Africa

Today we flew to Nairobi, Kenya.  How funny that the weather in Arlington, MA, was more like that in Kenya than it might have been at the end of October.  Due to technical difficulties, we couldn't access Google Earth from the plane and had to track our route the old-fashioned way, with a poster map! We look forward to hearing from some parents who have travelled these parts.

Ms. Brayfield was our customs agent in Nairobi.  She taught us how to say hello and goodbye in the local dialect.  

Math-In

Thank you to all who could make it to the Math-In this morning.  It seemed like everyone was engaged and having fun!

South America

On Thursday, Eli's mom, Elizabeth, came to tell us about some aspects of South American culture.  She told us about capoeira, a dance form and a martial art.  She showed us the berimbau, the instrument played for capoeira:

We also watched video of Carnaval in Rio and learned how both these traditions have developed from or are influenced by the African ancestry of South American people.  Elizabeth showed us video of Iguazu Falls- spectacular- as well as Argentine tango.  

On Friday we visited Mrs. Abbott's kindergarten to sing a song with them.  Ask your child to teach you "The Button Factory" song!

No delays!

As scheduled, we "flew" to South America today.  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to be exact.  We could see the vast Amazon rain forest and the river from the plane.  We saw the huge statue of Christ the Redeemer as we approached and landed.  Ms. Treadwell was our friendly customs agent as we passed through immigration.  We look forward to seeing all the beautiful sights in this continent.  

Two more visitors!

Today we were lucky to have not one, but two visitors in the classroom.  Fernando's mom read Juan y Los Frijoles Magicos, a Spanish version of Jack in the Beanstalk.  Fernando translated for us!

This afternoon, Leah's mom, Carolyn, shared some information about Canada.  She lived there for several years; Leah was born there.  

Our passports are ready to go.  We will be heading out of the country soon!

Special Visitor

On Friday, Bianca's mom, Nicole, came to read a story as a belated birthday celebration.  She read a classic German story that the children enjoyed a great deal. They made several connections between this story and others that they have heard.  

The students have set off on their journey around the world.  They have learned some important facts about North America.  Later next week we will fly to South America.  Please let me know if you would like to come in to speak about your experiences in that part of the world.  

Fifth Grade Buddies

On Friday we met our Fifth Grade Buddies.  We spent some time getting to know each other by filling in a Venn diagram.  We look forward to getting to know our buddies better through a variety of activities thi year.  

Fire Safety

Today we had a visit from a couple of Arlington firefighters.  They talked to us about fire safety. Please ask your child about it, as they suggested talking to our family about appropriate escape plans and meeting places if there is a fire in our home.

Maps and Globes

As the students prepare to travel the world, they are analyzing maps and globes and discussing the differences between them.  

They were excited to see one of the largest inflatable globes ever (!!!) which belongs to Mr. Allen upstairs in the fifth grade.