Japan

Today we took the flight from Sydney, Australia to Tokyo, Japan (4868 miles) in preparation of our in-depth study of that country.  Our customs agent was none other than Aki's dad, Shun.  He was by far the most thorough customs agent we have had to date, complete with a uniform, camera for positive identification, and a special scanner to check the authenticity of the students' passports!  Along with a multitude of stamps, Shun wrote each child's name in Japanese and attached it to the passport.  Thank you Shun!

African Drumming

I hope you have all heard about the wonderful enrichment we had today at Thompson.  We were treated to a visit by an African drumming troupe.  Every class got a workshop during the day where we learned a few steps to put together into a dance.  In the afternoon, the whole school came together to hear an incredible, powerful performance.  The concert ended with all of us getting up to dance together- felt a bit like a flash mob!

First day of spring

.... too bad it is snowing again!

This week we spent some time in math learning about graphs.  We made a human graph to show our favorite pizza toppings.  Today for Pocket Day we graphed how many pockets we had.  

On Wednesday the morning message began with a bit of the Beatles' "Let it Be."  This led us to celebrate the Beatles' music throughout the day.  We went from dance party tunes- "I Want to Hold Your Hand"- to ballads like "Yesterday."  This allowed for a perfect example of calming ourselves down as we headed into Open Circle.  Besides calming music, the kids remembered calm breathing techniques.  We even talked about what meditation is.  Many of the kids know how to strike the pose!

We had a special visitor, Leo's mom, Kristen, come in to talk about architecture around the world.  We saw some pretty amazing buildings.  I was impressed at how well the kids could guess or identify what continent each building was in.  

Today, on the first day on spring, we enjoyed a Thompson tradition- a live rendition of "Here Comes the Sun" over the PA system.  

The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, 1964.  

Building Bridges

On Wednesday second graders began their engineering science unit, Building Bridges.  We learned what forces (pushes and pulls) act on any given structure.  We learned the difference between "stable" and "sturdy" as we applied forces to two different structures (metal bolts on one, and wind on another). We then talked about ways to modify and improve the structures to withstand the additional force.  Ask your child about these experiments. 

Today we built three different types of bridges (beam, arch and deep beam) and determined which one was the strongest.  Again, ask your child which one we predicted would hold the most weight and which one actually did.  Our next writing unit is integrated into this science, as we learn how to write a lab report.  

We have also spent some time reviewing much of what we have learned about the continents, oceans and landmarks of the world.  

Wonderful Wednesday

On Wednesday we had a special visitor- William's dad, Doug- read to us in honor of William's birthday. He read an Iron Man story to a captive audience.  

In the afternoon we had social studies stations, learning facts about Australia as well as reviewing our knowledge of continents and oceans of the world.

I just sent an e-mail but wanted to let you know here: I will be home sick tomorrow (Friday), so please call the office with any changes to your child's schedule, rather than send me an e-mail.  Thanks!

Dr. Seuss' Birthday

Today we celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday.  In math we figured out how old he was when he died in 1991 and how old he would be if he were still alive- 111 years old!!  We spent Readers' Workshop reading a wide variety of Seuss books.  Thanks to all who brought some in.  Ask your child what makes these books so enjoyable to read.  At the end of the day we watched a short Cat in the Hat clip.  

Some more great news: we finally got outside for recess today!!  Don't forget to bring your snow gear every day.