First Week of November

November is off to a great start!  This week, in preparation for our Veteran's Day celebration, we placed flags on the tombstones of the veterans in the cemetery as a way of honoring those who have served our country.

On Wednesday, Nov. 6 our school had a breakfast and special chapel service to honor veteran's and their families.  Some of our class had family members attend with them.  Some of our class members are Scouts and they helped out during chapel with a flag ceremony.

 Also this week we had a book report due. Everyone in class read a realistic fiction book of their choice and wrote a book summary to share with the class.  Each student also created a mobile with pieces that related to their books and shared them with the class.  Everybody did an awesome job! 

 

Oct. 31st Fun

On Oct. 31 we celebrated Reformation day in our class.  We watched a short video and reviewed what we know about Martin Luther and how he started the Reformation by nailing the 95 thesis to the church door on Oct. 31, 1517.  Then we learned about Martin Luther's seal and learned what each piece represents.  Then we each made our own. Later on in the day we celebrated Halloween at our fall party!  Thank you to all the parents who organized, donated and came to help out at the party. It was a blast!

Field Trip to Thornhill

On Oct. 22 we took a field trip to Thornhill at Faust park to learn first hand what like was like for the early settlers in Missouri.  We learned about the history of the mansion and the man who built it, Frederick Bates. We also learned about the Louisiana Purchase and how Frederick Bates was the land commissioner.  We got to experience first hand what some of the daily chores were for kids during that time period.  Everyone got to experience grinding corn, sawing wood, splitting rails, churning butter, hauling water and firewood and candle dipping. All of these chores would have been daily by kids in the 1800's!

 One of our guides, Ms. Micah, showed us how the early settlers used poke berries and walnut shells to make dye for their clothing and ink to write with.

 Mr. Tim, our other guide, taught us how Frederick Bates, the Land Commissioner of the Louisiana Territory,  decided who owned the land that was claimed. 

 Grinding corn in the barn

 Sawing wood for fires

 Splitting rails to build fences

 Ms. Micah showed us how some things in the historic kitchen are the same as in our current kitchens and some things are different.

 Churning butter

 We got to wash our hands the same way they would have in the 1800's, by using a bowl of water and rubbing plants between our hands.  The chlorophyl in the plants killed all the germs on our hands. We also used soap that was made from ash and animal fat, the same kind they used in the 1800's.

 Lunch time!

 Hauling water.  Kids would have had to walk almost a mile each way, several times a day to provide enough water for a family.

 Hauling firewood.

 Making candles

 Tasting the butter we made.  Yum!

  Group photo as we were leaving Thornhill.  We had a great day!

First Quarter Learning Celebration

We have been working hard for 1 full quarter of school!  Working hard and learning a lot calls for a celebration.  On Monday, everyone is class was given a certificate for their hard work and some "smarty pants" for learning so much. No celebration would be complete without a little dance party, too! We're excited to see how much we can accomplish in quarter 2!

Blessed to be a Blessing

Our class had the privilege to help others this week by packing Blessing Bags.  Blessing Bags are bags that the church provides for people to hand out to others in need.  The bags contain a snack and a drink and a Bible message.  The 3rd and 4th graders worked together on Monday morning to pack over 150 bags.  We are sharing God's love whenever and wherever we can!