Blog Archives

THE GREAT INVENTION CONVENTION

4/30/2016

We are the most creative and ingenious group around! If you missed it, check out what we made!

Don't you hate when you can't put all your toys away at once? Well, look no further. Malcolm has created the Sherp for you needs. Just strap it on and carry all your toys downstairs at once.

Ug. Hiking in the desert is hot and sweaty! Charlie just visited Escalante and was inspired. With his Golden Medal you can drink water and keep cool with a fan at the same time.

Cat's are the best, but their sharp claws can be the worst. Well, with Lily's Toilet Paper Protector you never have to hide the toilet paper or come home to a mess again!

If you have arachnophobia, well then Otis has the invention for you. Just one swipe with his handy Spider Swatter and your can sleep worry free.

Gaiters keep your neck and mouth warm and hats and helmets have your head covered, but what about your nose. Lilah's Nose Hat has got you covered. No more wet gaiter or frozen nose.

When your'e running late, the last thing you need is a missing sock. Siena Sock Keeper will keep your socks together from the wash to the drawer to your feet.

Aspen winter static is a bummer when you have hair on your head! With Taj's Static Brush you never have to have stand up hair again. Just spray, brush, and you are good to go.

Sometimes you just want your favorite toy and it's nowhere to be found. Well, Mary's Stuffed Animal Catcher is see through so you never have to go digging through or making a mess!

Brother's can be pesky and annoying. Sometimes you need your own space. Will's Separator will give you privacy without having to go to your room. And it even comes with a mail slot.

Sometimes you loose your car keys and sometimes you loose your favorite bear. Well Gavin has figured out that a bear can wear a Gizmo too. Just have mom or dad call and your bear is found!

Falling out of bed is the worst way to ruin a good night sleep. Remi's Night Safety Time Pet will keep you snuggled in bed, off the ground, and store your water and flashlight!

Sometimes morning are rough and days are long. If you can't remember how you are getting home, just try Kieron's After School Bracelet on your way out the door.

When you finally learn to tie your shoes, it's a bummer when they keep coming undone. Rocco's Velcro Keeper has got your laces covered. Tie them once, strap them down, and that's it.

Bath time is the best, but not when the water keeps splashing on the floor. Rachel's Bathtub Barrier will keep you and your toys and the water in the bath!

Do you love hockey, but hate retrieving the puck? Stay playing for hours with Lee's Automatic Puck Retriever. You'll be a pro in no time.

Heelies are the best, but Miss Kylie doesn't allow them in school. Try on David's Skate Protectors for quick wheel coverage and quick wheel access to flip between school and the playground.

Moving is a pain and stuff get's broken! Tessa's Snow Globe Box will keep your favorite breakables safe without having to hide them high up on a shelf or burry them in a box.

CRAYON ART

4/28/2016

Did you know you can make art by melting crayons. The drippy wax makes the coolest patterns and designs on the paper. We have an big project headed your way for the end of the year...but that's all you get to know right now. Here's a sneak peak of the pre-melting stage.

TANGRAMS AND LACROSSE FANS

4/27/2016

Today we got to play around with some Tangrams. What are Tangrams? Well, they are these really cool geometric puzzles made up of a square cut into seven pieces: two large triangles, one medium triangle, two small triangles, a square, and a parallelogram. These seven shapes can be arranged into a multitude of shapes depicting animals, people, and other bigger shapes. It's quite a brain workout.

Be on the lookout in Friday folders for your very own set of Tangrams.
Check out The TANGRAM Channel for some ideas.
Just be warned these are very challenging and can be frustrating. We practiced asking our friends for help when we were feeling a little like pulling our hair out!
Look at some of the awesome team work happening below!

Aspen High Boys LAX turns back Vail Mountain

In other local news, our Reporter, Lee, shared an awesome article about the Aspen High School LAX team crushing it over the Vail Mountain School last Friday. The boys rallied and tasted victory 14-11. Nice job Skiers! We look forward to joining your teams soon.

SCIENTIFIC UPDATES

4/26/2016

Today, the scientist, Lily, blew our minds with a seemingly magic zip lock bag trick. She asked us what would happen if she filled zip locks with water and air and then stuck sharp pencils through them. Most of us thought the air and water would leak out. Turns out plastic is made of polymer chains that work together to make a seal around the pencil and keep the air and water in.

This bag is filled with AIR.

This bag is filled with WATER.

This is definitely an experiment to be tried at home!
All you need are zip locks, sharp pencils, air, and water. Thanks Lily!

