes and held them out, then lowered them to his face!

Bending a bolt in half!

Bent bolt!

Horse shoe straightened out!

He laid down on a bed of nails on his back. Then Mrs. Ferrell stood on top of a board on his chest!

Can you imagine lying on a bed of nails with an adult standing on top of you??
Many of the kids said they saw 'nail holes' in his shirt! Maybe not a compliment for the lady standing on top of him!

Our final rotation was at the Heath Township park! Options included playing on the playground, playing kickball, face painting, temporary tattoos, a freeze pop, and side walk chalk. What fun!

Annabel on the monkey bars

Hunter on the climbing structure

Kairi gets her face painted by Mrs. Stork

Izzy and Mrs. Ferrell

Makayla and Maddie enjoy a Freeze Pop and face painting!

Mrs. Ferrell and Miss Nykamp, who spent her morning with us again!

Finally, we went to the track for the annual human tunnel! Students and parents make a human tunnel around the track to send off the fourth grade students to the middle school. It is a tradition that students look forward to from their first year of school at Hamilton Elementary School!

And finally... our final class picture of the school year! With the Strong Men!

Thanks for a great year everyone! And thank you to our wonderful PTO, who sponsored this event!

Enjoy your summer everyone! And you know I have to remind you again to read, write and review your math facts to avoid the Summer Slide!

Monday, June 8, 2015

Music Program and ODC Field Trip

Well, can you believe it? The school year is complete! It just flies by, doesn't it? The last week of school was a doozy! We had a music program, a field trip to the Outdoor Discover Center, and we finished the year off with our PTO sponsored Last Blast! This post includes the music program and the ODC photos. I will get the Last Blast post finished in the next day or two!

Thank you for sharing your child with me this year! We grew into a family and every single one of them was loved and will be missed! Thank you to the parents as well for all the support at home. Growth could not be made by leaps and bounds without the follow through at home. Thank you also to the many parents who came in to school weekly or biweekly for WEB, joined us on our field trips, helped with end of the year assessments, and so much more.

Enjoy your summer! Please take time to read and practice math facts and do a little writing a few times per week to avoid the 'Summer Slide'. It makes a huge difference if kids do just a little bit each day or at a minimum 3-4 times per week. If you have not gone through your child's backpack yet, please take time to check for a summer idea packet, which was sent home last Friday. Also, on most Mondays from 10-11:15, children are invited to come in to the library at school to work on Xtra Math and IXL on the Ipads, and to play math games! I'll see you there!

Enjoy the MANY pictures in this blog and check back for the Last Blast post in a day or two!

Waiting for the program to begin!

Singing their first number.

Kairi, Claire, Lilly

Ariyah

Sierra, Jessica, Sam and Hannah playing the Maracas

Jordan, Teagen and Sierra

And now the Outdoor Discovery Center trip...

We began by going over the rules and procedures for the day.

We began our trip outside. Our guide pointed out various plants on the trail. She talked about how the ODC changed from fall, to winter and finally to late spring!

We then proceeded to the Birds of Prey area! This was a new area we had not seen in the fall and winter. Our guide asked us to search for a bird who weighed as much as a carton of eggs, one that ate meat, and the only bird that was not injured in order to join the exhibit.

Horned Owl. Each weighs about the same as a carton of eggs.

The kids were very excited to see two bald eagles!

Both Bald Eagles were injured when they were hit by a car (many of the other birds were too)

The American Kestrel was not injured. This bird was taken in by people as a small bird and imprinted on humans, which made it dependent upon them for food. Because it is in the falcon family, it normally hunts for food. When the people who tamed him tired of him, they released him into the wild. He did not know how to hunt, so he had to be placed with the ODC in order to survive. Another reason never to keep wild animals as pets!

The turkey buzzard is also a carnivore.

Our next portion of our experience was inside the center. The kids had a few moments to check out the animals (turtles, fish, snakes, lizards) and the table of objects to touch (feathers, snake skins, bones, antlers and more). Then we went into another room where our guide showed us a rabbit named Willow and a box turtle!

Here comes Willow!

Each child got an opportunity to touch Willow.

Next we had the chance to touch a box turtle! Our guide said it is rare to find one in the wild!

We then went back outside and were taken to a pair of kiddie pools. Inside the pools, there were tadpoles of many sizes, froglets (baby frogs) and frogs as well as various water bugs.

Finally, we visited the pond we saw in the fall and winter. The kids were reminded what changed at the pond during each season.

Here are a few pictures of parents with kids and Miss Nykamp as well! Thank you for joining us on our fun trip! Thank you to the Outdoor Discovery Center staff for the awesome experience they provided for us each season this school year! Thank you also to our superintendent Mr. Tebo, for offering and organizing these wonderful adventures for Hamilton Community Schools first graders!