Snowy Monday!

It has been snowing for three days straight and we've been having lots of fun playing in it! What do you know about snow?  How is it formed?  Check out this link for lots of information: http://easyscienceforkids.com/how-is-snow-made/.  And what about animals in the snow?  I still have a pair of hummingbirds coming to my feeder everyday.  Find out more about hummingbirds here.  But some animals choose to migrate or hibernate.  Here's a site on the top ten coolest hibernating animals: http://www.earthrangers.com/wildwire/top-10/top-ten-hibernating-animals/
Do you have a favourite hibernating animal?  Tell us in the comments below.

Ever wonder what the world's biggest snowball looks like?  Check out this video!
http://safeshare.tv/w/OdaJSrqWeu

Drums!

Our Grade 2's learned some interesting facts about First Nations today.  Here are some pictures of the artifacts they learned about.

This drum was made from cedar and deerskin and painted with an original design.

This drum comes from an Algonquin First Nation in Quebec.  Can you see the differences between the two drums?

Here is the back of the first drum.  You can see the cedar rim and the sinew holding the deerskin onto it.

This is a close up of the sinew holding the skin on the drum.

Here are some other artifacts.  The moccasins and mittens are trimmed with rabbit fur.  Notice the beadwork on them.  They were made by an Ojibway First Nations artist.  The hat is woven from cedar.  The cone shaped item is called a moose caller and is made from birch bark.   The round wall plaque is made from sweetgrass and birch bark and the design is made with porcupine quills.

Winter Games

This week the K's and 1's heard the story Tacky and the Winter Games by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger.  We guessed from clues in the story that this book was inspired by the Olympic Winter Games! Then we played games in partners: Snowboard Slide or Ski Lift Shuffle. We rolled dice and either added or subtracted the number to reach the finish line. (These games were created by Nancy VandenBerge and are on her blog.)

Here are some Grade 1 students enjoying the game.  What board games do you enjoy playing? Tell us in the comments below.

Winter Olympics

This week we are learning about the Winter Olympic Games which are beginning soon in Sochi, Russia.  The official site for the Canadian team is found at http://olympic.ca
Four years ago, in 2010, Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympic games.  Did you take part in any of the festivities?  Or maybe you have a mascot or sweatshirt from the games!  I loved watching the Olympics on t.v. and celebrating with some of the cultural events that took place here.  Do you have a favourite sport to watch?  Or maybe you're a skier or a hockey player!  Have you ever thought about what it would be like to go to the Olympics and represent Canada?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Here's a picture I took last summer of the inukshuk at the top of Whistler Mountain.  It was built for the 2010 Olympics.  To learn more about this beautiful stone statue, check out http://www.blackcombpeaks.com/blog/whistler-inukshuk.  I've had some students asking about the black rock formation in the background of this picture.  It's called Black Tusk and you can find out more about it here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Tusk

Larf

Today we read Larf, by Canadian author/illustrator Ashley Spires. I challenged the students to make Larf out of Lego or pattern blocks. I was so impressed with their creations!! What's the coolest thing you've ever made out of Lego or blocks? Have you ever tried making a person like Larf?

These creations were made by Ms. Remedios' Grade 2 class.

Mrs. Nelson's Grade 3 class was up for the challenge!

Niomi, Quinn and Aaliyah made Larf and his bunny Eric.

Stuck!

This week we have been reading the Surrey Picture Book of the Year Nominee, Stuck, by Oliver Jeffers. Looks like Stuck got stuck in the middle of the teddy bear visitors at the Annex Library!  Learn more about Oliver Jeffers at http://safeshare.tv/w/mtYXMaPrMD and then tell us if you would like to be an author and/or illustrator in the comments below.

Ms. VanSanten's class brought their teddy bears for the storytime today!  

QRafter

The Learning Commons has been busy this week as students learn how to use the QRafter app.  This app reads QR codes.  I made a QR code for this blog and students have enjoyed learning about commenting etiquette while posting comments on the blog.

Can you spot the QR code in the picture?  If you start watching for them, you'll see that QR codes are popping up in many places.  I've seen them in stores, in the newspaper and even on t.v.!  If you spot one in the community, tell us where you saw it in the comments below.