Fun Friday!

New Parent Article

From NY Times - "Nice Try!" Is Not Enough

Igloo Building on the Grand Allee

Can't resist sharing this idea;

Friday, February 19 | 1-3PM

Looking for an outdoor activity during school vacation? Come build snow forts with us! We'll have a contest to determine the best winter architects - which igloo is the most structurally sound? The most creative? The one that best represents Ipswich history? The one that best fits the Crane Estate landscape? At the end of the day we'll enjoy some hot chocolate to warm ourselves. Please note: Children must be accompanied by an adult. Dress for the weather to maximize comfort and minimize misery! Water is always good to have along.

Member: $10 Adult, $5 Child; Nonmember: $15 Adult, $10 Child

Please see the Cranes Beach website for additional information!

http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/special-events/crane-oap/?referrer=https://www.google.com/

Snowy Owl Prowl

The class has been so excited about the birds at our feeders.  I showed them an article from the Boston Globe this weekend about a snowy owl that was relocated to Salisbury Beach.

I also told them about a program that I had read about at Cranes Beach where you can go on a guided walk to see snowy owls.  Here is the information:

Saturday, February 20 | 1-3PM
Wide-open coastal sites are the location of choice for wintering Snowy Owls; common perches are dunes and salt hay staddles. In winters past, the owls have been frequent visitors to the Crane Wildlife Refuge. Join us as we hike the dunes in search of these magnificent birds. Unlike most owls, snowy owls are diurnal – they hunt and are active both day and night – so we have a good chance of sighting one even in the daylight hours! We'll warm up with hot cider at the end of our hike. 

Please note: We will be hiking up and down dunes, through soft sand, for approximately 2.5 miles. Dress for the weather to maximize comfort and minimize misery! Water is always good to have along. A spotting scope and/or binoculars are helpful when searching for snowy owls. Suggested ages 13 and older. Pre-registration required. 


Member: $10; Nonmember: $15

It looks like it is meant for older children but it might be worth inquiring to see if there are additional times for younger children.

Introducing Action Words in Writers Workshop

Bare bone Sentences

A new writing curriculum that I am trying this year is called Framing Your Thoughts. I have already taught the children that a sentence has a subject (a person place or thing that the sentence is about). Today, I introduced action words. I taught them that these action words are called predicates. Predicates can be physical or mental actions. We sorted a few into the two categories. The next step was to put the two together. They wrote and illustrated a bare bone sentence. My goal is to expand on the predicates that they choose to enrich their writing. As you read their sentences with them, feel free to see if they can come up with some more exciting predicates. For example,

The bird flies.

Could be changed to:

The bird swoops.

The bird soars.

The bird glides.

I am excited to see how this enriches their writing!

Today's Birds

Today we had a lot of activity at our bird feeders!  We have seen lots of small black birds with white stomachs that we think are Junco birds.  But today, we saw a cardinal, tufted titmouse and black cap chickadees.