A Young Farmer of Leeds

A Young Farmer of Leeds

There was a young farmer of Leeds

Who swallowed six packets of seeds.

      It soon came to pass

      He was covered with grass,

And he couldn’t sit down for the weeds.

Words of the Week

Grade 1
see
seed
tree
meet
green
bonus word: weeds

Grade 2
three
feel
seeds
needed
street
bonus word: agree

We are working on the vowel combination "ee".

Smile!

April is Dental Health Month. In honour of our beautiful teeth, I developed a task to help refine our observational skills (I actually borrowed this idea from Angie at Fall Into First)

Parents: Can you find your child's smile?

(click on the photo to see it larger)

I provide a mirror for them to really observe their own smiles, and then they set off (individually) to look at their friend's smiles. It will take at least a week for us to finish them all -- but I'll try to send home the answers by the end of next week! There are 19 students in the class.... but 20 smiles. Hmmmm, who does the extra smile belong to?

More Fun in Nova Scotia!

Our Flat Friends are having so much fun in Nova Scotia! They went for lunch at my FAVOURITE BAKERY! I used to travel to Nova Scotia a lot. My parents had a Bed and Breakfast there. It was very close to where Sara lives. But I didn't know Sara then. We met through her blog. I will meet Sara this summer when I visit Nova Scotia. I am so lucky! I get to visit the same places that these Flat Friends visited. Maybe some day I can visit Australia too!

Back to LaHave!



Pleas go and look at the pictures on Sara's Blog. Flat Chris admires a Dragon. Ms. Flat spends some time with a bagpiper on a ship. Flat Stella makes a new friend, and Flat Luke comes face to face with a puffer fish!

Flat Friends in Colorado

Our flat friends are having a great time in Colorado! They are visiting Al and Maija. Al took them outside for some exercise. Al is training to get ready to go to the base camp of Mount Everest!

Flat Zahedah, Flat Tony and Flat Aden are visiting Colorado.

Here they are climbing a mountain with Al. There is snow there! We didn't see much snow this winter in Toronto, so our flat friends might not remember it!

More Flat Friends in Nova Scotia

It has finally been sunny on the South Shore. That is the part of Nova Scotia our Flat Friends are visiting (Flat Stella, Ms. Flat, Flat Chris, and Flat Luke)

Here is a map of Nova Scotia. Can you find Lunenburg? Sara lives west of Lunenburg. Even west of Bridgewater. They are visiting in Upper Branch, which is small so it is a bit harder to find on a map.


Here is a map of Canada. Can you find Nova Scotia on the map of Canada?




Here are our friends on the Beach! Crescent Beach is one of my favourite beaches in Nova Scotia.


There are many more pictures of our Flat Friends on Sara's Blog, Dream Big. There are some great conversations too!

Engine Engine

I changed the words a bit to this traditional song/chant. We have been learning about Toronto and looking at different maps of our city. We have been exploring the map of our subway system. We are getting pretty good at figuring out North, South, East and West!

Engine Engine

Engine, engine, number nine,

Waiting on the Danforth line,

Have a ticket, you’ll be fine,

Engine, engine, number nine.

Engine, engine, number nine,

Running on the Danforth line,

Hear the bell when it’s time,

Engine, engine, number nine.

Engine, engine, number nine,

Stopping on the Danforth line,

See it sparkle, see it shine,

Engine, engine, number nine.

This week our focus is on the long i sound -- especially when it needs a magic e!

Words of the Week
Grade 1
like
mine
hide
ride
time
bonus word: shine

Grade 2
line
nice
side
shine
fine
bonus word: smile

The Mole -- a limerick

The Mole

The mole digs a hole with its toes

With help from its long pointed nose.

By digging so thorough

It makes a deep burrow

In which it can dreamily doze.

Words of the Week

Grade 1 AND Grade 2 Words:
home
hope
nose
hole
rode
bonus word: those

Flat Friends with Jacky in Australia!

We have 2 different sets of flat friends in Australia . These 3 friends are visiting Jacky near Melbourne, which is in Victoria. Can you find it on the map?


