Earth Day: Monday, April 22 was Earth Day. We learned that being green means to take care of our planet. We talked about the 3 R’s Reduce – Reuse – Recycle! If everyone did just one thing – think what a difference, we could make! Some suggestions are: Remember to turn off the light when you leave the room. [saves energy] Turn off the Tap/Water when you brush your teeth. Every time you do this, you save about eighteen glasses of water. Use both sides of paper. [saves trees] Put garbage in the trash not on the ground. Better yet Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! [We can Recycle plastic, metal, paper and glass].
Geography: We traveled to South America. South America is the color pink on our globe. Brazil is the largest country in South America. South America is mostly a Spanish-speaking continent, but in Brazil, the official language is Portuguese. South America has the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon Rainforest which is mainly enclosed within Brazil. As well as the second- longest river in the world the Amazon River. We talked about the importance of the Rainforest. The rainforests are home to a large number of animals and plants. Many of the things we have in our homes come from the rainforest like medicine, chocolate, spices, fruit, rubber, bamboo and so much more. The plants are so important to our climate as they absorb huge quantities of carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. While South America’s rainforests are some of the wettest places on the earth, the Atacama Desert in Chile is considered the driest place on earth. The country of Chile is easily recognized. It is the longest/narrowest country in the world. We have map work; a few countries flag to color and animal works available to choose.
South America is connected to North America by the Isthmus of Panama. The site of the Panama Canal. The Land and Water Forms – Isthmus and Strait were introduced. An isthmus is a narrow strip of land with water on two sides. A strait is a narrow body of water with land on two sides. It connects two bodies of water together.
Math: Some children have been working with Place Value and the Decimal System with the Golden Beads. First laying out the number cards (symbols) from 1 to 9000.
Adding the Golden Beads to match the quantities this is an arrangement known as the 45 Layout.
Forming and reading composed or complex numbers.
Static Addition with the Golden Beads.
Multiplication with the color beads.