Force and Motion

 We've been learning about force and motion in science.  A force is a push or pull applied to an object to put it in motion.  For our first investigation, pairs completed an obstacle course.  Each pair used a broom to push or pull a bowling ball through a course while trying to get the fastest time.  The students agreed that it was harder than it looked.  They did great!

Our second investigation was all about friction.  Friction happens when there is resistance from a surface or object which slows down the object in motion.  We tested out six different ramps.  First we made predictions about which ramp surface would create the most friction with a small moving toy car and which surface would create the least amount of friction.  Then we tested them.  We measured the distance the car traveled after it left the ramp.  

Sharing Piggie and Elephant Stories

 We had a lot of fun writing our own Piggie and Elephant stories in the month of April.  Earlier this week we visited kindergarten to share our completed stories.  Kindergarten had recently written about their favorite Piggie and Elephant books.  We knew they would love to hear our own versions of these two loveable characters!

Mystery Reader #14: Piggie and Gerald?

 1) We are best friends.

2) We like to drive a car.

3) We like to share our ice cream.

We have been writing our own Piggie and Elephant books in 2nd grade.  I wrote a book about Piggie and Gerald being mystery readers.  Gerald's clue were the above clues.  When Mason heard about my book, he thought it would be a great idea to have him and his friend visit as mystery readers to confuse the students a bit.  They were confused!  They knew the clues were from my book, but they wondered how Piggie and Gerald would be visiting as mystery readers.  The above clues happen to also describe Mason and Lucas.  They even shared some ice cream with the 2nd graders.  That was probably the class' favorite part!  Thank you Mason and Lucas!

Mystery Reader #13: A Timberwolves Surprise!

 1) I love fishing and gardening.

2) Tacos are my favorite food.

3) I'm going to a Timberwolves game with my family tonight!

Upon hearing the clues, one student knew immediately that our mystery reader was his mom!  He knew there was a Timberwolves game in his future, but he didn't realize it was happening tonight!  How exciting!  We enjoyed this fun book, "What Should Danny Do?"  The students got to choose the main character's behavior decision and see the consequence play out.  They had a lot of fun with it!  Thanks so much Sara, and have fun at the game tonight!

Mystery Reader #12: Whose Grandma Is It?

 1) I live on a farm.

2) I am a grandma to someone.

3) I like chocolate.

After reading these clues, many students were convinced it was their grandma!  About half of the class was anticipating who would walk through that door!  Everyone was so surprised to see our very own Mrs. Ruen!  And they asked her, "Whose grandma are you?!" Mrs. Ruen explained that her oldest daughter has 2 young children.  We loved having Mrs. Ruen read us "Arthur's Promise."  Thank you Mrs. Ruen, we adore you and were so happy to have you read to us!

A Matter Experiment

 We've been learning about the 3 states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.  On Friday we had some fun with this messy experiment!  Oobleck is considered a non-Newtonian fluid because it has properties that act like both a solid and a liquid!  This is an easy experiment for the students to try at home as well.  You just need 2 parts cornstarch to 1 part water and food coloring if you'd like.

Mystery Reader #11: A Mom With 2 Names?

1) I have red hair.

2) My husband has visited your classroom before.

3) My name starts with an E or a L.

These specific clues only matched one mom, and this daughter knew without a doubt that her mom was our mystery reader!  We enjoyed listening to the book "The Great Eggscape!" by Jory John and Pete Oswald.  This book, with an Easter Twist, goes right along with a few other books we've heard from our mystery readers.  The students were stumped by how the eggs left the same pool as different colors, and they offered several ideas as to how that could have happened! Thanks for taking the time to read to us!

Mystery Reader #10: A Fun Older Sister

 1) Mr. Klaehn is my teacher.

2) I'm in 6th grade.

3) I'm in Girl Scouts.

A secret note was delivered to class with clues that this older sister wanted to be a mystery reader.  After reading the clues, this younger brother felt pretty confident that his older sister was the mystery reader.  I remember this now 6th grade student as a 2nd grader.  She was so fun and spunky!  She read the funny book "Easter Bunny's Assistant" by Jan Thomas.  Thanks for surprising us as a mystery reader!

Mystery Reader #9: A Shoe Loving Mom

 1) I am tall.

2) I love shoes.

3) I love hugs.

