1st Grade #TrittAtHome - Science Lab Lesson 1

Natural environments are constantly changing due to the plants and animals that live in the area, human activity, and natural processes, such as erosion, severe weather events, and climate change. This can have a negative or positive affect on that environment.

Look at the following pictures of how living things change their natural environment to meet their needs. For each picture identify the plant or animal, identify the need that is being met, and describe how the living thing is impacting the natural environment, and whether it is a positive or negative change. Share your answers with your homeroom teacher, in the comments below, or email Mr. Giunta.

Watch these videos from Crash Course Kids. When you are done, answer the Conclusion Questions using the Comments box below. If you have any pictures to share of positive or negative impacts in your neighborhood, then please email them to me and I will be sure to share them!

Conclusion Questions:

Describe a living thing from the natural environment around your home. How does it impact the natural environment to meet its needs?

How do you think humans impact the natural environment to meet their needs? Is this impact positive or negative to the natural environment?

Family Connections:

Take a walk with your family around your neighborhood to identify the impacts plants and animals have on the environment in which they live. Use a camera to take photographs of what you find.

1st Grade #TrittAtHome - Science Lab Lesson 4

You all know that I love working in the garden! We’ve used science outdoors this semester to determine what plants need to grow (soil, water, air and sunlight). Did you know that there is a lot of math required in gardening too?

For example, on the back of the package for the Creel Crowder Cowpea I just planted it read: Sow seed 1 in. deep, 2 in. apart in rows 3-6 ft. apart, thinning to 4 in. apart. That is a lot of measuring!

To read more about growing field peas (aka Southern peas or Cowpeas) and to order heirloom varieties of southern fruits and vegetables, visit the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

I thought it would be fun to also measure the growth of these plants over the summer. We already mentioned that plants need light, sun and water; but did you know that depending on the plant it needs different amounts of those things compared to others. And they all grow differently. My field peas will grow as a vine up this red trellis. It will be easy to measure them this way, but you could measure any plant!

Are you growing anything this summer? Want to take the measuring challenge with me?! Send in your pictures and I’ll post them below!

Castaway in First Grade

What would you do if you, your friends, and your parents got lost in the woods with nothing but a backpack of random supplies? Invent an emergency signal of course! The first graders have been studying light and sound all semester, and after exploring our own nature trail at school, designed / built / tested their own emergency signals to draw attention to their situation!

East:

Foote:

Fernandes:

Moffett:

McElwain:

Paine:

You're a sunflower....

First grade study the basic needs of plants by planting sunflowers seeds and watching them grow! Every few days the used cubes to measure how tall they were getting! Now that the project is over, some of the plants have been moved to the garden! Day 1 is on the left hand side of the carousel, and Day 22 (the last day) is all the way to the right!

Rooted in engineering.

First Grade students have been studying basic needs of plants (sunlight, air, water, nutrients (soil)) using an Engineering Is Elementary lesson, “A Gift from Fadel”. Each student designed and built a package to transport a plant (or seeds in soil) safely to be gifted to someone of their choice. Check out the results below!

East:

Fernandes:

Foote:

McElwain:

Moffett:

Paine:

If you build it, they will come.

On the first day of Science Lab this school-year, our First Graders were introduced to a unique problem - Mylo, Suzi and Angelina are lost in the woods! Ever since the kiddos have been studying light & reflection and sound & vibration in order to figure out how to create an emergency signal to get the attention of the rest of their party. We’ve traversed the Tritt Nature Trail to get in the right mindset, and this week the students invented a communication device with only what was packed for the hike….

Fernandes

Moffett

Paine:

Foote:

McElwain / Woodall:

East:

Can you hear me now???

Our first graders are studying how light and sound can be used to communicate, demonstrated here by the vibrations on the string of their cup phones. (pictured: Mrs. Paine’s class)

First Grade ISN'T Getting Their Hands Dirty

First grade has been studying the basic needs of plants & animals. Combining shapes & types of plants & animals with the Engineering Design Process lead us to biomimicry, or engineered products inspired by nature. The students design and created their own garden tools and tested them by planting sunflower seeds in the Nature Nook.

Moffett: 

Fernandes: 

McElwain: 

East: 

Foote: 

Coyne: 

Friend: We got rained out of planting, but still had fun building and sharing our designs!

This STEM challenge is in the (book)bag.

No one has been working harder in the Science Lab than the 1st graders this semester! We are wrapping our Project Lead The Way unit on light and sound by creating devices that can communicate over distances through the forest. All that they can use to create vibrations and reflections is what was packed for a day hike on the nature trail. 

East:

Friend:

Foote:

Coyne:

Moffett:

Fernandes:

McElwain: 

Can you hear me now???

We just started studying sound in 1st grade. To test how vibrations carry sound waves we built cup phones. Below the pictures you can see the directions to make your own at home. Here are students from Ms. Coyne's, Mrs. Foote's, and Mrs. Moffett's class build and test their phones: 

Fine Dam Work.

Wrapping up our study on plants and animals, 1st grade looked at how animals use plants as shelter. There is no better animal engineer than the beaver, and we thought we'd try and copy some of their work. Students designed their dams and collected the materials. Here Mrs. Hughes' and Mrs. Friend's classes show off their work.

Can you dig it? (Hughes)

We have been studying plants and animals in 1st grade. When scientists and engineers are inspired by something from nature we call that "biomimicry". We just finished planting sunflower seeds using homemade garden tools that were inspired by a story we read in class. 

Thank you to the parent volunteers who came in to operate the hot glue guns!

Can you dig it? (Fernandes)

We have been studying plants and animals in 1st grade. When scientists and engineers are inspired by something from nature we call that "biomimicry". We just finished planting sunflower seeds using homemade garden tools that were inspired by a story we read in class. 

Thank you to the parent volunteers who came in to operate the hot glue guns!

Can you dig it? (Friend)

We have been studying plants and animals in 1st grade. When scientists and engineers are inspired by something from nature we call that "biomimicry". We just finished planting sunflower seeds using homemade garden tools that were inspired by a story we read in class. 

Thank you to the parent volunteers who came in to operate the hot glue guns!

 

Can you dig it? (Adams)

We have been studying plants and animals in 1st grade. When scientists and engineers are inspired by something from nature we call that "biomimicry". We just finished planting sunflower seeds using homemade garden tools that were inspired by a story we read in class. 

Thank you to the parent volunteers who came in to operate the hot glue guns! We were dealing with a little bit of rain during the planting, so I apologize for so few action shots! 

 

Can you dig it? (Moffett)

We have been studying plants and animals in 1st grade. When scientists and engineers are inspired by something from nature we call that "biomimicry". We just finished planting sunflower seeds using homemade garden tools that were inspired by a story we read in class. 

Thank you to the parent volunteers who came in to operate the hot glue guns!

Can you dig it? (Coyne)

We have been studying plants and animals in 1st grade. When scientists and engineers are inspired by something from nature we call that "biomimicry". We just finished planting sunflower seeds using homemade garden tools that were inspired by a story we read in class. 

Thank you to the parent volunteers who came in to operate the hot glue guns!

Seed Bombs Away!

Mrs. Moffett's class demonstrates "seed bomb" creation. A little clay, a little potting mix, some water, and a teaspoon of wildflowers, rolled into a few ball, dried out, and you get "seed bombs"! Toss them wherever you think could use a little more color, and in a couple of weeks you'll see blues and purples and yellows! 

This mimics the way the owl and elephant help plant seeds from the story we read in class!