Yollis' 365 366 Project

71 :: Logan's Grandfather's Calf

2012-03-12T12:47:00.001-07:00

Photo by Logan's grandfather in Colorado

This is my grandfather's cow, and its new born baby. These bovines live in Colorado.

There are 93 million cows in the USA. Female cows carry their babies for nine months. Females are called cows and males are called bulls. Young males are called steers. Cattle are one of the most important farm animals. Cows are used to make: hamburgers, hotdogs, leather, steak, milk, cheese, ice cream, yoghurt.

Do you know anyone who has cattle?

70 :: Buck's Big Day!

2012-03-10T17:44:00.002-08:00

Normally, I only publish one picture per day. However, some days require more than one photo!

Buck went to the veterinarian today! A veterinarian, or vet, is an animal doctor. Children and adults go to a doctor for humans. A children's doctor is called a pediatrician.

Buck met Sassy, the office's pet cat, at the front desk. Buck did not know what to make of Sassy.

Once in the examining room, the veterinarian, Dr. Morley, gave Buck a thorough looking over. Here the doctor is listening to Buck's heart through a medical instrument called a stethoscope. The vet's assistance tried to offer Buck some food, but Buck was preoccupied with the doctor. (Preoccupied means one is thinking deeply about something and can't think about anything else.)

Buck was declared healthy and strong and was given some puppy shots. Then it was back out to the receptionist's desk to meet with Sassy and pay the bill.

Sassy and Buck had fun together in the waiting room!

Next stop, PetCo!

Buck enjoyed riding around in the cart and seeing all the other dogs in the store.

Once Buck had a new black collar picked out, and an engraved dog tag, it was time to head to the check out. He waited patiently while Lulu and her owner checked out.

Have you ever had an eventful day?

How does a pediatrician help you?

69 :: Alfresco!

2012-03-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

Today we worked alfresco!

This Italian phrase means in the open air!

It was such beautiful day, we worked outside!

Did you enjoy working alfresco?

Have you ever dined alfresco?

67 :: Volume = L x W x H

2012-03-07T22:45:00.000-08:00

This week we have been working on volume. The formula for calculating volume is:

L x W x H

What do these letters stand for?

What were your dimensions on your model?

66 :: Good Enough to Eat!?

2012-03-06T22:44:00.000-08:00

Sculpting is a fun past time in Mrs. Yollis' room. Here is a delicious strawberry sundae that Mia made.

What have you ever sculpted?

65 :: QuadBlogging Pals!

2012-03-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

Today we kicked off our QuadBlogging week! It was fun to be the host/hostess for the week!

What was the best part about the week?

64 :: Howler Monkey

2012-03-04T21:56:00.000-08:00

Photo by Logan's aunt

Here is a howler monkey in Nicaragua. Logan's aunt is vacationing there.

Although this is a single monkey, howler monkeys live in groups of 15 - 20.

These monkeys weigh 12 -20 pounds.

Have you ever seen or heard a howler monkey?

63 :: The Retriever

2012-03-03T12:48:00.001-08:00

Buck is a Labrador retriever. With dogs, to retrieve means to go get something and bring it back.

Buck loves retrieving this tennis ball.

Photo #1 by Mrs. Yollis

Photo #2 by Mrs. Yollis

In your judgement, which is a better photo?

Be sure to defend your judgement.

When taking photos, why is it a good idea to take numerous shots?

62 :: Be Sharp!

2012-03-02T21:49:00.000-08:00

Photo by Mia

Finally, all the pencils are sharp and read for use.

Now, are you sharp?

What clever poem or paragraph will you write using this pointy pencil?

61 :: Rain Forest

2012-03-01T17:47:00.001-08:00

Photo by Logan's aunt

Hi Mrs. Yollis,

The picture was taken by my aunt. She is in Nicaragua on the Pacific Coast where the rain forest meets the ocean. There are monkeys living nearby and they make lots of noise. She tried to get a picture of the monkeys, but could not find them.

Sincerely,

Logan

What animals could be hidden in this rain forest?

60 :: Leap Year

2012-02-29T17:46:00.000-08:00

Look at this visitor globe! This project was incredible!

Today we participated in an international blogging event for leap year, feb29th.net!

At the beginning of the day, we visited Mrs. Hembree fabulous library blog. She had a great video about leap year.

Check it out!

59 :: Verbs

2012-02-28T17:46:00.000-08:00

This week we read the Kapok Tree.

We read the book and hunted for verbs! There were lots of categories of verbs: add -ed, drop the silent e, double the consonant, and change the y to an i and add -ed.

Can you give some verbs that would go in these categories?

58 :: Firefighter Friday!

2012-02-27T21:48:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Ellie's dad came and talked with the class about fire safety. Read more about it here!

57 :: Two Week Tessellation!

2012-02-26T21:48:00.000-08:00

Photo by Royce

Here is the two week tessellation taken from a different point of view. How do you like it?

56 :: Daisy

2012-02-25T21:46:00.000-08:00

Photo by Alexandra

Dear Mrs. Yollis,

My dog, Daisy was once a little puppy who looked a lot like Buck, but now she is all grown up. Did you know that when dogs are little they like to bite things? Daisy (my golden retriever) has an obsession over lights and shadows. She is constantly barking at walls and my family is always saying "what is wrong with our dog." I think it is because we need to exercise her more.

No matter how crazy Daisy acts around the house, I will always love her because she is so cute and cuddly.

Does your dog have an obsession?

Warmly,

Alexandra

55 :: Skyping With Mrs. Watson's Class

2012-02-24T21:47:00.000-08:00

Photo by Matthew

We got a chance to connect with our friends from the Our World, Our Stories blog today! We even sang a little of the Make New Friends song! The Minister of Education for Canada was in on the call!