Many moms were guessed on these clues, but the class was not surprised to see this mom who is also their gym teacher walk through the door!  Thank you for reading the beautiful story "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein.  After the story the students asked many questions about her shoes, her family, and school.  We loved having you read to us Mrs. Johnson!

Mystery Reader #8: A World Traveler

 1. I was born in 1989.

2. My favorite cartoon as a kid was Winnie the Pooh.

3. I love to travel and have been to 20 states and 5 countries.

One 2nd grader felt pretty confident that these clues fit her mom.  She knows how much her mom loves to travel, and this 2nd grader is pretty lucky to go along on many of these adventures.  Following up on a book read the previous day, our mystery reader read "The Smart Cookie" by Jory John and Pete Oswald. What a great message this book has!  Thanks for sharing this book with us and answering all of our questions about your travels!  

Mystery Reader #7: A Sweet Grandma

 1. Lanesboro has two water towers.  I live near one.

2. I am related to two Burro students who are sisters, and both of their names start with A.

3. You may be seen me in the park walking my dog Bentley.  Bentley will soon be 8 and really, really wishes he could read books like all of you can!

This sweet grandma was just as excited as her granddaughter to share a few books with our class.  It was so special to see her granddaughter sitting next to her grandma.  She couldn't stop smiling.  Two fun books were shared with the class: "Popcorn" by Frank Asch and "The Cool Bean" by Jory John and Pete Oswald.  Thanks so much for coming to 2nd grade to share these books with us!

Mystery Reader #6: A Video Game Playing Mom

 1. I like to play video games.

2. I have 5 kids.

3. I have a daughter in 2nd grade.

These clues could only fit one mom, and this daughter knew who it was right away.  We loved hearing your family favorite book "Little Raccoon and the Outside World" by Lilian Moore.  How fun that you just discovered a nice copy at the library.  Thanks for reading to us!

Mystery Reader #5: A Croc Wearing Former Student

 1. I like to wear crocs.

2. I like mystery books.

3. 2nd grade was one of my favorite years.

We had many guesses on this one... a grandfather, a para, a few older siblings.  In their many guesses, this former student's name did come up, but they couldn't be quite sure.  It's so fun when the students are still unsure until the moment the mystery reader walks in!  This former 2nd grader is a sweetheart, and I loved having her come back to read to us.  She read "Dragons Love Tacos" by Adam Rubin.  This is always a favorite!  Thanks for being a mystery reader!

Mystery Reader #4: A Fact Loving Older Sister

 1. I have a relative in 2nd grade.

2. My favorite subject is social studies.

3. My favorite animal is a pterois (lionfish).

The class was stumped on these clues!  They again thought maybe Mr. Semmen?  They were surprised when they saw this older sister arrive.  What I most remember about this older sister in 2nd grade is how much she loved nonfiction and learning new information.  She loves to learn.  Since her favorite animal is a fish, I picked out a nonfiction book about fish for her to share with the class.  Thanks for reading to us!

First Grade Authors' Share

On Friday, the 1st graders invited us to their classroom to listen to the books they just published.  You did a great job on your writing 1st graders!  Thanks for sharing your books with us!

Banana Bingo Celebration: Lunch and Dance Party in the Classroom!

 We got a banana bingo last week and the class voted on lunch and dance party in the classroom.  This is always a favorite.  Something about eating lunch in a different place is exciting for them!  And they LOVE the dancing part!

Mystery Reader 3: A Student and a Teacher?

 1. I am a student at another school.

2. I was your teacher.

3. I love birds.

The class was thrown off by the clues of being a student but also their former teacher.  They thought of all of the teachers they've had including substitute teachers.  Mrs. Bergo was on their list of possibilities, and they were so happy to see her arrive!  She read a family favorite of theirs: "Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler" by Margery Cuyler.  The class enjoyed the book and all of the questions they asked her!  Thanks for stopping by Mrs. Bergo!

Mystery Reader #2: A Giraffe Loving Mom

 1. I am not originally from Minnesota.

2. Giraffes are my favorite animal.

3. Little House on the Prairie was my favorite book series growing up.

The class felt pretty confident about who this was because only one student could confirm that her mom's favorite animal was a giraffe.  The perfect read aloud for her was "Giraffes Can't Dance" by Giles Andreae.  Thank you so much for taking the time to read with us and chat with us!