Forecast: Snow Day at Gilchrist Tomorrow

Wait, wait, wait. Don't tuck yourself in bed for a long winter's nap quite yet. With snow blanketing much of the country, we don't want to miss out on the fun. For my Floridian children, snow days are quite a possibility. However, tomorrow we will be celebrating all things snow with our science buddies in Ms. McKnight's 3rd grade class. Stay tuned for our weather report!

The Lost Colony of Roanoke

I don't know about you, but I am captivated by U.S. history. I have a few students that are too, and I am trying to convenience the others that it's a pretty cool subject. For the last week we have been discussing early colonization of North America. Our topics have been far and wide, but today we discussed the lost colony of Roanoke. What a fascinating story to read, teach, and contemplate. Today student groups had to work on a simulation that put them in the position of colonist that was commissioned by Sir Walter Raleigh to make the voyage from England to the Roanoke colony. They were only able to choose some of the people listed on their sheet to make the trek with them. It was quite interesting to listen to my students debate with one another about who they thought should be able to make the trip.

Great News of the Week!

Our great news of the week comes from Phoenix, Arizona. We received the sweetest email from one of the ladies at the Arizona Humane Society. They have received our package and were so grateful for our generosity. We'll keep you posted to see if we get some pictures of the animals enjoying their toys and sporting their bandannas!

Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors, Oh My!

Last week we were busy learning about all the planets our solar system has to offer, but this week we've moved on to other objects out there in space. We've learned that a comet is much like a dirty snowball, a asteroid is a minor planet, and that meteors come from meteoroids and can turn into meteorites. Here are a few great sites to visit on your journey through the asteroid belt and beyond!

Asteroids and beyond

Information about NASA's Stardust Mission

Do you have what it takes to be a colonist?

Tomorrow we will begin to explore a period of time in our nation's history that is pivotal to the later success of our young country. Students will act as historians and research topics like the French and Indian War, agriculture in the colonies, Jamestown, etc. A very useful website can be found here.

Put yourself in the shoes of a Jamestown colonist by playing the Jamestown Game here.

Great News of the Week

We are thankful for so many kind things as we just finished our Thanksgiving meal and we move on to December, and this special time of year! We don't have any emails highlighting random acts of kindness, so please be on the lookout and email us. However, we are appreciative of those family members that welcomed our Flat Stanleys into their homes, and sent them back to us! If you haven't yet, please do so soon!! We love mail!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

After the pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts, they relied heavily on the Native Americans in the area. The natives taught the newcomers to hunt, make shelter, fish, communicate, trade, and most importantly farm. Squanto, of the Patuxet tribe, taught the pilgrims to use fish as fertilizer. We followed Squanto's suggestion and planted corn seeds with fish emulsion as fertilizer. Yes, I know you are wondering how it smelled, and yes it was HORRIBLE! My students are observing their corn plants over the next couple days.

Enjoy this season of thanksgiving!