Check out these gigantic caterpillars. They've quadrupled in size. They are spinning webs, shedding, eating a ton of food, and we're thinking we might start to see some chrysalises next week. Yikes! These creatures grow fast! It's fun to see them move around, but most of the time they sleep!

THINKING OUTSIDE THE HEXAGON

4/25/2016

We're continuing our study of geometry with shapes inside of shapes. Did you know you can use trapezoids, triangles, and rhombuses to make a hexagon. How many different ways can you create one? We found many shapes hiding inside of other shapes.

Here's a brain teaser for you...how many squares do you see in the rectangle below? There's a lot.

We found 47! Did we miss any?

I'VE GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN MY HANDS

4/22/2016

We've got the whole world in our hands...things are going to be a little different!

Charlie will pick up trash.

Remi will ride her bike.

Will will walk not drive.

Kieron will help baby animals.

Lily will plant trees.

Gavin will pick up trash.

Tessa will pick up trash.

Mary will pick up trash.

Rachel will plant trees.

Taj will use solar power.

Lilah will walk in the summer.

Siena will turn off lights.

Rocco will pick up trash.

Malcolm will use sunlight.

Otis will ride his bike.

Hayleigh will turn off lights.

Lee will use less electricity.

David will protect the Earth.

Happy Birthday Malcolm!
Seven will be SUPER!

BUTTERFLIES, SCIENTISTS, AND REPORTERS

4/21/2016

First graders are the best scientists. We are very observant and super curious. As we study the life cycle this year, we'll be watching some butterflies transform from caterpillar, to chrysallis, to butterfly right before our very eyes. Today we got to meet our little friends and observe.

Charlie shared a super cool demonstration to show us how fossils are created. Over spring break he visited Escalante and was able to view fossils that formed long ago between layers of Earth. A long time ago the desert was covered in ocean, but over the years the water and moved on the the dirt has moved in. Archaeologists dig deep to find dinosaur and other plant and animal fossils.

Check out this fun Fossil Rock Anthem to learn more.

The Gift of Cherry Blossoms

Remi shared an awesome article about friendship between nations. In 1912 the nation of Japan gifted 3,000 cherry blossom trees to the U.S. symbolizing friendship. Friendship may change and look different between the seasons, but it's always there. Each spring there is a parade in Washington D.C. to celebrate the strong bond between two countries where you can smell the beautiful pink blossoms.

LITTER BUGS

4/20/2016

Right after little recess today we took a trip around the playground to pick up some litter. We were kind of surprised by how much we found! We thought we always pick up our trash, but turns out first graders are busy and forget from time to time. And 115 first graders forget a lot!

Look how much we found! That's a lot of plastic bags and food wrappers left out on the ground.

We brought all the trash inside and found it filled this big vase! Then we filled in the gaps with crystal clear Aspen Tap (better than bottled!). We were wondering what happens to the trash when it rains and snows on the playground and it's left there in the dirt. Well, today we got a sneak peek. The water instantly started to turn a disgustingly brown color as the bits of litter floated around the vase. We're anxious to see what happens to this little experiment as it sits in the window in the sun over the next two days. We're thinking we'll be picking up lots of trash from now on!

SHAPES, SHAPES, SHAPES!

4/19/2016

Today we began to discover the many attributes a shape can have. We know the names of shapes, but we went even further. Triangles have three sides, three corners, straight sides, and they are closed. A closed shape is complete, while an open shape has a gap somewhere along an edge. There are shapes that we can name and shapes that have no names yet. We even came up with a new definition for an open shape: a shape that is open to getting a name. Pretty clever!

Stay tuned as we study geometry through shapes, categorizing shapes, time, and fractions.

EARTH DAY

4/18/2016

Friday is EARTH DAY. So, we're taking the week to stop, look around, and think about the things we can do as first graders to help the Earth. Here's a list of what we came up with. Many of these things you can try at home!

Reduce the gas you use and walk or bike to school.
Reduce the amount of paper you use. Use a whiteboard.
Reduce the amount of electricity you use and turn off the lights!
Reduce the amount of trash we use. Use reusable things.

Reuse paper when it's blank on one side.
Reuse cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
Reuse a water bottle instead of buying plastic ones.
Reuse old clothes clothes and toys or give them away.

Recycle cans and bottles.
Recycle paper.
Recycle cardboard boxes.
Recycle plastic containers.

Do you notice a pattern here? You've probably heard it before. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
But we also came up with a new one...INNOVATE. We're smart kids with big brains and we're inventors too. We can come up with new ways to make renewable energy and earth saving inventions and we're ready to start now. Look out! We're going to do BIG THINGS for the world.

"Unless someone like YOU cares a whole awful lot. Nothing is going to get better. It's not!"
The Lorax

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