Welcome to First Grade!

Welcome to a brand new year of First Grade!  Hopefully you had a wonderful summer full of fun and sun!  Thank you for taking the time to check out our classroom blog.  New posts occur 1-3 times per week depending upon the activities we do in class.  If you make a habit of checking the blog each weekend, you will be sure not to miss any of the action!

If you are like me, I don't always remember to do things without reminders.  The neat thing you can do is sign up to "follow by email" each time we post something new.  Then an email will be sent to you indicating there is a new posting, and you won't miss a beat!

In your packet of papers from our office, you will find a release form which needs to be filled out regarding using your child's picture in any school related material, such as the Transcript, newsletters, and this blog.  If you choose not to allow your child's photo to be published, I will honor that and keep your child's image from our blog.

Each child will have their own blog post all about him/her when it is his/her turn to be the Student of the Week.  Other postings will show what we are learning about or activities we are participating in.

One of the first Science Units we will be working on is the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly.  You can help us out with this!  Look around your home!  Monarch caterpillars can be found on milkweed plants!   If you find any, carefully put them into a jar with a lid (don't forget to poke air holes in the top).   Bring them in to school along with some milk weed leaves, which is the only thing they will eat.  The milkweed leaves can be frozen, so bring in plenty!  I have a large net we can keep the caterpillars in to watch the transformation into butterflies!  Here are photos of the caterpillars and milkweed plants:

This is a Milkweed plant.

This is a pod on the Milkweed plant.

This is the Monarch caterpillar.

If you find any other types of caterpillars, please be certain of a couple of things before you think about sending them in.  First, they must not be the 'furry' type of caterpillar.  That type of caterpillar typically takes months to complete their life cycle, so we would run out of food and be finished with the unit before the cycle is completed.  Second, if you find a caterpillar that is not furry and want to send it in, make a note of where it was found.  It will need food in order to survive, so make sure to send in the leaves of the plant it was found on!   Monarch caterpillars are abundant in fields in our area though, so if your family enjoys taking hikes, search for them and send them in to school!  The more we find, the more fun we can have watching their life cycle!   And be certain to check out our blog for updates this fall!    

Thanks again for taking the time to check out our classroom blog today!  Check back each week for new and exciting updates!