The bird who dares to fall, is the bird who learns to fly

We are back in business, and we are already busy. We started making preparations for a special event that is coming soon. But we cannot tell you more about it because it is a surprise. Shh!

Service project. Ms. Demetra’s class presented their service project on Wednesday. Her class learned about birds and wanted to share their learning with the school. They invited Ms. Alyse from the Wild Bird Shack, who taught us a little about birds, specifically cardinals, bluejays, American robins, and hummingbirds. Among the things she taught us was the difference between male and female birds. We heard the different sounds they make and their mating calls. She also showed us a few types of nests and pointed out the materials they are made of, including leaves, twigs, and cotton. In the end, students learned how to make nesting balls, which are cotton balls (or other natural materials) in a string bag. The nesting balls help birds, particularly in areas where natural nesting materials are scarce, by providing a source of soft, comfortable, and safe materials for building nests. Students were excited to learn about birds!

Math. We played a new game in which we practiced subitizing, number recognition, rote counting, taking turns, and practicing good sportsmanship. We highly recommend this game, as it has quickly become a favorite among our students. The setup is simple and requires only game cards and two dice. Here’s how it works: position two lines of cards from 1 (A) to 10, one in front of the other. Students take turns rolling the dice and flipping the card that matches the number they rolled. The game continues until one student has successfully flipped all their cards, making him the winner. This game reinforces essential math skills and encourages social interaction and friendly competition. We are thrilled to see how much our students enjoyed it.

We also enjoyed a game of table hockey. Students learned to keep scores while practicing gross motor skills.

Sharing. We partnered with Ms. Anna for an exciting reading buddy activity. Her students visited our classroom and took time to read to us, creating an opportunity for collaboration and sharing with our little ones.  The students were fascinated. We look forward to more opportunities to work with Ms. Anna’s class and enrich our students’ learning experiences.

Next week, we’ll introduce our class Service project. Stay tuned!

Efi and Soraya

There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.

Beatrice Potter

Authors. We read a wonderful book written by Jim Gill, “May There Always Be Sunshine!” inspired by a traditional Russian folk song. We were inspired to become authors and illustrators ourselves. Here are some of the heartfelt wishes they shared. Guess which one is your child’s  

-May there always be toys

-May there always be milk

-May there always be cats

-May there always be Christmas

-May there always be babies l

-May there always be snowmen

-May there always be water

-May there always be dogs

-May there always be mountain lions

-May there always be love

-May there always be family

-May there always be flowers

-May there always be apples

-May there always be

-May there always be 

We then heard Jim Gill’s song, it’s so catchy that we kept on singing every day, adding our own words to the song:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4SlvmkY9c9eRVeoaX350Oo?si=4BMTLhAMRESSEs7cXR3EFQ  

We’ll keep our book on our bookshelf for everyone to enjoy.

Special Visit: We met the published author, illustrator, and parent of Plato alumnus Louis Papadakis. He’s authored the books: The Gigantic Giraffe with Grit and Gertie Braves the River. During his visit, Mr. Papadakis engaged our young aspiring authors and illustrators in discussing what it means to be authors and illustrators. After asking students what authors and illustrators do, he gave us his definition: they are magicians and wizards with a special talent, their wand is a pen, and the source of their magic is their heart. He recalled his childhood passion for drawing giraffes, his favorite animal (and perhaps his inspiration for his stories.) After reading his book, each student received a coloring page and stickers of the main character, Gertie the Giraffe. We left with an empowering message of courage,  strength, and, more importantly, to never give up on what you love.

Fairy tales. These past two weeks, we read two versions of Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Princes and the Pea. As is our tradition, we loved to perform one version of each story for the rest of the class. Ask your child what characters they played.

Recipes: We tried a new recipe with only three ingredients. Ants on a log! (Ask your child the ingredients we use for this recipe.)

Pledge. Our courageous pledge leaders this week:

Greek Independence. We’ve practiced and practiced so much for our second time being on stage. As always, the bus ride for the main rehearsal was the highlight; we really loved riding the bus! We hope you enjoy the Greek program as much as we enjoyed preparing for it. The students were great listeners before, during, and after their performance. They were ready to go on stage and did their best on the rehearsal day. They were also respectful audience members. (Ask your child what makes a respectful audience.) We can’t wait for you to see our hard work. Efi and Soraya

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”John Wesley

Traditions. Spring is (almost) in the air, and we began preparing to welcome the new season by celebrating an ancient annual custom. According to the Greek tradition of “Martis” (March in Greek), a bracelet is woven with red and white string and worn on the first day of March, marking the first day of Spring in Greece. The purpose of this bracelet is to protect whoever wears it from the season’s first sunshine. Students loved their bracelets!

