Tales Of A 4-5 Something

Yesterday we gathered the vegetables from the Lower School garden and cooked some soup, baked some potatoes, and made a carrot salad.  The smells upstairs were very strong and oniony.  It really invaded the space.  Today we got to eat the food and they were so good!  Tim wanted us to describe the food but he asked us to do it with rich detail like we are using in writing workshop.  Here is what we thought:                                 - Maya “The potatoes were as as soft as my pillow.”  Simon “The soup’s flavor lingered in my mouth for a long time.”  Maya “The carrot salad felt mushy and good when it was in your mouth.”  Justin “The food was delicious.”  Nicholas “The celery tasted really good and I wish I could have had more.”  Oliver “The soup was simmering and full of flavor.”  Elizabeth “When I bit into the pot...

The emerging scientists of the 4-5 program continue to hear from the professional at the  Vital Signs  program.  Conversations between scientists and students are ongoing as 4-5 learners enter their findings into the Vital Signs data base.  Here are some of the comments: Hi Sterna Australis Nice observations, Nice site!   You are correct, no Phragmites in your photos. While I suspect someone has already helped you figure it out, the grass you show in your photos is salt marsh cord grass (Spartina alterniflora).  This is one of the most common and important salt marsh plants on the U.S. east coast, found in tidal marshes from Florida up into Canada. Your observations were dead on.  While this is a pretty large grass, it is seldom anywhere near as large as Phragmites gets.  And the inflorescence is very different. And what a pretty salt marsh!  Just from your photos I get a really good idea of how the vegetation changes from near the tidal c...

Apple Tree I am at the top of an apple tree, the sky so bright with color                    -Aubrey

4-5 students are studying the marsh by looking carefully at the plants.  Part of the study is spent identifying the native and invasive species found in the marsh habitat.  In the next few weeks groups of students will be uploading their findings to vitalsignsme.org so that invasive and native species can be tracked.  Here is a note for our Pandion Multiflora group from a community scientist! Yes, this is multiflora rose!   You've done a good job identifying multiflora rose. What I see in your photos that makes me sure is the little "fringe" at the base of each leaf. Did you see any fruits? And, what was the nature of the thorns? Although I can tell what rose you found, it's always a good idea to look at many characteristics of each plant. Some characteristics are found on many plants ... for example, many roses has 7-11 leaflets. It's putting it all together that helps you know what you're really looking at. LoisStack Multiflora Rose identified an...

In WW we have been working on details for descriptive writing.  Nancy and Tim asked us to think about colors.  There are a lot of ways to think about blue, red, or green.  We made some lists for our rooms so we can use new words in the writing. Here is the  wordle for red. Below is our Tagxedo for taste . We have also experimented with smell and touch:

The 4-5 Program enjoyed a trip to Laudholm Farm and the Wells Reserve.  The trip allowed us an opportunity to observe another marsh as part of our Marsh Study.  The beautiful Friday also allowed us some time to continue to build community as we enter into this new school year. Here are some reflections: I want to go back!           It was really fun.             There was  a lot to do. I really liked sunbathing, body surfing, and diving into the waves. I liked digging the deep holes.  I fell into some.             Going into the water was awesome! The magic school bus was musical.                       The bus ride was too loud. I ran around and dug holes and I went swimming- it was tiring! I liked walking to see the marsh I liked finding a huge shell. It was cool seeing the great blue heron. I liked watching Kai ...

We just completed our first two full days of school.  We were really impressed with everyone's energy and positive attitudes.  We spent our days getting to know one another and learning the routines of the program.  We made name tags, learned about recycling and composting, played Chuck The Chicken, visited the library, read some books, had a human scavenger hunt, and attempted the Lap Sit (12 seconds).  It is nice to get back into the swing of things.