Jacky took them out on the farm -- they are having so much fun playing in the grass :)
Here we have Flat Coco, Flat Jayla and Flat Maya!

Virginia Wolf

There is a new book out called Virginia Wolf. It is a children's picture book loosely based on the relationship between writer Virginia Woolf and her sister, painter Vanessa Bell. I haven't seen it yet, but I thought that I would share the trailer. Lots of shadow puppets and swirling household items (The Wizard of Oz is a favourite theme right now). We'll be reading the book soon -- I love the thought of trying to make other people happy!

What makes you happy?
What can you do to help make other people happy?

Flat Friends with Denise in Australia

Our first Australian group went to visit Denise. Thank you for showing them around, Denise! Here is a link to Denise's Art Blog, if you want to learn more about her :)

Can you find Sydney on the map? It is in New South Wales.Welcome to Sydney!


They were a bit hungry so they went out for snacks. Here is Flat Maya enjoying a delicious waffle with ice cream. Lucky Flat Maya!


She looks like she really loves Australia!


Flat Angry Bird is going to enjoy some chocolaty goodness!


Flat Matthew is happily enjoying the view.


There are lots more pictures to show their Sydney adventure. Stay tuned!

Flat friends in Phoenix!

Flat DJ and Flat AJ are visiting Jane in Phoenix -- here they are visiting a cactus! It is spring in the desert, so the weather has been lovely! -- not too hot yet. Last time that I was in Phoenix it was 115 degrees Fahrenheit! That is 46 Celsius -- HOT!


And they were given some special cowboy bandanas by a cowgirl in a restaurant! How exciting, and how lucky!!!!


Thank you Jane! We can't wait to see where our friends are visiting next!

Ceiling Frescos

Last Friday was Backwards Day at Earl Beatty. The class wanted to do EVERYTHING backwards. I came up with an art activity for the class that was a bit backwards for them! We drew pictures underneath our desks! Read on to find out why :)




First we learned about fresco painting and how a long time ago the ceilings of some buildings (usually churches or chapels) were painted to look like the sky (some children made the connection that the sky might be Heaven, but we didn't stress that -- even though most of them were heavenly images) . We talked about scaffolding (and looked at pictures of artists painting on a scaffold), and how a painter would climb up a ladder in the morning and lie on his back painting all day (leaving only to go to the bathroom).
This is an example of a ceiling painting:


We talked about what you see if you look straight up into the sky (clouds -- yes; grass -- no).

Then we lay underneath our desks (I taped paper under there) and drew the sky with pencils.


We learned that if you used an eraser, that you have to close your eyes and your mouth!

We coloured our drawings with oil pastels.










We took lots of breaks to rest our tired arms. The activity was more about the process than about the finished product -- we had a lot of fun!

Silent E Song

We love this song!!!



The video is, perhaps, a little dated (I remember it from when I was young) BUT the students really seemed to enjoy it and asked to see it over and over again. It was funny to watch a "lightbulb" go off over one child's head when it sunk in that if you add that silent e (magic e) onto the end of a word, it changed the vowel sound!

We have been singing it. I'm hoping that we can illustrate it and make a book over the next few weeks as we reinforce that Silent e!

Springtime Magic

We are learning about Silent e and word endings. The Grade 1's are focusing on adding an s to make a word plural.... or in verbs like "I make", "she makes".
The Grade 2's are learning to" drop the e and add ing" as in "make -- making"

Springtime Magic

Roaring in like a lion,

Bouncing out like a lamb,

Spring makes magic

All over the land.

Pushing up the flowers,

Painting on the leaves,

Warming up the weather,

Spring wakes up the trees.

Bringing back the robins,

Spreading sunny cheer,

Spring takes its time

Making winter disappear!

Words of the Week:

Grade 1
make
take
late
came
wake
bonus word: making

Grade 2
wake
name
save
face
sale
bonus word: making

*** check back later for the link to the silent e song that we have been singing!***

More Flat Friends in Florida

Here are some more pictures of our Florida Flat Friends playing in the sand!






Almost all of our friends have reached their destinations. The photos will be arriving over the next few weeks!