Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Lovely Friends!

Mrs. Yollis and her students could not have been any happier today!

Bianca, from 2KM, and her wonderful mother, put together another Australian care package for the class.

Such thoughtfulness!


Not only is educational blogging good for the mind, 
it's good for the heart, too!
 :-)

Today during Fun Thursday, students built a home for the koalas!





Fun!      Fun!      Fun!

Jog-a-thon 2010!

Today was the health challenge jog-a-thon! 

The grass was being reseeded, so the new location was the lower yard. It was a fun location. There was  little oval track, an obstacle course, hoola hooping, and so much more!

Jog-a-thon * 2010 * on PhotoPeach

Here is a fun video from the day!



What was your favorite part about the Jog-a-thon?

Monday, March 29, 2010

Who Wants to See a California Quail?

Over the weekend, Mrs. Yollis had some unexpected backyard visitors.

The state bird of California dropped by!

One male perched on top of the fountain while the others scratched around for food.



They were difficult to spot because they blended in with their surroundings.
(Anyone recall what kind of coloration that is?)


There were four birds on the ground.


Their beautiful plumage and crest are visible in this photo Mr. Yollis took!


Here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All About Birds!

(Ornithology is a fancy word for the scientific study of birds.
An ornithologist is someone who studies birds.)



*      *      *      *      *

Mr. and Mrs. Yollis have never seen the state bird in the wild.



Do you know any fun facts about the California quail?



*      *      *      *      *

The Smarties left a comment telling us about Western Australia's state bird, the black swan

Please share, what is your state bird?


Friday, March 26, 2010

Sing-a-long: Chay Chay Koo-lay!

Chay Chay Koo-lay  


 This is a call and response song. 
Please echo back to Mr. B.!

Note: Today was Pajama Day! (We don't usually wear pajamas to school!)




Leader:  Chay chay koo-lay
Leader:   Chay chay Kofisa
Leader:   Kofisa Langa  
Leader:   Kaka Shilanga
Leader:   Kum Aden Day
Leader:  Kum Aden Day HEY! (all)
Leader: Hands on your head
Leader: Hand on your shoulders
Leader: Hands on your waist
Leader: Hands on your knees
Leader: Hands on your ankles
Leader: Hands on your ankles, hey! (all)


Do you like Chay Chay Koo-lay

Did you sing with us?

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Video: Mrs. Yollis' Class Visits North America!



National Geographic has a wonderful educational program called the Giant Traveling Maps.

*     *     *     *     *

Ingrid Hanzer, a member of National Geographic's Grosvenor Council, sponsored the map for the school. She spoke to Mrs. Yollis' class about the importance of learning about geography.



*     *     *     *     *
 
The students had opportunities to explore the giant map of North America.




*     *     *     *     *

They used cones to create mountain ranges and blue plastic chains to trace the path of important rivers.




*     *     *     *     *


They visited the map several times and were able to film their experiences!

Enjoy!











*     *     *     *     *

Last year, Mrs. Yollis visited Asia!



What do you think of North America?

Did you learn anything new? 

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Vernal Equinox 2010





According to the  
U.S. Naval Observatory:
Mar 20, 2010
  
Vernal Equinox 
  
10:32 PM PST
 
 
 
 
Here is a video from Discovery Education to
 
help explain the Vernal Equinox!







Even Mrs. Yollis' website is blooming!


 

What do you like about spring?

Do you have springtime hobbies or activities?

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Skyping With Our Friends Down Under!

Last week, Mrs. Yollis' class received a surprise gift from their blogging buddies in Australia.



A Skype call was planned for the following week. Unfortunately, with the daylight saving time change...Mrs. Yollis' class was out of school before 2KM started.

Some might have thought that the call would never happen...but so many students in Mrs. Yollis' class wanted to talk with their Australian friends...  they stayed after school!

 *     *     *     *     *
Here are a few of the students who stayed  to complete their homework. Look at them go!

Others came back for the call at 3:00 P.M. 
(9:00 A.M. in Australia)
 


Right on time, Miss McGeady and 2KM called and the fun started! 




Everyone from 2KM got a chance to introduce themselves and tell us about a hobby they enjoyed!

(Mrs. Yollis' class shared during the last call.)



Some 2KM students like to play netball, soccer, or swim. Others like to dance or create art. A couple students have motorbikes. One girl likes to ride horses and another showed us some Karate moves!


 *     *     *     *     *

American students wondered if their Australian friends said a national pledge daily. They do not. 

2KM  asked if they could hear the American pledge.


Each student from Mrs. Yollis' class stood up, faced the flag, and recited the pledge.


Mrs. McGeady said that her students sometimes sing the Australian National Anthem. We asked if they could sing it for us... 
Enjoy!

