Cursive

The second graders are so excited to be learning cursive! We started with lower case letters and will do uppercase in the fall. We have learned the clock climbers: a, c, d, g, q , kite strings: i, t, u, w, j, o, s, r and p and just started the loop group: e, l, h, k and b. In this photo we are practicing putting some of the letters together after only seeing them in print.

Electricity and Magnetism

Students in the oldest group have been learning about electricity and magnetism this winter and spring.  We started off reviewing what static electricity is and enjoyed doing some experiments with our charged balloons that would make each others hair stand on end!  As we moved on to other forms of electricity as well as magnetism,  we really focused on the field aspect of these "unseen" phenomenons.  To help us understand and visualize this field, we created our own compass using very strong bar magnets, a dish of water, a cork and a needle. It was so exciting to see our compass point north and then be able to interrupt the Earth's magnetic field with a small magnet.  We were further excited about this experiment when a character in a book we were reading did the same thing!  As we delved deeper into this topic, we did experiments with electric fields interrupting a compass, we made an electromagnet and created an example of alternating current.  All of these experiments have come in handy as we read the book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, and learn about a young Malawian boy who builds his own windmill from scrap parts and brings electricity into his house and village.