Oil Spill Challenge

Happy Friday!  Next Friday is the PTO Jog-a-thon.  Please check your child's backpack for information about this fun school tradition! If you have any questions, please let me know.

This week during theme, our Environmental Engineers had a chance to test out the best methods for cleaning up an oil spill in a river ecosystem.  We began by discussing ecosystems and how the animals and plants are connected in an ecosystem.  If a river is polluted, it not only affects the fist, but the animals that eat the fist.   Then the children were given containers of water with a small vegetable oil spill.  They tested out several tools and materials that could be used to contain the oil or remove the oil.  They used sponges, pipettes, felt, yarn, rubber bands, cottons balls, and spoons.  Be sure to ask your child what was the best material to remove oil from our "river"!  The children then used this information to brainstorm and design a plan to clean up our mock oil spill.  They could only choose four materials that we had tested earlier in the week for this official clean up.  How did your child's team to?  Did their methods remove the oil?  What could have worked better?

In math, we have continued with the idea of engineering, but this time with bridges.  We have been learning about and experimenting with three types of bridges: beam, arch, and suspension.  We learned about the characteristics of each and had the chance to create our own and understand how bridges work.  Then the children had the opportunity to start designing a bridge for their first challenge:  the Bridge Strength Challenge.  They worked in a team to design a bridge with specific materials and with a specific budget.  This bridge will have to hold at least 50 grams and have a span of 10 inches.  We will test these bridges next week!

In writer's workshop, we continue to work on writing letters!  We have learned the format of a letter and reasons why you might write letters.  Miss Niles' class even has a little post office.  Finished letters get are brought to the "post office" and then are delivered to mail boxes later that day!

Remember there is no school on Monday, May 28th.  Have a great long weekend!

Just a cute picture from the week...we love reading!