First day!

Wow! It was opening day in our new school for the Katzie Elementary community. Parents and students enjoyed touring the building and seeing all the beautiful rooms. The Library Learning Commons was ready to be enjoyed and many students checked out books today.

Kindergarten students enjoying the new Library Learning Commons.

Moving in!

The move has begun! The boxes of books are being trucked to the new school and I've started filling the shelves. It's a beautiful, light filled space and I'm looking forward to working in our new Library Learning Commons. 

Signs of Spring!

Look closely and you will see signs of spring all around. Dandelions are popping their sunny yellow flowers up in unexpected places while trees begin flowering or sending forth new leaves.  For me, seeing students outside, enjoying a run in the sun, is a sure sign of spring! For people in central and eastern Canada, the first sign of spring may be little frogs called Spring Peepers.  Here's a great activity you can do with your family.  Become a nature detective!  Take a look around where you live and then use the comments section below to tell us about signs of spring you've noticed.

We're Packing Up!

I've started packing up the books for the move to our new school! I'm really looking forward to working in the new Katzie Library Learning Commons, and having all the books in one place! As we get closer to Spring Break, students are reminded that there are many opportunities available to read books.  The Surrey School District has a great selection of online resources (you will need to see me for the password for home use) and there are many branches of the Surrey Public Library to visit.  Or check with friends to see if they have books they've enjoyed that they would be willing to lend you! Try to make reading part of your day over the next few weeks!  I know I will.

About half done!

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.