What Does a Bunny Have to Do With Easter?

Did you ever wonder where the bunny came from? Or, for that fact, baby chicks? Or eggs? 

What do all these things have in common?

I often wondered that, so I looked it up, and it all made sense. Rabbits, chicks, and eggs all represent new life.

It is also appropriate that the date of Easter is close to the Spring Equinox. Again, we're talking about new life: rebirth, the world comes back to life.  

It all goes together, doesn't it?

I really don't think chocolate bunnies tie in, but I think we all could use a chocolate bunny!  Or maybe some Marshmallow Peeps!

Here are a few books about Easter that I found!  
                      

Here are a couple of books with a Spring focus!    

                 

What post about Easter would be complete with this classic?



or this one?

Happy Easter!

Recreating the Setting

We've been enjoying Dr. Seuss all week!  We've had lots of great discussions on his use of nonsense words and rhyme.  I've read several of his books this week, and the kids are starting to realize that even though most of his stories are made of silly words, silly characters and silly situations, he has some real things to say in his stories.

Today we read The Lorax.  It's one of my favorites, and it has something important to tell us.

As I read, the children were very enthusiastic, and I had lots of great comments throughout the book.  They realized real fast there were similarities between this book and the book I read last week for the Booking Across America project, A River Ran Wild.  (Also dealt with damage to the environment.)

After a great discussion on Dr. Seuss and his lessons, the children paired up and made some great structures based on The Lorax.  Some were designed to look like the factory of the Once-lers, others made Truffula Trees, and others made the creatures so beautifully created by Dr. Seuss.

Check out their structures!  Don't you just love kids creating with blocks?

Here's a Truffula Tree

Here's the factory of the Once-lers.

Here's a machine of the Once-lers.

Here's what the land looked like before the Once-lers destroyed it.

Here are some Truffula Trees.

Here are some of the Once-ler factory workers.

I hope you've been enjoying Read Across America week as much as I've been!

Making Slime

I've been wanting to share my experience with making slime with my students last week, but life sure gets away with us, doesn't it?  
 

  My district has a wonderful Distance Learning program, and our Tech person is able to bring the cameras right into the classroom!  We were lucky to be connected to an enthusiastic teacher from the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum. 

Click HERE for their website!  (Ever notice how the kids tend to tune out their regular teacher, but pay attention to a total stranger?). Well, we had all the "slime materials" all set up, which certainly helped hold their attention this dismal day during the week before vacation.  (We are no fools, we know when to schedule the good stuff!)

The activity started with a lively discussion of the three basic states of matter and the differences between them. The children even got out of their seats and moved around like solids, liquids, and gases!  (This is a group that needs to move!)

Then we made the first batch of slime.  One big advantage of having someone else do the teaching is that I get to pay attention to their reactions, which is great fun when watching the kids dig their fingers into slime!

Slime #1

• borax powder
• water
• white glue
• green food coloring (optional)

Mix separately: 
6 teaspoons glue, 6 teaspoons water and food coloring (optional)

1/4  cup water and 1/4 teaspoon borax

Mix together slowly.  When slime has formed, pick up and knead it.

The first slime had the consistency of silly putty, and they actually got to take a little bit of that home. 

Slime #2

2 parts Cornstarch  to 1 part water

The second slime was messier and very interesting. If you tapped it quickly, it felt hard. If you slowly touched the slime, it was drippy, and, well... slimy!

In conclusion, we realized that the slime was neither a solid, liquid, or gas. It was a state known as non-Newtonian fluids. Some other substances with this same state are jello, blood, and...boogers!  If you know second graders like I know second graders, you can bet there was a strong reaction to that tidbit of information.  And they will definitely remember it!

"Loved it!"

"It was squishy!"

"It was gooey!"

"Slimable!"