Kiria Efi reminded us about a Greek tradition called Clean Monday (Kathara Deftera.) This day marks the end of the Greek carnival season, ‘Apokries,’ and the start of Lent. It is a period of spiritual purification in preparation for the solemnity of Orthodox Easter. On this day, kids go out and fly kites. Kite flying symbolizes the beginning of the Lenten period and the lifting of one’s spirits to heaven. We gave paper bags and paper for students to decorate their kites, and we went out to fly them. Students were excited because most had never flown a kite before. It was a perfect windy day, and we loved it.

Pledge. After counting down the days with anticipation, the moment finally arrived for us to lead the Pledge of Allegiance over the microphone for the whole school. What a privilege and honor it is! In preparation for this occasion, we read a book that explained the meaning behind the pledge. We learned about the values represented in the Pledge of Allegiance, including unity, respect, and freedom in our country. 

Each day, a couple of lucky students walk to the office and greet the school. This experience isn’t just about saying the words; it is about learning to be independent and confident as we step up to represent ourselves and our class.  We are so proud to see our students stand tall and proud as they recite the pledge together. Not everyone had the opportunity this week, but we still have two more weeks.

Science. As we continued with our exploration of States of Matter, we did a balloon experiment: we gave students three balloons filled with different substances: one balloon filled with water (liquid), one filled with ice (solid), and one filled with air (gas). The children passed the balloons around, feeling each and sharing their observations. They quickly realized that one of the balloons had ice, “It’s so hard and cold!” They squeezed it, shook it, and noticed the ice remained solid, but it started melting as they passed the balloon around. Next, the water balloon turned out to be a lot of fun as students shook it, and it made a squishy sound. As they squeezed it, they noticed how the water inside moved and took the shape of their hands, helping us understand how liquids flow and fill their containers. Last, the gas-filled balloon was our favorite. They learned how it could easily change shape when squeezed, highlighting the unique properties of gases. The kids were fascinated to realize that while they could feel the air, it didn’t take up any visible space like solids and liquids. Hey, gas can be fun too!

More Science. We added something new to our leftover play dough. Each student had the chance to sprinkle in some “magic dust” in the color of their choice. Once we fully incorporated the magic dust, we placed the play dough in the refrigerator. When then played with it and submerged it on a “magic liquid”,  after saying the magic words, the play dough changed colors before their eyes!  But what was the science behind this transformation? The “magic dust” we used was actually thermochromic powder, which allowed our play dough to change colors in response to temperature changes. When the play dough warmed up from the heat of the “magic liquid”, it reacted to that heat and shifted to a different color. (Ask your child what was in the magic liquid.) Science is so much fun!

Art. This week, students explored the concept of abstract art. We learned it doesn’t have to represent anything specific—it’s all about colors, shapes, and emotions. It can mean different things to different people, which makes it unique and personal. For our art project, we used marbles and tempera paint to create our masterpieces. The challenge was to roll the marble around the canvas without using our hands. This was a fun and familiar task for many of our returning students since they had already done it last year. They moved the marbles around the canvas, creating swirls and splashes of color.

For our new students, however, this activity presented a challenge. Some found it tricky to get the marble to move from one spot to another, especially to the center of the canvas. At times, the marbles would roll back and forth on one side, painting the same area over and over, leaving the rest of the canvas blank. They had to problem-solve and strategize how to successfully guide the marble without touching it. The end result of our efforts was a collection of colorful pieces that resembled the dynamic style of Jackson Pollock.

To wrap up our artist exploration of Picasso, we engaged in a thought-provoking discussion by asking, “Is Picasso’s art abstract or realistic?” Students shared their thoughts as we presented pictures of some of Picasso’s pieces from the beginning of his career towards the end. We concluded that initially, Picasso focused on realism, and then his art became more abstract as the years passed. He embodied both styles, making him a leader of the Cubist movement, which broke down realistic forms and reassembled them in abstract ways. 

