Mood Cards!

The Burlington Science center gave us a fun little project to explore over the holiday break.  See what your mood is.  Try to figure out how this card really works!

Be sure to visit the science center's blog to see the awesome introduction to the project.

Www.bsciencecenter.wordpress.com

Games

With the help of parent volunteers we were able to do some extra activities during our Polar Express celebration.  We practiced playing the Dreidel game.

Working on our holiday lights book

Polar Express Day Activities

We made beaded candy canes!

We wrote about the day.

The word wall seen in the background is a great resource to help us with our writing.

Enjoying our Snacks in the Cafeteria!

Getting our Snacks in the PG Kitchen

Hot chocolate and snacks in celebration of our Polar Express day!

Polar express reading with Mr Lyons

On Wednesday, December 18 Pine Glen kindergarten celebrated Polar Express Day!  Mr. Lyons along with the kindergarten students and staff wore PJs for the day.  We all listened as Mr. Lyons read the story The Polar Express.  Then we visited the cafeteria to purchase a special snack and hot chocolate!  What a fun morning!

More Electricity Exploration!

Exploring the Electricity Kit

Hedgehog pictures

We can be hedgehogs

More hedgehog photos!

The hedgehog feels prickly and jumps when you touch it.

Hedgehogs Visit Room 101!

Clementine and Luna, mother and daughter hedgehogs from the Burlington Science Center visited room 101 with Ms. P. today!  Ms. P was invited to share her friends as a tie in to the Jan Brett stories we have been reading.  We learned that of all the animals that climbed into Nikki's mitten in Brett's story, "The Mitten", the hedgehog is the only animal whose habitat is not in the United States.
Students told Ms. P that hedgies are mammals and are nocturnal.  Ms. P told us that in addition to eating fruits and other foods like lizards and mice, hedgies are insectivores............they really like to eat bugs and insects.
Since we are so big, and sort of loud, we scared the hedgies.  Clementine and Luna showed us what they do to protect themselves when they are scared.  They rolled into a ball, they showed their quills and they made noises. Hedgehogs have quills and they are sharp....quills are one thing that hedgehogs use to protect themselves.

Hedgies!

Hands on experimenting with electricity and circuits!

Mrs. Parnell shared an enlightening lesson about electricity!  Thanks to hands on resources from the Science Center we were able to test various items to see if they are conductors or non-conductors(insulators).  Then we created electrical circuits! ( A lot like a circle!) We created light and tomorrow hope to create sound.  We also discussed all the different ways we use electricity in our world.  Be sure to check with your child and ask him/her about the fun we had today testing out the ways electricity works!

This is tricky........how are we going to do this?

Success!

I closed the circuit

Students were handed a battery and a Christmas light and were challenged to figure out how to make the bulb light up!  We had to make closed circuits!

Insulator

The marker is an insulator..........why?

Conductor

The screw is a conductor..........why?

This is a test!

Hello Pine Glen Room 101 Families -

This is a test

- We are wondering who and how many people are reading the blog.  Please reply with a comment and let us know if you look at the blog.

-We also hear that some are unable to view the YouTube videos that have been posted.  Let us know if you have been able to view the videos when you respond.

These comments will not be posted on the blog but will let us know the information.

Thank you!

Prize redemption!

Free Time at the ipad is a fun prize!

Bring in a favorite story to share with the class. Today we read Leila's selection, The Rockinghorse Christmas.

We practice the Nutcracker dances!

Dancing to the music helps to give us a greater appreciation for and understaning of the show.We danced Arabian Coffee and tried to coax the snake out of the basket.

Chinese Tea is a very aerobic dance!  

We ended with Russian Peppermints!  If you play the Nutcracker Music at home perhaps your children will teach you to dance!

Nutcracker Dancing

We practiced dancing to some of the Nutcracker music.  This is Mother Ginger

We also danced the Waltz of the Flowers.

Spanish Chocolate is a fun dance.

Mystery Stocking!

Are your children bringing home some treasures like erasers and pencils?!
They are from the Mystery Stocking!!!!!!

Each student feels our Mystery Stocking and tries to figure out what is inside.  Then we each write  our ideas and reasons for why we think we know what is in the stocking.  Today we read our responses to the class.  Ideas for today's mystery item included pencils, glow sticks and metal rods.

Yipee!  Today there were pencils in the stocking!  

Computer Lab

This afternoon we visited the computer lab during our library time.  Mrs. Delia introduced us to four winter themed games!  The benefit of each game is that  we will be practicing using the mouse and improving our coordination in using the mouse and keyboard.  

In this game you get to make snowflakes by "cutting the paper".  

We loved the show!

We were a very good audience!

Pine Glen Winter Concert

Today we attended the Pine Glen Winter Concert and enjoyed the musical presentations of the 4th and 5th grade student band and chorus.  They were fabulous!  We especially enjoyed the Nutcracker Jingles in which the music from Tchaikovsky's classic the Nutcracker played and the students sang jingle bells.......it was cool.  We also loved Jingle Bell Rock!

May the Force be with You!

Ms. Pavilcek and Mr. Musselman of the Burlington Science Center presented an all school assembly today titled:  May the Force be with you.  It was really awesome!  We all enjoyed learning about all the different forces and seeing the cool demonstrations.

Loco Motion Swing

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Be sure to ask your children about all the cool experiments like the pull of gravity and how Mr. Musselman sent the moon flying through the air.

Friction is a force

How is it possible that these telephone books that are merely held together by overlapping pages from each book can not be pulled apart?......Friction.  Friction holds these books together like glue!

Electromagnetic Force

Electromagnetic Force is associated with magnetic and electric fields and attractive and repulsive forces. Mrs. Hoyt got nervous and had to duck when the electromagnetic force sent the metal ring flying at her.  Good thing Ms. Pavilcek was wearing her baseball glove and caught it!  

Momentum

Mr. Musselman remembered the rule that scientist must always be safe when experimenting.  He wore his safety shield when demonstrating the Pencil Cannon!

Picture Book month closes at Pine Glen

As picture book month at Pine Glen comes to a close Mrs. D'Elia shared The Boy and The Airplane by Mark Pett.  The boys and girls had to really study the illustrations and use their imagination as she presented this wordless circle story.  They read the expressions on the character's face on each page and looked for details and clues as to what may be happening in the story.