The Little Red Hen

This week we learned about The Little Red Hen. I loved hearing the kids reaction while reading the book for the first time! Some thought the hen was being mean when she ate the bread all by herself, and some thought she did the right thing. It was great hearing their explanations, but in the end, they all decided the hen was being fair.

On Wednesday we made bread and butter! We kind of cheated and made it in a bread machine, but we still got to add the ingredients, watch it being mixed and kneaded and most importantly, SMELLED it baking! 

We added water,

butter, 

sugar

powdered milk, 

 salt,

 flour,

 and yeast! (each got to put in 1/2 teaspoons)

During playtime we also made butter!  Each table had a jar and took turns shaking it, but in the end, there were only a few that shook the whole time! I bet you noticed they had extra large muscles when they got home! :)

The 5 with the big muscles!

Here is our bread and us enjoying it!

On Monday we “Planted a Pattern” with beans and even added a scarecrow!

Tuesday we went to the Veteran’s Day program in the gym. Zane’s Grandpa and Remmi’s mom were both up front because they are veterans! Thanks for your service!

Thursday we went to the Beauty and the Beast musical at the high school. The kids did amazing watching the play! since we only got to watch the first half, we watched the rest of the movie a few days later.

I was so glad that everyone showed up for conferences! It was nice talking to everyone and getting to know you a little better. Remember, you can call or email me if you ever have any questions.

The Week of November 17-21 is Mom’s to Lunch. If you are unable to make it, you can come another week or send someone else in your place!

Remember to read each night and color in your calendar for Book-It.

New sight words- last week was to and this week is and. So far, we have learned a, can, I, like, see, the, we.

Remember to send snow gear to school! (AND LABEL IT!) If students do not have snow pants/ boots, they have to stay on the blacktop out at recess. I do have an extra pair of snow pants if some are forgotten, but there might be multiple kids that need them one day I and might not have any left. If you are in need of any gear, please let me know, I can speak with someone and might be able to get some that you can keep.

A Visit to the Lepeska Dairy Farm

This week we learned about farms! The kids had fun learning facts about their favorite farm animals! Did you know that some paint brushes are made with pig hair or that they roll in the mud to stay cool? Or some sheep can have 2, 4 or even 6 horns?

We wrapped up the week with a visit to the Lepeska Dairy Farm. When we arrived, we were greeted by my dad (Jim), brother (Ryan), sister (Erika), niece (Cadence), nephew (Zach) and even my cousin (Ann) from London! (She is the film director’s mom, if any of you were following the movie.  The kids loved hearing her accent and she had a wonderful time seeing 60 kindergarteners on a farm!)

First we split into two groups. Mrs. Mayne’s and Ms. Fenstermann’s group went to see the cows and calves first. Mrs. Otte’s and our class went with Ryan to learn about what the cows eat and the tractors and machinery.

We saw all the different things that Ryan mixes into a cows food- the hay, vitamins, minerals, corn, cotton seed, etc. We also got to see how much a cow eats in a day! Whoa! 

Then we saw some machinery. We saw the big mixer that mixes all the feed together, the manure tank that sucks up the manure out of the pit and sprays in on the field, a skid steer and a corn chopper. 

We also got to see a silage bag, a HUGE white bag that holds all the silage the cows will eat for a year.

When we switched and went with Erika, we saw the cows being milked by the robots! If you would like to see a video on what it looks like, you can visit this site (Robotic Milkers). (You can begin watching at 1:20 and stop at around 4:18.)

Then Erika showed us a pill that they give cows if they get sick. She called it a “yogurt pill,” and it was huge! Next we got to see the calves and saw what they eat and drink. The kids thought the calves were 4 or 5 years old and they were only a day or two. They were shocked that they were that big and could already walk! 

Sunny, the farm dog, escaped from the office during this time and she was so excited to see all the kids! Some of the kids said that she was their favorite part of the whole trip! We also got to see the silos and calf huts.

Here we are dressed like farmers.

If you returned your Book-it calendars for the month of October, your child will receive a pizza coupon. Watch for it to be taped to your child’s folder this week.

Ubaldo and Drake celebrated their birthdays this week!

Next week we will be learning about The Little Red Hen!