Service project. On Monday, Mrs. Elsa’s class came to present their service project. They are collecting gently used glasses (both sunglasses and prescription glasses) to send to FOCUS, an organization that provides eye care in underprivileged locations around the world.  

Mrs. Ellen’s class presented our school’s biggest service project, Plato4kids, on Friday. St. Baldrick’s is an organization that raises money to help “conquer childhood cancer.” As you know, students, teachers, parents, and friends shaved their hair, donated inches of their hair to an organization that makes wigs for kids, and collected money to donate for research. We are so proud of our brave little ones, Elli and Darius, for being part of this event. Yay!     

Each year, every class presents a service project to the school and presents different activities and ways to help their project. We discussed how helping our community is not only important, it is kind to care for others. (We will soon be presenting ours, too!)  Stay tuned!

Efi and Soraya

“Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.” Hans Christian Andersen

Fairy tales. This week, we read another classic tale: Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal by Paul Fleischman. This author gives a unique twist to the traditional Grimm story by blending various versions of the fairy tale into one captivating narrative. He also used folk art and textile patterns from around the world in the illustrations. 

It was interesting to see how the children initially struggled to identify the original story as we read it. However, everything changed during our first play presentation. Little by little, they began recognizing the characters and their interactions. We asked them if they could guess the girl’s name in the story until one student screamed out loud, “It’s Cinderella!”

Students were thrilled to perform the story, and since it had many secondary characters, everyone had a chance to have a role in it. We had an array of characters, including mice, horses, kings, princes, mean stepsisters, and of course, the magical fairy godmother. 

Can you guess the most popular character that everyone wanted to be? If you guessed Cinderella, think again. All the girls wanted to be the Stepmother! You didn’t see that coming, did you?

Math. We’ve been playing a lot of board games and puzzles. This week, we added a new game that combines elements of both. This game helps our little ones identify opposites, making our learning experience more interactive and fun. We introduced Color Connect, a strategic game where students connect squares of the same color while trying to create the largest possible connections. It has quickly become a favorite, encouraging creative thinking and problem-solving skills. 

We’ve introduced Connect Four and played Spot It, which continues to be a hit in our classroom. These games are not just entertaining; they provide invaluable opportunities for children to practice essential math skills such as number sense, pattern recognition, rote counting, and mental calculations, all while having fun!

Moreover, board games are a wonderful way for our little ones to develop important social skills, like following rules, taking turns, including one another, managing their emotions, and learning sportsmanship. These skills are crucial as they navigate their friendships and grow in confidence.

Animals. A few weeks ago, we did a quick experiment to understand how penguins stay warm and dry in their icy subzero temperatures. After drawing a penguin on construction paper, we colored the penguin’s belly with white crayons. Then, we poured a few drops of water and watched how the water just slid off the paper. The wax of the crayon would act as a shield, protecting the paper from absorbing the water, just like the penguins’ feathers repel water, keeping the penguins dry and warm in freezing temperatures.

A curious question arose during our discussions about penguins: “Since they have feathers, are they birds?” This piqued our interest, and we went into investigation mode! We were excited to discover that penguins belong to the bird family, and like all birds, they lay eggs, making them oviparous. However, we also learned something fascinating—while they have wings and feathers, they cannot fly! This new information led us to explore how penguins use their wings instead. We watched a short video from Mystery Science and learned that not all birds can fly, just like ostriches and chickens. How do you think penguins use their wings? After a moment of reflection, a student demonstrated her guess by leaning on her tummy and pushing with “her wings,” imitating the way penguins slide on the ice. 

We learned that penguins spend a lot of time swimming in the water to hunt for fish. Interestingly, they are faster in water than on land, using their wings to swim with incredible agility. Unlike other birds, their wings are designed differently; their feathers are smooth and stiff, similar to paddles. What a cool superpower!

Yoga. New poses we learned this week: Warrior One, Triangle, Airplane, Dancer, and Chair.

Science. We have been learning about the three main states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Students explored how solids have a definite shape and volume, liquids take the shape of their container while maintaining a fixed volume, and gases have neither a fixed shape nor volume, filling up any space they occupy. 

We played a game called “What is the Matter?” where students had to guess whether a picture shown was a solid, a liquid, or a gas.

We also conducted a fun observational experiment to reinforce what we learned. First, we put water in a container and placed it in the fridge. Students quickly predicted that the water would turn into ice. Next, we took the ice cubes out and asked what would happen if we left them outside the fridge. They confidently answered that the ice cubes would melt back into liquid.

