Field Trip to the URI Learning Landscape

Last week the third graders went on a field trip to the URI Learning Landscape. The children learned about the red wiggler worm and how it decomposes household waste, but also how their castings are good fertilizer for the soil. They were shown good and harmful insects of Rhode Island. They got to looks at skulls and pelts of animals that are native to Rhode Island, then took a look in the greenhouse at many different types of plants. The children planted seeds and talked about germination. They also took a look at recycling and ways to protect the environment. The field trip was a success due to the well behaved children, great weather, and wonderful chaperones. A special thanks to Mrs. Roiu, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Ackroyd for chaperoning our trip!

Straw Instruments

Students used straws to produce vibrating columns of air. Some students designed straw instruments that were really long which produced low pitch sounds while others were short with high pitched sound. In conclusion, students learned that pitch is related to the length of the column of air that is vibrating.

Chicks Arrive!

The third graders were thrilled to watch the chicks hatch on Monday. They saw the chicks emerged from their eggs looking tired and wet. Our class had a great hatching of eleven chicks! By Wednesday the chicks were named and the students were even able to hold them, feeling their soft downy feathers. Some of our chicks names are: Cocoa, Chocolate Chip,Chipmunk, Oreo, Sugar Cookie, Fluffy, and Snowflake. What a fun way to learn about the life cycle of the chicken first hand.