 *     *     *     *     *


 


We value our international friends and loved spending time with them today!


:-)


What did you think of the Skype call?

What was your favorite part?


Friday, March 12, 2010

A Gift from our Friends Down Under!

When Mrs. Yollis went to the office yesterday,  there was a surprise  Air-Mail package from Australia!





Inside was a manifold of gifts from our good friends and fellow collaborators, Miss McGeady and 2KM!


Inside was a wonderful letter from Miss McGready! In addition, she included  a famous Australian book by Mem Fox called Possom Magic complete with lesson plans. Also included was a carton of Weet-Bix, a tube of vegemite, and Australian flags for EVERYONE!

We thank our Australian friends!



We thank Miss McGeady and 2KM for their generosity and friendship!
:-)

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Nature of Wildworks Assembly

Today Mollie Hogan from The Nature of Wildworks visited our school with her rescued friends.




Nature of Wildworks Assembly on PhotoPeach

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Here is a link to Bobby the Bobcat's Blog!

Which animal did you like the best?

What facts can you add in the comment section?

Monday, March 8, 2010

Animal Research!

Mrs. Yollis' class is finishing up a reading unit called 
Animal Habitats.


We read Nights of the Pufflings. It was about some children in Iceland who rescue pufflings.

 


Another story called, Seal Surfer, was about a boy and his grandfather who befriend a mother seal and her pup.

 

Our final story, Two Days in May,  is about an urban community that must solve a wildlife problem.




Use Mrs. Yollis' Website or the Online World Book Encyclopedia 
to research information about animals.





  *     *     *     *     *


Which animal story did you like the best and why?

Leave us a comment with facts you've learned about an animal! 

(Remember,  plagiarism is wrong! What is plagiarism?)


Friday, March 5, 2010

Types of Triangles!

By the TRIO of  Kate, Gal, and Jaxon          


    
 A polygon with three sides is called a triangle. 



We learned there  are five kinds of triangles. 


  ∆     ∆     ∆     ∆   

The first one is an equilateral triangle. 



It has 3 equal sides and 3 equal angles. 



 



When you rotate an equilateral triangle,  it looks the same. 

  ∆     ∆     ∆     ∆   



 Secondly, is the isosceles triangle. Gal was surprised to know that her necklace had an isosceles triangle on it!





The isosceles triangle has 2 equal sides and 2 equal angles.



  ∆     ∆     ∆     ∆   

 Thirdly, is the isosceles right. 








An isosceles right has 2 equal sides and  2 equal angles. 

However,  it has 1 right angle.   


  ∆     ∆     ∆     ∆   



 Next, is the scalene. 




 
It has no equal sides or angles.
  

∆     ∆     ∆     ∆   

 In addition, there is the scalene right. 




 

The scalene right has no equal sides, but it has 1 right angle. 

  ∆     ∆     ∆     ∆   



These are the five different triangles.


Ms. Palmer, Jaxon's mom, wanted to know what kind of a triangle the trio would make. Here is the human isosceles triangle!

 

  

Also, here is the equilateral necklace Mrs. Yollis' husband made for her!






What is your favorite triangle and why?

Are there any triangles at your school or house? 



Wednesday, March 3, 2010

We've Joined an International Blogging Challenge!



Each week Mrs. Yollis' class will be  participating in a variety

of challenges to help them become better bloggers.

In addition, it will provide opportunities to meet and learn from others. :-)






Here is Challenge #1:

On your class blog, write a post about why students and classes should visit your blog. What will they learn from reading your posts? Are there any skills your class has that they could pass on to other classes and students?




Here are 7 reasons why you might enjoy visiting Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog:


1.  Our blog offers useful tutorials!  What are Quadrilaterals?  

2.  We know that plagiarism is WRONG!  What is Plagiarism?

3.  We have interesting travel posts!   Visit China!    Visit the Arctic Circle!  Visit the Pacific Ocean!   Visit Asia!

4.  Maybe you like to sing. We offer sing-a-longs!  The Hello Song!

5.  Do you like movies? The Polygon Movie

6.  Perhaps you like to learn computer code.  Let's Learn Some HTML Code 

7.  We try very hard to always leave 2-point comments!  How to Comment


Hopefully we offer something of interest for you!

Please leave us a comment and let us know where you are from!

:-) 



Tuesday, March 2, 2010

March 3 is World Maths Day!

Click here to sign in and play!


Click on country details at the bottom of the website to learn about other countries! 

Where are they in the world?

What is their population?




How many correct answers are there? 

Check the Mathometer!



How did you do?

Which countries did you play against?

Please leave a comment and share your experience!