Fall cooking with BUGS

The BUGS have been hard at work learning how to make salad dressings and practicing their knife skills. The BUGS learned to make ranch dressing and blue cheese dressing.

 The BUGS also learned how to make deviled eggs, a very messy and tasty project. 

For Halloween the BUG students made creepy fruit faces and worms and compost. The Halloween snacks were enjoyed by all. 

A Season of Caterpillars

The beginning of autumn saw the arrival of many caterpillars. The BUGS gardeners have been catching, identifying, and building habitats for wooly bears and swallowtail caterpillars. They were even able to observe their caterpillars building chrysalises! 

Fun at the Castle Park!

More Spiders in Space!

My second week with the Spiders consisted of building and using a simple telescope and learning about visible and invisible light.  The Spiders learned to center and focus their telescopes.  They also found out that the lens of the telescope turns images upside down!  Very curious.... 

Also, if you are interested in telescopes, the Maryland Science Center offers FREE STARGAZING  on Friday nights from 5:30pm to 9:00pm on their rooftop Observatory.  Call 410-545-2999 before your visit to check on viewing conditions.

During our experiments with visible and invisible light, the Spiders used different materials
to see which blocks a certain type of light and which lets it through.  The record of their experiments is shown below.  A job well-done, Spiders!

Famous Chickens

The BUGS chickens were featured on Maryland Public Television! Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEtkqNKyvmA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Yoga Wednesdays

In our movement and dance class we have been taking Wednesdays to do some yoga and mindfulness training. Here, the fourth grade girls are taking a moment to focus on their breath and relax after our yoga session.

Spiders in Space!!

This week was the start of the Spiders' rotation in STEM.  This year, along with the Ladybugs, the Spiders are exploring Space and the James Webb Space Telescope.  This week we started things off with Balloon Rockets!  (See the entry on the Ladybugs for how to do this fun, fun activity at home.)  Then, we modeled the Universe.  It was very interesting to see how much the Spiders know about what is out in the great beyond.  Finally, we ended the week trying to answer the question "Is there anyone else out there?!" by discussing characteristics of life and what planets need to support life.

Ladybugs In Space!

This year the Ladybugs (and Spiders) are learning about Space and the James Webb Space Telescope.  During their first rotation in STEM, the Ladybugs made Balloon Rockets, Modeled the Universe, made telescopes, and learned about invisible forms of light (also called radiation).  Check out the pictures below!

Also, Parents, Balloon Rockets are a simple and SUPER FUN way to spend a rainy weekend afternoon.  You will need the following: 1) Balloons (the long ones work better), 2) Straws, 3) Tape, 4) clothes pins and 5) String or fishing (monofilament) line (fishing line works better).  All of these items can be bought at the Dollar Store.  Your child can blow up the balloon, clip the opening shut with the clothes pin, and tape the straw to it.  Then you load it on the string or fishing line and let it go!!  See how far you can get it by using a measuring tape (also available at the dollar store).

Grasshoppers "Dive" into STEM with Study of the Properties of Water

I was so excited because I got to start off the 2013-2014 BUGS school year with the Grasshoppers!  This year the Grasshoppers (and the Butterflies) will be studying the Properties of Water and engaging in Service Learning activities to help improve the quality of the water in the Baltimore Harbor.  Our first activities were all about the Titanic and how things sink and float.  Then, we learned about rainwater runoff and watersheds from Ms. Rachael Dickey.  The Grasshoppers did a great job cleaning up the Duck Pond at Patterson Park and reflecting on the importance of environmental stewardship and how cleaning up in their community made them feel.

BUGS get back to cooking!

The youngest BUGS group got to spend their first day at the Waterfront Kitchen making deviled eggs.

There were smiles and full stomachs all around. 

 

 

The BUGS Spiders also got to go to Waterfront Kitchen and review their knife skills. 

 Back at the BUGS kitchen lab on a particularly cold and rainy day we created some delicious hot chocolate and whipped cream all from scratch.