What a beautiful start to the school year!  We have had almost exclusively great weather for the fall this year with only a couple rainy school days. It is such a pleasure to take all the kids outside on these great days. A variety of activities have filled the last month, from harvesting in the garden to team building activities, to exploring the beauty in God’s creation. September has some of the best weather to teach outside and we have been loving it.  

Kindergarten

In Kindergarten we have had a lot of fun exploring God’s creation. One way we did that was through a color scavenger hunt. Kids had a blast searching for colors outside in nature. Another way to explore creation was through bark rubbings where students looked at the different textures on the trees. We also practiced the days of creation and spent time enjoying creation all around our school. We wrapped up with a prayer thanking God for something from each of the days of creation.

1st Grade

First graders enjoyed exploring creation through a nature scavenger hunt.  Students looked closely to find items on their list and made many discoveries.  We also practiced harvesting and preserving with herbs. Thinking about life of the pilgrims, we collected, bunched and dried herbs.  The herbs will soon be used to make our very own tea!

2nd Grade

A focus for second grade was on the role of microscopic organisms (or good germs) and their job in decomposition.  We collected different types of soil from around school to see where there were more decomposers.  It was fun to see which cucumbers rotted the most due to the decomposers.  We also took time to get up close and personal with some earth worms who are super helpers in the world of decomposition.  It was fun to hold and study the little worms.  

3rd Grade

Third graders focused on seeds and flowers this fall.  They spent time collecting and studying various seeds as well as the different ways they move around. They also enjoyed collecting and arranging flowers for our market!

4th Grade

Fourth grade has been busy in the garden learning about planting and harvesting. They have done a great job taking care of our gardens. They also had an opportunity to do team building to start the year. They had fun with the challenges, but will need to work at being a good team member of their class as they support the goal of learning.  We also had a great time exploring and looking for decomposers and other little critters on the forest floor. 

5th grade

5th grade has had a great start to the year in OE. We had a lot of fun learning and practicing survival skills in preparation for the big survival camp, which was a huge success. Aside from their survival efforts 5th grade has been able to get to know the goats and started learning about what it will take to start taking turns to care for them.

6th grade

Sixth graders spent some time in OE preparing for their role in the egg business at ACS. They’ve been learning the various roles of the chicken duty and will soon be working on applying for the job they would like.

7th grade

Seventh grade began the year with some team building. We spent some time reflecting on what we learned from the events and applying that to how we work together as a class to support the goal of learning. After the goal was set, we moved on to tree identification.  We learned how to use a dichotomous key to identify trees around school.

8th grade

Seventh grade began the year with some team building. We spent some time reflecting on what we learned from the events and applying that to how we work together as a class to support the goal of learning. We also spent time in our new “sit spots.” Throughout the year we will return to these locations and spend time in quietness reflecting, listening, journaling, drawing and praying. I look forward to seeing them grow in what is a simple but challenging activity in our busy lives.