End of the Year Celebration

Our field trip to Russell Park was a fun-filled day!  The third grade classes rotated among eight centers.  We played crab soccer, tossed bean bags and rings, completed an obstacle course, threw wet sponges at each other, exercised with Zumba instructors (wish I had video of this!), undid human knots, mastered minute to win it challenges, and played cone bowling.  After all of this fun, we cooled off with Rita's Italian Ice!

Awards Day!

Today we had our grade level all-year awards assembly for academics, conduct, art, and physical education.  Later in the afternoon, we held an Awesome Award assembly with our classes in Ms. Kirkham's room.  Our students drew classmates' names, chose reasons why the person is awesome, and presented the award to the recipient.  It was a wonderful celebration of appreciating each other's hard work and friendship this year.

Book Character Dress Up Day

To celebrate Children's Literature Week, we enjoyed a school parade of colorful characters this morning.

"Aladdin" and "Jasmine"

One of my favorites was a student who wrote her own story and dressed up as one of the characters.

Play Day!

We enjoyed a perfect day outside rotating between stations and watching relay races.  Thanks to our PTA for providing cold water and freeze pops and to the parents who played with and cheered us on!

Sunshine!  Fresh air!

Freedom!

Apparently a great day to wear your bright, shiny sequin top.  :-)

Fun times with new friends we've made this year!

Congratulations to my homeroom boys-- first place in their relay heat!

Fun with Gravity

 

(Especially Monday-Friday this time of the school year!  :-))

 

In science workshop, we've learned that gravity is a force (a push/pull) that pulls everything toward the center of the earth.  We've been investigating the Law of Gravity (all objects are pulled toward one another by gravity) and proving that gravity is a force that can be overcome.  Through several explorations and some research, we've learned that one way we can overcome gravity by pushing or pulling harder than gravity is pulling something down.  We read

 

to help us understand that mass (the amount of matter or "stuff" something is made of) is different from weight (how heavy or light something feels, depending on how much gravity is pulling down).  This book has several easy activities that can be tried at home, so students can make discoveries about gravity, mass, and weight and is available through Jacksonville's Public Library system.

And since we'll be discussing safety in upcoming health lessons...