Changes....

Wow, were we excited today to get to our mealworm time. It has been three days since we have observed them and we saw some definite changes! Some had their pupas turn into beetles (adult stage). A few died, but we talked about how that is just one part of the life process - that it cannot last forever and it is shorter for some than others.

We have been making some changes in computer lab, too. I have been spending more time teaching the kids about how to use all of their fingers on the keyboard, not just their index fingers. We will continue talking about it, and I have included some new practice sites on the links - look at the Other Links You'd Like area for these, if you would like some practice at home.

We are moving on to our next math unit on geometry concepts. Today, we talked about the concepts of symmetry and polygons. We learned that regular polygons are polygons which have all sides the same length. Polygons are defined as plane shapes that have 3 or more sides with straight lines (no curves). There will be MUCH MORE to learn and explore over the next two weeks (this unit will continue after we get back in January).

Continue to encourage nightly reading at home, filling in the calendar with the minutes and signing the homework sheet. I sent home a sheet today that you can refer to when you are looking for some basic questions or prompts to use with your child after ANY reading assignment.

Thank you for all the support you give your child at home. It makes SUCH a difference and I appreciate the effort, especially this time of year with so many other "responsibilities!"