4th Grade Trip to Discovery Center

It was a beautiful day for a field trip.  In the morning we attended a session about Lewis and Clark.  We made leaf presses and seed balls (so cool!). You can plant the seed balls now or wait for a couple of years.  You just have to water them and they should grow. 

In the afternoon we learned about how Lewis and Clark’s expedition obtained food and how habitats work.  The students created skits to share their knowledge of habitats, predator, and prey.  Very entertaining!  J

Sorting the cargo for Lewis and Clark's keel boat.   

They could only take 2,000 pounds of cargo.

It is hard to pack for a journey with so many unknowns, including how long it will take.

Hiking to different habitats to prepare the skits.

Coyote and beaver in the prairie skit.

Red fox and muskrat skit.

Muskrat and bobcat near the pond skit.

Everyone loved playing in the natural playground made from stones and logs!

5th Grade Trip to Science City

Our trip to Science City helped us prepare for the Battle of the Brains Competition.

3rd Grade Field Trip to the Discovery Center

The rain did not dampen the excitement on our first field trip of the year!  We learned about the structures that MO animals and plants have that help them survive certain conditions.  Our Conservation Agent let us explore various skulls, hides, and live animals.  I think the highlight of the trip was when the students used all of the knowledge they had learned to create a new species of animal.  I was impressed with the students’ teamwork and creative thinking skills. 

Petting a speckled king snake.

Petting a black bear hide.
A black bear can be a variety of colors including brown.

Sharing their new creation with the group.

Sharing their new creation with the group.

2nd Grade: Surface Tension Experiments

We learned how ants can lift up to 100 times their own weight because of surface tension.  We explored this further by putting a drop of water between two glass microscope slides and trying to pull them apart.  It was pretty much impossible!  We also sprinkled pepper onto water.  Then added a drop of dish soap.  At first, the pepper floated, but as soon as the soap was added, the pepper sank.  We wrote creative stories related to this experiment. 

Trying to pull apart the slides

Trying to pull apart the slides

Trying to pull apart the slides

Trying to pull apart the slides

Exploring surface tension with water, pepper, and dish soap.

5th Grade Trip to Coolcrest and Martha Lafite Nature Center

At Coolcrest, we had a blast using our knowledge of pendulums, force, and angles of reflection to negotiate the holes on the various courses.  We might have some future PGA golfers on our hands.  J

Martha Lafite Nature Center (Liberty)-We began with some background information about streams from one of the naturalists.  We also met a box turtle and a painted water turtle.  Next, we hiked to Rush Creek where we used nets to capture any wildlife we could find.  The naturalist explained all of the creatures we captured.  Then they were released back into their habitat.  The students learned a lot about teamwork and stealth when it came to catching wildlife. :)  Some of the creatures we caught were tadpoles, minnows, crawdads, frogs, and a water scorpion. 

Lovely Lady Golfers

Golf Champs 2013!

We learned a lot from our naturalist.

Tadpole

Teamwork

Hunting for wildlife

The hike back...we had some exhausted students. 

2nd Grade Field Trip to Powell Gardens

We learned about insects, bugs, and plants on our Powell Gardens field trip.  We also saw many amazing Lego sculptures.  We started our trip with a lesson about the difference between bugs and insects.  We got to pet a Madagascar hissing cockroach and watch a tarantula named Annie.  We also learned that people across the world eat insects.  Some of us tried eating a meal worm-yummy!

Common Green Darner Dragonfly made from 6,535 Lego bricks.

American Bumblebee made from 16,383 Lego bricks.

Our lovely, young ladies and a rose made from 41,242 Lego bricks.

Lego Lawn Mower (13,704 pieces)

Not sure what this is... but it made for a great photo opportunity!

4th Grade Field Trip to Ft. Osage and MO Town

We took a step back in time to the 1800’s!  It was as close to time travel as you can get.  We learned about the Osage Indians and settlers who traded along the MO River at Ft. Osage.  Did you know that the Osage Indians averaged about 6 ½ feet tall?  Quite impressive! 

At MO Town, we stepped into the year 1855.  We also heard from a blacksmith on the details of becoming an indentured servant.  I think the highlight for most of the students was the wandering sheep that did not stay in the confines of their fence! J 

Both locations have some interesting events coming up.  Here are the links if you would like more information: http://www.jacksongov.org/missouritown/ and http://www.fortosagenhs.com/. 

When we arrived back at school, we reflected on our experiences through writing. This led to a discussion about the importance of studying our history; not only learning from past mistakes, but celebrating how far we have come.  

The view of the MO River at the Ft. Osage Museum.

We learned about fur trading at Ft. Osage.  This is a hat made from beaver.

This flag had 15 stars and stripes.  They soon realized that adding a stripe for each state would become a problem, so they changed it to just adding a star for each state and having 13 stripes for the 13 colonies.

This young man demonstrated how to load and fire a musket.  He had to load and shoot it four times before it worked, which was a great glimpse into the reality of war in the 1800's.

MO Town

We learned about the life of a blacksmith in 1855 and how to become a blacksmith.