10/1 - Monday Class

This sunny day began with some time outdoors.  The class has really gotten into the groove feeding and caring for their different animal groups.  We are trying to use this time to learn not only about animals and responsibility, but on working as a team, compromising, and sharing.  Each day they get better and better at these important skills!  Once inside, we talked about different things going on right now on the farm.  We talked about the new feathers that are coming in on the chickens.  I showed them one of the blue copper maran hens, and they were able to see the difference between the older feathers and the brighter new ones!  The class is anxiously waiting to find out if Annabelle, the angora (rabbit) doe is pregnant or not!  If she begins to pull fur in the next few days, then she should kindle (give birth) in the next few days.  We talked about how the does' fur loosens due to hormones in late pregnancy.  They are then able to pull the fur to build a warm, fluffy nest!  We are all crossing our fingers that there will be little kits here after fall break, but I did make sure the class understands that a doe's first kindling may not always go smoothly, and not to get their hopes up too high!  Life on a farm: hope for the best but expect the worst! 

The class had a quick snack and then shared their Farm Fusion stories.  I stopped them every so often to point out wonderful things that I was hearing in their writing.  I pointed out descriptive words and phrases that were used to help their reader get a clear picture of the things in their stories.  I also pointed out ways to transition from sentence to sentence to make things flow more smoothly.  Of course, I also had to brag on beautiful handwriting, hard work, and rough/final drafts.  These kids are doing a great job, and it is my hope that I will take them forward in their writing throughout the year!

Next, we put on our paint shirts and started a new art project!  The class worked with acrylic paints to create backgrounds today.  Next class, we will add details to these... and then the next part is a surprise!