We placed the ice cubes on a hot pan to accelerate the process and watched them immediately melt. “It’s turning into liquid!” As we observed the steam rising from the melting ice, we asked: “What is happening now? Is it disappearing? “It’s like magic!” Someone said, “It turned into gas!”

We explained that while it may seem like matter disappears during our experiment, it actually transforms. This is a key concept in science known as The Law of Conservation of Matter, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed; it simply changes form. We’ll continue learning about states of matter with another cool experiment next week. Stay tuned!

Efi and Soraya

“The important thing is to never stop questioning.” Albert Einstein

Two short weeks, seven days of fun!

Fairy Tales. We read two classics, and we read two versions of each. The first was The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and the second was The Ugly Duckling. We reminded students about the characteristics of Fairy tales. We then compared the two versions of each story and pointed out their differences. Through our discussions, we explored how authors often add different characters, change settings, and twist endings, while keeping the main characters consistent. After reading the stories, we continued with the most expected time of the day: an interactive storytelling session! Students played the characters, sometimes the main one, others the secondary characters, and sometimes they were the audience. As the narrator read the tales aloud, the classroom transformed into a stage. They love it so much they keep requesting to be their favorite characters every time we read any book. They even play the stories during their free exploration time. We are so proud of our enthusiastic actors and the joy they bring to storytelling. 

Yoga. New yoga poses this week: Waterfall, Dolphin, Boat, Volcano and Flamingo

Science. We’ve had plenty of snow last week, but the low temperatures have kept us inside most days. Luckily, we could go for a quick trip outside to gather snow and try a simple melting snow science experiment indoors. Actually, two experiments in one! We used the snow to practice both prediction and observation. We first got a mason jar and filled it with snow to the brim. We purposely filled it with the “cleanest” undisturbed snow we could find at the playground. Once in the classroom, we filled another jar with water, but only two-thirds full. Which jar has more? Which jar is full? What is gonna happen with the snow when we bring it inside? How much water will be left in the jar when the snow completely melts? The curiosity grew as they made predictions about how much water would remain once the snow melted. We then waited, students came back to check during the day and pointed out their observations. By the end of the day, the snow had melted as the students had predicted, and they noticed the water level was not nearly as high as the amount of snow we put in the jar; in fact, it was less than one-third of the mason jar. Why is this? Most replied: “Because it melted!” The science behind: Water has many amazing properties! When it is in its liquid state, it is more dense than in its frozen state. In other words, more water molecules are packed into a smaller space. This is why an ice cube, or even an iceberg, floats. When water is in its solid state of matter, it is less dense than in its liquid state. 

The second part of the experiment: What is in the Snow? Is the water from the melted snow clean? We mainly added this second question as many (many!) of our students like to eat snow. No matter how white and clean the snow looked, we could see that the melted snow was cloudy and visibly dirty. Hopefully, that gives them something to think about before they are tempted to munch on snow next time.

More Science. For Valentine’s Day last week, we had a fun experiment waiting for them in our water table, which has been a focus of attention in the past few days. We mixed a solid (corn starch) and a liquid (water.) and created Oobleck, a fascinating non-Newtonian fluid. This magical substance behaves in two ways: when we pour it, Oobleck acts like a liquid, but when we smack or squeeze it, it becomes solid! The children were delighted to watch it ooze through their fingers and quickly learn to manipulate it with their hands. An intriguing observation occurred overnight when we noticed our Oobleck had turned powdery and solid again by morning. This occurrence led us to wonder: where did the water go? We briefly introduced the concept of evaporation, explaining how the water in the Oobleck didn’t disappear but transformed into gas. They figured out they needed to add water to restore the Oobleck’s original consistency. Our little scientists quickly grasped the pattern; we needed to add water to enjoy our delightful concoction again. For an added twist, we introduced pipettes with colored water, encouraging the children to predict what would happen when the colored water was added to the Oobleck. Ask your child what color Oobleck we have on our water table!

