The is Pennekamp's Science Week, so the focus for all class visits is science. DK will be focusing on observation, a key activity in scientific inquiry. Kindergarten will be furthering their study of the solar system. 1st grade is looking at the study of dinosaurs, in particular the revisions that paleontologists have made over time. 2nd grade will be hearing Rocks in His Head, a remembrance by Carol Otis Hurst of her father's lifelong fascination with rocks, which also supports the 2nd-grade project on ancestors. 3rd grade will be thinking about how our various sources of energy can be traced back to the energy of the sun. 4th grade will hear one of two choices: a biography of Philo T. Farnsworth, who applied his knowledge of electricity to the invention of television; or The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, a story of how art and science can be combined to stimulate curiosity and knowledge. 5th grade, which is now studying the human body, will learn about Gregor Mendel, considered the father of genetics.
Other announcements: Scholastic book orders are due this Thursday, March 31. The library's book club for students in 4th and 5th grade has chosen Keeper, by Kathi Appelt, for our next reading selection. The club meets again on April 20. The library should be back on the regular class visit schedule this week, except that Mrs. Curry's class will not be coming to library due to a time conflict with Young At Art. Also, please don't forget: if you are planning to buy anything from Amazon, click through from this website's homepage to the Amazon site, and up to 15% of what you spend is credited to Pennekamp's PTA.
Other announcements: Scholastic book orders are due this Thursday, March 31. The library's book club for students in 4th and 5th grade has chosen Keeper, by Kathi Appelt, for our next reading selection. The club meets again on April 20. The library should be back on the regular class visit schedule this week, except that Mrs. Curry's class will not be coming to library due to a time conflict with Young At Art. Also, please don't forget: if you are planning to buy anything from Amazon, click through from this website's homepage to the Amazon site, and up to 15% of what you spend is credited to Pennekamp's PTA.
Just for your interest, pictured below are the dinosaur models that are the subject of The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, one of the two titles for 4th grade this week. Bringing the new scientific study of dinosaurs to popular awareness was the life's work of sculptor and model-maker Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins.
Although the Crystal Palace that originally housed the models was destroyed in a fire in 1936, the dinosaurs crafted by Waterhouse Hawkins can still be found in Syndenham, a suburb of London (photo from "Sydenham Town: the community website for London SE26," http://www.sydenham.org.uk/crystal_palace_park_07.html).
Finally, March is Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month (sponsored by the SPCA, Petfinders, and other organizations). In addition to hearing Rocks in His Head, 2nd grade will be hearing Great Big Guinea Pigs, by Susan L. Roth, which explains the surprising facts about the ancestors of today's guinea pigs.
Pictured below are my family's guinea pigs, Ruby (a spayed female, on the left) and Nibbles (a male, on the right).
Pictured below are my family's guinea pigs, Ruby (a spayed female, on the left) and Nibbles (a male, on the right).
Ruby and Nibbles passed away several years ago after full lives. They were marvelous pets. Rather than purchasing a guinea pig from a pet store, a family interested in getting a guinea pig might consider adopting a "rescued" guinea pig. Lots of information about keeping guinea pigs as pets can be found on the internet, such as the "Guinea Pigs" page from the Humane Society's website.
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