Computer Science Week

                             As  part of the International Computer Science week we have been using coding apps on I Pads and programming our new Blue Bots. We programmed the Bots to go in straight lines, take turns and make squares.  There are many great apps on code.org your and your child may want to explore together.

Our first challenge was to program the Blue Bot to travel in a square around a cone.

We used arrow cards as a visual to plan our program and moved our bodies to determine if the program would work.

 Happy New Year !

Community Meeting

Every grade at Westshire has the opportunity to host our weekly Community Meetings. Second grade had that responsibility the Monday after Thanksgiving.   As host we start by welcoming everyone and then saluting the flag.  Each classroom also shares Classroom News.  We called on students and teachers for appreciations and announcements.  We honor birthdays at the beginning of each month.

                   
For our special news we showed this video of our trip to the Hood Museum viewing the outdoor sculptures on the Dartmouth campus.  Second graders also read from their Art Start journal about their experience and/or showed and named their studio project sculptures. It was great that everyone had something to present.  They ran a very smooth and respectful Community Meeting.

Making Pies!

We used the pumpkins we harvested from our garden to make pies.
The seeds we collected were roasted for our healthy snack.

Four lucky visitors won a pie at our Harvest Meal!

Outdoor Sculptures at the Hood Museum

     It was a wet and soggy day but our spirits were high as we explored three outdoor sculptures on the Dartmouth campus.  Your children enjoyed the interactive nature of each sculpture. Thanks to the chaperones who joined us. 

Discovering different shapes and materials make sculptures.

We used our bodies to add shapes to the Hexagonal sculpture.

Working as a group to make the platform move wasn't always easy!

Back in the studio we used a variety of materials to make our own sculptures.

Upcoming Field Trip -- Hood Museum

On our second Art Start visit; we will be looking at outdoor sculptures on the Dartmouth campus.  The permission slip for this trip went home on Thursday.  Please sign and return by Monday.  As always parents are welcome to join us.  We will be outside for most of the visit please have your child dress warmly.

I hope you were as impressed as I was as to how well your children presented their work and goals at their conference last week.

Planting Tulips

 Each fall second graders take part in an international science experiment as we plant tulip bulbs.  When our tulips emerge and bloom we know that spring has come to our hometown. Please click on the  Journey North Link on this blog to follow our journey!

A BIG thank you to the generous families who purchased books for our classroom library at the Scholastic Book Fair!

Making a scarecrow!

                                                                        The extended Indian summer allowed is to do so many garden activities.  Last week we made a scarecrow to decorate the back porch of our school. Surrounding him are the cornstalks from our garden.  We read a story about how Native American children’s job in the late summer was to scare the crows away from their most important crop, corn.  This was a hot and boring job, so a story about the first scarecrow was imagined by a contemporary author in the manner of a legend.

                                               We dried three quart jars of herbs.

Harvesting Herbs and Exploring Sunflowers

                Harvesting Herbs 

Mrs. Shatney taught us the names of  the herbs in our garden.  We harvested them and they are now drying in paper bags in our classroom.  Our room was full of fragrance!  We hope the cooks will use them in our hot lunches.


Exploring Sunflowers