STEM. Reading The Three Billy Goats Gruff inspired us to have a STEM challenge. And since all boys love to build ramps for cars, it was an excellent opportunity to motivate them to go further with their building.  To spark their curiosity, we asked: What is a bridge? What do we use them for? To deepen their understanding, we showed them pictures of a few famous bridges, like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, The Tower Bridge in London, and others not so well-known but not less impressive, like the Boulder Bridge in Washington DC. Our discussions highlighted the different purposes of bridges, with responses ranging from transportation for cars and trains to pathways for people. We then challenged them to explore different materials to create a bridge. Some students tried on their own, and some partnered with a friend.  While still trying to figure out the characteristics of a bridge, some built towers and buildings in their attempt to create a bridge. As we continue our exploration of bridge-building next week, we look forward to seeing the innovative ideas our little engineers will come up with. Stay tuned!

Efi and Soraya

“No winter lasts forever, no spring skips its turn” Hal Borland

Groundhog day. Boy, were we busy this week! We started our week by talking about the interesting tradition of Groundhog Day! Which is celebrated every year on February 2nd in Pennsylvania. We first spoke about groundhogs—what they look like, what they eat, and their habits during the winter months. After hearing their description, students guessed: “They are like bunnies!” to “They’re rats!” and “Maybe hedgehogs?” We then viewed some pictures of groundhogs, and one student exclaimed, “It looks like Pumpkin!” our guinea pig. We learned that the tradition states if Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog, sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. But if he doesn’t, an early spring is on the horizon! To bring our learning to life, we drew our groundhogs by directed drawing activity. We then ventured outside to see if we could spot our shadows. The day was cloudy and rainy, leading us to make predictions about whether we could see our shadows, the students were optimistic—”I hope not! I like spring!” Once outside, we were disappointed as none of us could see our shadows or paper groundhogs. We then watched a short video about the Groundhog Day celebration and learned that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this year, meaning we are likely in for six more weeks of winter. Bummer! Luckily, Phil is wrong seventy percent of the time, lol!

One Hundred. We did it! We have officially reached the halfway point of our school year! Our students have grown physically, emotionally, and socially. Each child has met important milestones and made remarkable progress in various areas, and we couldn’t be prouder! This week, we celebrated our 100th day of school with a dance party on Tuesday. Our activities included creating hats with ten stripes of ten dots, a fun way to visualize 100. We enjoyed reading “100 Days!” by Susan Milord, and everyone participated in singing songs that involved counting to one hundred. Through these activities, students explored the concept of 100 and discovered how much easier it is to count by tens. Many of our learners have become more fluent in counting by ones, with some even starting to count by tens—fantastic progress! In addition to our 100th-day festivities, we are also counting down to another exciting celebration. We can’t wait for Pajama Day! (Ask your child how many days are left until we wear our cozy pajamas to school!)

Water table. We had lots of fun at the water table. Students were given the challenge of figuring out how to save the animals from the ice. After playing with the idea and trying to carve the animals with their hands, some students placed their hands on the ice and noticed their warm hands started melting the ice. “The ice is melting!” This discovery prompted the idea among the group: “Let’s just melt the ice!” A student asked for water to speed up the process, so we gave them water and pipettes. The water melted the ice faster, and the animals were saved. The next day, another student asked for salt, claiming that salt would melt the ice. After pouring salt onto the ice, they asked for water again. They noticed that the side where the salt was poured melted faster than the rest. And once again, the animals were saved. Looking ahead, the challenge for next week is to save the animals without water or salt. We can’t wait to see what innovative ideas our young thinkers will come up with.

Fairy tales. We continued our storytelling journey by reading the classic tale of “The Little Red Hen.” After enjoying the story, many of our eager students participated in a fun skit, acting out the characters for their classmates. Students chose their roles and performed with enthusiasm while the audience listened attentively and respectfully. We revisited “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” to practice our storytelling skills. Our young actors are blossoming in their confidence, even our shy students were ecstatic to participate. Additionally, we introduced another classic tale, “Hansel and Gretel.” The students are excited, and many are already interested in character roles, with enthusiastic requests like, “I want to be the witch!” We look forward to the students presenting this story next week. Stay tuned!

Efi and Soraya

“Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”

― G.K. Chesterton

During lunch time, we had an interesting discussion sparked by one of our students’ favorite songs about a dragon. It led us to ask the question:What are fairy tales? After hearing their answers, we took the opportunity to delve deeper into the world of fairy tales. Together, we discovered some key characteristics that make these styles of stories unique:

– Fictional and Magical: Fairy tales are imaginative stories that cannot happen in real life. They transport us to magical realms!

