Five for Saturday, it just doesn't have the same ring as Five For Friday

Five random things from my week. Monday was both a wrap up our apple research and learning and begin pumpkin learning. Here is how our week went down....

Head over to Doodle Bugs Teaching to read about everyone's week or day!

1. One of the things we did with apples was research different ways to make applesauce. On Monday morning we chose a recipe to follow for the crockpot. We cut up apples donated by Mr. Martens, we added cinnamon and some sugar and water. We added less sugar than our recipe called for, but we could gotten by with a lot less yet, it turned out very sweet, almost like dessert. 

This is right after the apples were fully baked. 

Beginning the mashing process.

Almost completely mashed. Yum! 

 2. We visted P&M Pumpkin ranch in Moundridge. We had a great time and got a good pumpkin lesson from Ms. Jamie and Ms. Rachel before heading out into the patch.

This is a nice, big, orange pumpkin

Ms. Rachel telling up about apple gourds

Choosing a pumpkin

Double chute slide.... This was probably the students' favorite thing.

The play area had a tire swing

In the peddle area.... on a trike

There were also two peddle cars

There was a nature trail and corn maze as well. Students asked a lot of questions and we got a lot of information about pumpkins and gourds on Tuesday.

 3. Each student got a small pumpkin to bring back with us. Some students chose perfect pie pumpkins, some chose the little cannon pumpkins. One Wednesday we did pumpkin investigations and estimated the weight, height, and circumference of our pumpkins. Then predicted if their pumpkins would sink or float. Unfortunately the sink we used would lose water as fast as we filled it (see how the faucet is running in the photo). The water level would get really low and students pumpkins would actually sink in the low water, so we'd run water (again) to see if it would float. More students predicted that their pumpkin would sink than float.

 4. Fire prevention day! Friday was all about fire prevention! The fire fighters came and presented and talked to us about fire safety. We got to see a fire fighter put on their gear in less than one minute (this doesn't include the air pack and face mask, they are allowed another minute for this). We got to see firefighters in full gear. Then we talked about how to show what we know about fire safety and make posters showing what we had learned about fire safety.

Students are holding up the fire fighter jacket to feel how heavy it is. 

Working on posters.

Making sure to add detail and color

We presented our posters to the fire department and did "likes and wonders" at the fire station,
with fire fighters giving their likes and wonders also. 

Ayden presenting his poster.

Looking at the fire truck and equipment to end our day.

Students and fire fighters in front of one of the trucks. 

5. The K-4 teacher from last year brought every student (and staff member) a cinnamon roll yesterday. We ended our day with these giant, gooey treats, and then our end of day meeting where we tell what we learned today! Some students thought this was even better than going to the fire department!

Students are getting their goodies that the firefighters left and getting ready to tell about something they learned today.

It was a whirlwind week again and disappeared much too quickly. Next week will be another week of learning more about pumpkins, writing and following "how-to" instructions, and so much more! The school year has gone by so quickly thus far and it never ceases to amaze me how time flies.