Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

(Note: My New Year's resolution is to update this blog in a more consistent and timely manner. At least I'm getting this post in before the holiday break ends!)

The boys celebrated Christmas in many ways; however, I wanted to highlight 3 special events.

Candy Houses: the girls were invited to join the boys, and they worked side by side as each child created their own candy house. An empty milk carton was magically transformed with the help of icing, graham crackers, and lots of candy. It was very sticky, but we've got some budding architects!

A special thanks to our Room Mother, who served as class photographer. To see more pictures, please follow this link: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1UbtmThuxfk.

Here are some of the boys' comments:

"It was fun because I got to use candy." - Chase

"I made a sled and a door out of two pretzels and I used two gumdrops on the top of the roof and a chocolate chip on the very top of the house." - Joseph

"I thought it was fun because we made them with the girls." - Jamie

"It was pretty fun because I got to make all kinds of cool stuff. I made a fence, a sled, and a cool pattern on the top side of the house." - Luke

"Everyone's looked so cool." - Brock

Carol singing in Spanish with the 5th graders: the boys got together with the 5th graders in Mrs. Suskind's class to sing some carols in Spanish. They were able to visit the Spanish classroom for the first time and had a great time with the older boys. Unfortunately, I was unable to get any pictures or video, but I can guarantee that each boy can now sing "Feliz Navidad!"

Lower School Sing-Along: Ms. Tryer organized a wonderful gathering of students and faculty to sing some carols before the break. The video below features yours truly on the tamborine.

Thanksgiving Feast

Happy Thanksgiving! What a wonderful "feast" the boys shared this morning! Each boy was given apples, popcorn, pumpkin pie, and apple juice. I joked with them that we had thought about making it more like the original Thanksgiving and serving them venison, duck, cabbage, and squash. They were happy to have the former! Thank you to Mrs. Cobb and Mrs. Long for sending in items and to Mrs. Brockman and Mrs. Cullinan for helping to serve. A good time was had by all!

Lower School Pep Rally

The tables were turned last Friday when Lower School boys led Middle and Upper school students in a surprise all-school pep rally. The boys ran through the halls of the Upper School, banging drums and cheering and generating some school spirit for the upcoming football game against Collegiate.

Below are videos from the event. The first is the boys' reaction to the announcement of the pep rally; the second captures the boys' excitement as they left the building; and the third is a part of the rally that took place outside of the Upper School.

Halloween Party

The boys had a hauntingly good time at the Halloween Party! Many thanks to Mrs. Fitch, Mrs. Cobb, and Mr. Bayler for organizing and facilitating the fun. The boys created spiders and ghosts out of cookies and candy; however, many of them only lasted a few short minutes before being gobbled up by their creators! The boys also made paper pumpkins, owls, cats, and other spooky creatures to add to their Halloween decorations at home. What a spook-tacular way to start the weekend!

Insect Facts book

The boys are so proud to unveil their most recent project- a movie about insects! The project started when each boy chose a flash card on a particular insect. With help from their parents, the boys picked one fact that they learned and wrote one question about their insects. During classroom time, the boys researched the answer to their questions to create a second fact about their insects. Next, they drew pictures of their insects which were scanned into the computer by their teacher. Using the software KidPix, the boys imported their pictures onto a page and typed in their facts. These pages were compiled into PhotoStory, and the last step was for the boys to record themselves reading their facts.

We present to you, Insect Facts by Mrs. Hoge's Class:

First Buddy Visit

This year each boy will be partnered with a 6th grader as a part of the Lower School/Middle School Buddy Program. The purpose of this program is to bring Lower and Middle School boys together in order to build a stronger sense of community. Each month the boys will get together to participate in activities that are academic, service oriented, and just plain fun. Our first visit took place last Wednesday, and the 6th graders came to our classroom. The boys showed the older boys around the room and invited them to play Legos, Mobilos, card games, etc. with them.

"I liked it because my buddy built Legos with me." - Oliver

"We answered questions for a little bit, and then we played with Legos and built a double skyscraper." - Henry

"I got to see a new buddy." - Heaton

"It was pretty cool. I liked playing Legos with my buddy." - Will

Field Trip to Carter Mountain Orchard

We had such a great time at the Carter Mountain Orchard! We started the day picking apples in the orchard. The trees were full of apples, and the boys were able to pick them right off the branches. They were also able to munch on an apple- a juicy treat on an uncharacteristically hot day! Once their bags were full, the boys dropped them off on the bus and went to "Apple School" where they were reminded of what an apple tree looks like during the seasons of the year. They also reviewed the parts of an apple. We finished our day with a hayride and a picnic lunch. It was a wonderful day!

"I liked picking apples and the apple cider." - Chase

"That's a hard decision. I liked the hayride." - Parker

"I thought it was really fun, because we got to pick apples." - Jamie

"It was fun, because I went on the hayride." -Luke

We Are Saints!

On Thursday, the boys welcomed the girls from St. Catherine's for a quick visit in the classroom. The boys and girls partnered up, and together they shared facts about their two schools. It was different having girls in the room, and the boys were gracious hosts.

"It was kinda fun, because we had cupcakes." - Will

"It was good, because I got to learn stuff about St. Catherine's." - Ewan

"It was good, because my cousin was there." - Russell

"It was fun, because they were really nice." - Ned

Model T Ford

Last Tuesday, Mr. McGuire, Upper School science teacher, and Mr. Adamson, Alexander's grandfather, brought their Model T Fords for the first grade boys to see. They explained how Henry Ford manufactured the cars, their special features, their cost both then and now, and how fast they can go. Mr. Adamson also "cranked up" his car, so the boys could see how they started. The boys were great listeners and asked thoughtful questions. I think they now have a better idea of what that field trip was like so long ago!

"It was cool, because my Grandaddy came." - Alexander

"One had a back tire, and one didn't." - Christopher

"Mr. McGuire's was newer." - Oliver

"They were cool, because they were really old." - Brock

"They were cool, because they could race." - Camden

Interesting Fact Game

Here is a video of our "Interesting Fact Game." After reading the book All About Me, the boys were asked to think of a fact about themselves which no one else might know. Each boy whispered his fact to me, and I put them together onto a sheet with a blank before each fact. To play the game, the boys needed to fill in the blanks by finding out each other's facts. They were allowed to only ask yes or no questions. It was a fun game!

Here's what the boys have to say about it:

"It was great fun, because it's like a mystery game." - Walker

"It was great. I love walking around and playing with people." - Heaton

"I thought the fishing one was Ewan, but it was really Brock." - Henry

"I liked getting the answer of Christopher riding his scooter with one foot." - Joseph

Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year! We are looking forward to using this blog as a way to keep you updated on the various activities that are taking place in our classroom. We'll be adding pictures, video, and student comments as the year goes on. Enjoy!