– Classic Beginnings: Most fairy tales start with the familiar phrase, “Once upon a time…”

– Happy Endings: They often conclude with “…and they lived happily ever after!”

– Common Settings: A lot of these tales take place in a forest, where adventures unfold.

– Mythical Characters: Fairy tales feature a variety of characters, both good and evil.

-Some characters are animals that speak

-We often hear the number three in the stories

– Timeless Tales: These stories have been passed down for generations and often change slightly with each telling.

We focused on the classic tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We read two different versions and analyzed them together as a class, identifying the elements that make them fairy tales, and we found the variation of this story. (Ask your child what was different in both stories.) We found that in one story, the character Goldilocks is a human, and in the other is a bird, but in both stories, Goldilocks is a girl. We will continue exploring and reading more stories in the following weeks.

Math. As we welcome a new year, we have included the ever-changing weather as part of our daily learning routine. So far, we’ve experienced sunny, rainy, and snowy days, and our curious little learners are fascinated by every aspect of the weather. At the beginning of January, we included “weather watching” in our daily class jobs. Each morning, a “weather watcher” is assigned to observe and report on the day’s weather conditions. Sometimes, we step outside, and other times, we look out the window to take our observations.

We encourage the students to describe what they see and feel:

– Is it sunny or cloudy?

– Is the wind blowing? How can you tell?

– Is it hot, warm or cold?

– What do you notice about the sky today?

– How does it feel on your skin?

After our observations, we color a graph to represent our findings visually. This daily activity helps our students become more aware of their surroundings and fosters their observational skills, which are foundational for scientific thinking.”Through this process of collecting, analyzing, and utilizing data, our children are developing critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and creativity.”

We have noticed that we have had just as many clear sunny days as we have had partially sunny days. We will continue our weather data collection until the end of the year.

We also learned and enjoyed another dice game:

Winter. We continued our winter exploration with a fun experiment to help us understand how blubber works as an insulator to endure cold temperatures. For our experiment, we gathered a few materials: a plastic bag, ice, a glove, some butter, and lots of ice!

We first asked a couple of brave volunteers to place one hand in the bucket of ice water. The goal was to see how long they could withstand the cold before they needed to take their hand out. One student lasted just one second, while another managed an impressive ten seconds!

Next, we introduced our secret ingredient—blubber! Each volunteer put their hand inside a bag filled with butter, which acted as our blubber. We then submerged the butter-filled bag into the ice water.

To everyone’s surprise, the student’s hands were comfortably insulated by the butter! They didn’t feel the cold, and we even stopped counting seconds as they lasted for several minutes without discomfort.

Through this fun experiment, our students learned how Arctic animals, like seals and polar bears, are equipped with blubber to help them survive in chilly environments. Next week, we’ll explore the question: How do penguins stay dry? Stay tuned!

Music. On Friday, we had a wonderful visit from Ms. Glorimar, who introduced us to the exciting world of music! She brought along three different instruments: keyboard, guitar and violin. Ms. Glorimar gave each child the chance to explore and try them out. We truly loved this experience, and we are grateful to Ms. Glorimar for sharing her passion for music with us!

Efi and Soraya

Do not try your best, just do your best!

Short and exciting week. The highlight of our week was the grand opening of our new Dentist’s office in our dramatic area. Students took different roles, becoming patients, dentists, and dental hygienists. They gave each other pretend shots and practiced drilling on fake teeth. We discussed dental health, discussing which foods are good for our teeth and which are not. Did you know cheese, milk, and apples are great for teeth? (Ask your child which foods are not beneficial for our teeth and should be consumed in moderation.) 

Symmetry. We received an exciting invitation to create Valentine’s Day cards for a local senior center’s card drive, and our little ones were eager to participate.  To kick off our activity, we held a group discussion about the residents of senior centers. We talked about how important it is for seniors to feel connected and cherished, especially during special occasions. We discussed how a simple card can bring joy to them, reminding them that they are loved and remembered.

We got down to business and began crafting our cards. Using the same technique we used for our snowflakes last week, we painted only one side, then folded the paper and tapped it from the top. When we opened the card, we could see the same image had been transferred onto the other side, leaving a symmetrical heart. We enjoyed making the cards and, most importantly, are proud to participate in such a meaningful initiative. We hope our cards bring a smile to the seniors on Valentine’s Day.

