Wow.  We had an absolutely amazing day, to say the least.  To start off we met our 5th grade reading buddies.  This time, however, we got to go down to the middle school.  We brought our books expecting to read and were surprised with four amazing science experiments.  The perfect way to start of a great Halloween school day.

Then we heard from our second reporter of the week.  Malcolm shared the article How Tiny Mealworms May Help Reduce our Massive Plastic Pollution Problem.  Malcolm taught us that mealworms can eat styrofoam and be just as healthy as mealworms that eat a vegetable diet. Plastic pollution is terrible for the environment and marine animals, but mealworms can help! We then did a little of our own research into the life cycle of a mealworm.  Turns out as an adult them become a Darkling Beetle.  Pretty cool!  Thanks Malcolm.

Next we read a wonderful book about a square-ish pumpkin, Spookley.  We talked about what makes us each different and unique.  We have a wide variety of interests and things we are good at.  We practiced our fine motor skills and made cube and pyramid pumpkins our of pipe cleaners.

Are you tired yet?  We were busy.  Next we heard from our scientist of the week, Tessa.  She shared the perfect Halloween experiment.  What happens when you combine baking soda and vinegar inside of a jack-o-lantern.  We hypothesized: 1. A gas will form and float out the top. 2. A liquid will pour out the mouth, eyes, and nose. 3. A small explosion will happen like with Mr. G. 4. The pumpkin will soak up the liquid.  Turns out a chemical reaction causes bubble to pour out the mouth.  It was amazing and easy to try at home!

And last, but not least we celebrated Halloween in style with a couple fun games.  We played pin the tail on the witch, guess how many candy corn, what's inside the bag, and then a candy corn math combination game.

We're going to sleep well tonight!  Have a wonderful and safe Halloween weekend!

Today we got to participate in a cool program called Literacy and Love.  A few high school students have collected donated books to give away to our lucky elementary school students. The idea is to promote reading at home by getting more books in each home.  Your child will be coming home with a book today that is theirs to keep!  Read it before bed tonight!

Then we curled up and practiced our IDR (independent daily reading) with our new picks.  We got to spread out around the room wherever we wanted.  The cubbies were a popular spot.

Today we took a wonderful trip into the community.  We learned a little more about Aspen and all the parts that make it work and help keep us safe and happy!

RFTA bus rides with 36 first graders is an adventure in itself.  Thanks Miss Kristin's class for hanging out with us all day!

First, a stop at the courthouse.  Did you know that every law and every revision of every law is kept in the books at the courthouse?  We know there are laws about going the speed limit!  We learned that judges help people make decisions when they can't agree on something.  Just like arguments between siblings.  We know lots about those.  

Next, a trip downstairs to the police station.  We took a tour of the patrol room, learned what's hidden in a police officer's vest, and got to look inside a patrol car.  We talked about using fire extinguishers, safety vests, tactical helmets, pepper spray, tasers, radios, and handcuffs.  But the most important tool a policeman has is a good old fashioned brain!

Next off to Alpine Bank.  You won't believe what we got to do!  We each held a $100 bill AND a box of $500 in quarters.  We learned about being smart with our money, saving for the future, but having a little fun too.

Now it's time for lunch.  A stop at Taster's and Rio Grande Park.  The folks at Taster's were kind enough to show us the kitchen, how to make pizza, and tell us a little about running a business.

Last stop, the fire department.  We learned about old fire trucks like the one's in the museum.  The new one's are much shinier.  Then we got to sit in the two big trucks.  They are HUGE!

Thank you Aspen!  We had a fabulous day.

In preparation for Community Day tomorrow we took some time to practice our map skills.
We learned to use the directions North, South, East, and West.  Then we used different colors to trace paths across a Neighborhood map.  We're going to find our way around town tomorrow with ease!

Start at Catherine's House.  Go South on Main Street.  Go East on Fifth Street.  Go North on Barry Lane.  End at the Supermarket

It was a beautifully cloudy day out at recess.  We were SO GLAD it wasn't indoor recess today!

Today we became subtracticians.  That's a made up word for learning subtraction and becoming experts all in one day.  We practiced making fact families and learned that addition problems can quickly be turned into subtractions problems.  Can you use the number 4, 6, and 10 to find two addition and two subtraction problems?  We sure can!

With addition you always add the two parts together to find the whole.  With subtraction you always start with the whole and take away one of the parts.

Today we heard from our very first Reporter of the Week, DAVID!  We learned what it means if you see a teal pumpkin when you are out and about trick-or-treating.  David told us that a lot of kids have nut allergies these day.  Some families have decided not to give out candy and instead will give out little treats like spider rings or other small Halloween toys.  If you have a nut allergy be sure to look for one of these pumpkins.

We are thrilled to have our friend Taj back after his trip to Greece.  Today we were lucky enough to learn a little bit more about another culture.  Here's a sneak peak at what we learned:

Quick math review of combinations to 8.  How many can you find?  Hint: there are 9 possible!

Target Practice

How many more do I need?

Today our favorite scientist in a white lab coat came for a visit!  Mr. G helped us review the scientific method and then conduct an experiment with our classmates.

Here's the PROBLEM:
What will happen if you combine baking soda, vinegar, and water in a sealed zip lock bag?

Here's the PROCEDURE:
1. Pour 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of vinegar into a zip lock bag.
2. Pour one teaspoon baking soda onto the middle of a square of toilet paper.
3. Create  bundle of baking soda with the toilet paper and twist the top.
4. Seal the zip lock back part way.
5. Drop the baking soda bundle into the bag and seal the zip lock the rest of the way.
6. Sit back and observe.

Here's the MATERIALS:
zip lock      water      vinegar      baking soda      measuring cup      teaspoon      plate      toilet paper

Here's our HYPOTHESES:
12 kids thought the liquid in the bag would change color.
3 kids thought the bag would blow up like a balloon.
2 kids thought the bag would blow up like a balloon and pop.
0 kids thought the bag would melt.

Here's the RESULTS:

The bag blew up like a balloon and popped!  The vinegar and baking soda created a chemical reaction that caused the creation of carbon dioxide.  The carbon dioxide filled up the zip lock and needed a place to go, so it popped open the top of the zip lock bag!  Pretty exciting stuff.

We've been working hard on learning new vocabulary words.  We make up motions to go along so that we can remember them and use them in conversations and writing.  Here's some of what we've learned so far (some are review, some are new).  Ask us to use these words at home!

This morning we took the RFTA journey across town to Aspen.  

We stopped in Paepcke Park to climb a tree.  How many first graders can get into one tree?

We meandered through town and made it down to ACES.

Then we learned all about leaves!  We learned how to identify Aspen, Cottonwood, Spruce, Maple, Geranium, and Rose Hips.  We tallied how many of each different kind of tree we saw. We listened to the wonderful book Leaf Man. Finally, we collected leaves to make our own leaf creatures!

Fun Facts!
1. You can tell how old a Spruce tree is by counting the layers. The one as big as Charlie is 17!
2. There are two classes of ducks.  One called divers and one called dabblers. Mallard ducks are dabblers because they just duck their heads under water to eat.
3. Cottonwood leaves looks just like an Aspen leaves...just a little longer and bigger.