This afternoon we did more STEM challenges because...why not!
The task was to build a structure using only clothespins and popsicle sticks.  
We could build the tallest structure possible or the strongest structure possible.  Check it out!

We started the year with a STEM challenge, so why not go out with one too!  We were challenged to create the tallest tower possible that supported a marshmallow on top.  
Here's were the materials we had to work with:
20 pieces of spaghetti      1 meter of tape      1 meter of ribbon      1 marshmallow

Butterflies are cool.  And also a total mystery.  Did you know that in the metamorphic process a caterpillar completely liquefies inside of the chrysalis before transforming into a butterfly?!  

In other news, we had our last first grade visit from our favorite story teller, Aya. 
​Check out this funny song we sang in operatic voices.

Wow!  Thank you for all of your hard work.  These kids are amazing.
We are clever, creative, and ingenious problem solvers.  The world is in good hands.

Today we reviewed how our brains build neurons when we practice skills.  There are obvious things like walking, running, doing the monkey bars, reading, counting, and adding.  But there are also more complicated things...like being happy.  When we practice optimism our brain builds more of those neurons.  The opposite is true for pessimism.  Today we practiced saying optimistic thing with scoops of sugar and pessimistic things with scoops of salt.  Turns out they're very hard to separate once you mix them together. 

It was a great day at ACES.  The weather was perfect and all the signs of spring were popping.  We used all of our senses to observe what has changed around Hallam Lake since winter.

Whew!  If we stretched our library books across the field they would go up and down twice!  That's crazy.  Sometimes you can plan for everything.  Sometimes it's windy.  Today was a windy day.  It made measuring hard, but it upped our teamwork by a thousand!

Norah's grass growing update!

We love secret readers!  Today Jodi read us two great reads.  Check it out.

So after a lot of adding, multiplying, and double checking we arrived at the very big number...
 13,044 cm of books in the AES Library
That's A LOT!  Then we decided we wanted to know what that number really looked like.  We calculated 130 meters and 44 centimeters.  We made paper meter sticks that we could stretch around the field tomorrow in a mystery number of circles.  Who knew math could be so fun!