Winter. This week, as the temperatures dropped and we could not go outside for recess, we took this opportunity to explore an important question: “How do animals stay warm in the cold?” “Because they get a blanket!” “They have fur,” “They go home!” 

To deepen our understanding, we watched a short video from Mystery Science, where we learned some fascinating facts about animals without fur, such as penguins, seals, and walruses. We learned that these animals have a special protective layer called blubber that helps keep them warm. But what about the tiny creatures that don’t have thick fur or blubber? We discovered that many small animals dig burrows underground to stay cozy and safe from the cold. Even larger animals, like arctic foxes and polar bears, seek shelter when temperatures drop dramatically. As we continued our exploration, we zoomed in on a picture of a penguin and realized they don’t have fur (ask your child what penguins have instead!). Instead, they have feathers since they belong to the bird family. Our focus then shifted to emperor penguins, who inhabit the coldest place on Earth, the South Pole. Unlike other animals, they don’t dig burrows or seek caves; instead, they survive by huddling together in large groups, taking turns in the center where it is warmer—a great lesson in collectivism!

To enhance our learning experience, we gave our students a STEM challenge: Build a shelter for an animal of their choice to keep it safe from the cold. We discussed the essential features of a shelter, such as having a roof, walls, and a door (no windows needed). For the challenge, students could only use packing peanuts, which have a unique property of becoming sticky with a bit of water, just to glue. Equipped with brushes and their imaginations, students began building their shelters. At the end of the activity, everyone presented their creations to the class, ensuring that the animal could comfortably fit inside its new home. 

Next week, we’ll learn how the blubber in animals helps them stay warm. Stay tuned!

Efi and Soraya

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there” Theodore Roosevelt

We started the week with a bang listening to stories from Ms. Cheryl from the library. She read Bee Bim Bop! By Linda Sue Park, We played games and did a fun dance with colorful scarves. 

Snowflakes. We read the book Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Martin and Mary Azarian, which tells us the inspiring story of Wilson Bentley and his singular fascination with snowflakes since he was a little boy. His parents supported this curiosity and saved money until they could give him his own camera and microscope, which was not easy in the 1800’s. Bentley found numerous obstacles during the years, and he kept trying to photograph snowflakes with his equipment, but he never gave up. Despite all the technical limitations of the equipment of his time, Bently published a collection of photographs in a book, and he did it so well that “hardly anybody bothered to photograph snowflakes for almost 100 years!” Wow! As a class, we watched some pictures that “Snowflake Man” took. https://youtu.be/CaAIBCQ387s?si=PwTtnORMDI6N3t-M We were mesmerized by the uniqueness of each snowflake as we claimed our favorite snowflakes. We learned that Bently could not find one snowflake that was exactly like the other. We also learned that snowflakes are symmetrical and have hexagonal structures  (derived from the Greek word Hexi (meaning six) due to their six points or sides.   We briefly discussed symmetry and its meaning and then painted our own symmetrical snowflakes using white paint on a blue canvas.

Wilson Bentley is undoubtedly an inspiration for us never to give up.

Science. Last week, a few students had their dentist appointment and came back to school with a plethora of conversations about teeth and how to take care of them. A student mentioned that their dentist found a “sugar bug,”  which sparked many curious questions. What is a sugar bug? Where do you find a sugar bug? How do you get a sugar bug? Do we have bugs in the mouth? Do I have sugar bugs?” After a brief explanation, we decided it was an excellent opportunity to experiment with teeth and tooth decay. First, we talked about how important it is to brush teeth every day and then chatted about foods that are good for teeth and foods that aren’t. Sugary, sticky food is not good for teeth as it sticks to the surface; bacteria then break down the sugar to make acid, which can damage teeth. Back to our experiment, we needed an egg and a beverage. We thought it was great to try it with a student’s favorite drink to make it more relatable for students, and since we cannot experiment in our teeth, we used an egg. We explained that eggshells contain a strong protective material similar to tooth enamel, so we used eggs to see what sugary drinks do to our teeth. 

As a class, we had a variety of beverages: milk, chocolate milk, orange juice, apple juice, fruit punch, protein shake, and water. We first put our eggs in a small container and poured our beverage on top. As our control egg, we just added water on top of it. Then we waited. We talked about how important it is to brush teeth every day and then chatted about foods that are good for teeth and foods that aren’t. Sugary, sticky food is not good for teeth as it sticks to the surface; bacteria then break down the sugar to make acid, which can damage the enamel in our teeth. We let the eggs sit overnight; the next day, we could immediately see some changes in our eggs. The juices, especially apple juice and fruit punch, showed the most discoloration on the eggshells.  Powdered drinks and orange juice were next. We were surprised that milk and even chocolate milk did not stain the eggs as much, and the egg in the water (our control egg) remained unchanged.

Each student brushed their egg with toothpaste and a toothbrush as if we were brushing their teeth. Most of the stains came off, but we could still see the difference from the egg in the water. We finished by emphasizing the importance of brushing our teeth daily (ask your child how often and when it is important to brush them). 

Recipes. We made our second recipe of the year: cookies! Together, under the guidance of Kiria Efi, we poured and mixed all the ingredients and even used a real mixer! It was so much fun! Once our dough was ready, we got to use our favorite cookie cutter to shape our cookies. After all the hard work, we had the best reward: enjoying the delicious cookies. Yum!

Art. We started working on a collaborative collage. A collage is a piece of art assembled with different materials to create a new image. They can be simple or complex. The term collage was coined by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. The word comes from the French word “coller,” meaning “to glue”. Together, we started gluing shapes of different colors onto our canvas (ask your child what a canvas is) and then offered crayons and a crayon melter. This nifty tool warms the crayons, turning them into a liquid state and creating a different texture as we doodle on the canvas. It was certainly an interesting and different way to explore drawing. We’ll keep on working on it next week. Stay tuned!

Efi and Soraya

“The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all.” Josiyah Martin

Happy New Year! We kicked off our week with our very own New Year’s celebration in class, and it was a blast! We started the festivities by creating our own New Year’s poppers. The children painted sturdy paper towel tubes, and once our poppers were ready, we filled them with pom poms and, with the help of a balloon, we launched them as part of our countdown to the New Year! We had a dance party afterward.

We had a wonderful time celebrating our Vasilopita tradition in class on Tuesday. Vasilopita is a Greek tradition celebrated on January 1st, where families cut a special cake to bless their homes and bring good luck for the New Year. Kiria Efi explained the beautiful origins of this custom, and we even watched a short video to further our understanding. The children learned that a coin is hidden in the dough before baking and the lucky one who finds it will be blessed with good luck throughout the year. During our celebration, we also had a meaningful discussion about what it truly means to be lucky. The class agreed that we are incredibly fortunate to have loving people in our lives, such as our friends and family.

As we gathered to cut our cake, we cheered for our lucky winner, Evie! Woohoo!

Science. As we welcomed the first snowstorm of the year, students noticed all the changes in the environment. How do we know it is winter? we asked. Students came up with their observations:

– “Because it’s cold!”

– “Because we need to bundle up with jackets and clothes.”

– “Because it snows!”

– “Because we can go skiing!” 

– “I like to go sledding!” 

– “Because the trees are brown.”

-” And no leaves!”

We discussed the unique activities we can enjoy in winter, such as building snowmen and having snowball fights. The children dictated and drew their favorite winter activities in their journals and shared them with the class.

One student noticed icicles forming on the family car and asked, “What are icicles? How do they form?” We watched a short video about icicles, which sparked a discussion about states of matter. 

To deepen our understanding, we conducted a fun experiment, Jello! We combined a solid (gelatin powder) with a liquid (hot and cold water). We mixed them in three containers: one for blue, one for yellow, and one for the two mixed together (ask your child what color we created). We mixed until the powder was completely dissolved—ask your child what dissolve means.

After making our delicious concoction, we placed the containers in the fridge. We discussed our predictions about what would happen. After lunchtime, we checked our experiment, “Nothing happened!” “It looks the same.” “It’s gotta be cold,” We turned one cup upside down, and students were surprised that the liquid did not pour. Each student had a cup and touched it, “It looks like jello!” “It is jello!” They were amazed to see the liquid had turned into a solid! What did we do? What happened inside the fridge that made the liquid turn into a solid? Students quickly connected this experience to temperature differences, noting how the cold inside the refrigerator affected the state of the liquid and turned it.

The experiment wrapped up with the children enjoying a delicious solid Jello treat!

We started another experiment with a detergent; the first time did not work for everyone, so we will try again next week. Stay tuned!

Efi and Soraya