54 :: Country Connections

2012-02-23T15:45:00.000-08:00

Today we looked at the world map. We placed magnets on locations where we have connected with people either via Skype, our classroom blog, or through one of our international projects.

What do you notice about the locations?

What are some of the benefits of connecting through technology?

53 :: Skyping With Dubai

2012-02-22T20:03:00.001-08:00

Today we Skyped with Matthew's dad who is on a business trip in Dubai.

Dubai is one of the emirates, or principalities, in the country called United Arab Emirates.

Here he is riding a camel.

What facts do you know about camels?

52 :: Skyping with 4KM and 4KJ

2012-02-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

Photo by Matthew

Today we Skyped with our good friends in Australia, 4KM and 4KJ! Here is Mrs. Yollis, Kelly and Jordyn. We thought it was funny to have Kelly and Jordyn be our greeters because Miss Jordan's name is Kelly Jordan!

What did you enjoy about the call?

51 :: Orange You From California?

2012-02-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

(I know, that's a really corny title...but I couldn't resist!)

Photo by Kathleen Morris

Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

I was just cutting up this orange after dinner and thought it might be a photo of the day. Look how far it has traveled to get to Leopold!

Your friend,
Mrs. Morris
Australia

What do you call a product that has been shipped to your country from another?

Do you have a product that was made in another country?

50 :: Price of Gas!

2012-02-19T20:02:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo from a local gas station.

What do you notice about the prices?

How much would it be to fill up your family car?

49 :: Seed Pod or Mr. Green?

2012-02-18T18:25:00.000-08:00

When given the choice of a prickly seed pod from our liquid amber trees or a soft, green alligator...look what he chooses! Mr. Green looks on in surprise as Buck chomps away.

What do you think Mr. Green is thinking?

Make up some dialogue for him!

48 :: Oh Deer!

2012-02-17T07:57:00.000-08:00

This week, we are reading a story called Two Days in May. In the story, deer wander into the city in search of food.

Coincidentally, I saw deer in my neighborhood this morning!

What do you notice about the deer in the three photos above?

47 :: A Beautiful Tessellation

2012-02-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

Making a tessellation is a fun mathematical past time in Mrs. Yollis' class. The designs are elaborate and difficult to create. Does this tessellation have any errors?

46 :: Poly-GONE!

2012-02-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

With Buck's help, these geometry tests will be done in no time!

Has your dog ever eaten your homework?

45 :: A Bear-y Cute Valenitine!

2012-02-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Mrs. Yollis,

My dad gave me a Valentine's Day present and said this is your new valentine. I said, "Okay!"

My dad said we are going out to a fancy dinner. So, I went into my room and dug into my American Girl clothes and dressed up the bear in a fluffy red skirt and two red bows with polk-a-dots.

She was my my date for dinner at the Inn of The Seventh Ray.

Sincerely,
Madison

44 :: Tessellation

2012-02-13T20:05:00.000-08:00

Photo & design by Sammy and Trey

What does this tessellation remind you of?

What shapes do you see?

43 :: Buck Loves Chicken!

2012-02-12T10:01:00.001-08:00

Buck got a new toy chicken at the pet store, and he loves it!

Does your dog have a favorite toy?

42 :: Yellow and Green

2012-02-11T12:46:00.000-08:00

A Yellow Buck in the Green Grass!

What other colors do you see?

41 :: Buck!

2012-02-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

Last night, Mr. and Mrs. Yollis got a new puppy! Buck is a Labrador retriever, and he was one of eight pups in the litter!

Photo by Mr. Yollis

Do you have any puppy advice?

40 :: Louisiana!

2012-02-09T17:09:00.001-08:00

Today we learned all about Mardi Gras with Ms. Naugle's fourth graders from Louisiana!

What are some facts you learned about Louisiana?

39 :: Moon Setting

2012-02-08T17:08:00.000-08:00

Photo by Mrs. Yollis

When I woke up this morning, the moon was just setting!

Do you know any facts about our moon?

38 :: Hearts and Beethoven!

2012-02-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

Rexon's mom came in a did a LOVE-ly Valentine's Day project!

While we worked, we listened to a little Beethoven! We read a story where the main characters enjoyed listening to Beethoven, so we'd thought we'd give this composer a listen!

What did you think of the Valentine's Day project?

Did you enjoy Beethoven?

37 :: Jake's Tessellation

2012-02-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

If shapes tessellate, that means they fit together with

NO GAPS and NO OVERLAPS.

Design and photo by Jake

What do you notice about the design?

Do you see any shapes within a shape?

(Spelling hints: parallelogram, octagon, rhombus, rhombi, equilateral triangle, trapezoid, and cube)

36 :: Spelling Bee

2012-02-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

The Spelling Bee was held this week. The principal showed a lot of spirit at the assembly!

How did you prepare for the Spelling Bee?

Which word was the hardest for you?

35 :: Lincoln Memorial

2012-02-04T18:27:00.000-08:00

Today, we explored Washington, D.C. on Google Earth. We were able to enter the Lincoln Memorial!

Do you know any facts about President Abraham Lincoln?

34 :: Washington Monument

2012-02-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

The Washington Monument is an obelisk.

noun

1. a stone pillar, typically having a square or rectangular cross section and a pyramidal top, set up as a monument or landmark.

It is a beautiful tribute to our first president. Do you know any facts about the Father of Our Country?

33 :: Punxsutawney Bev!

2012-02-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

Beverly loves to celebrate! Last Halloween, she dressed up as a pirate!

Today is Groundhog Day in America! Legend has it that if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow up on Gobbler's Nob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, there will be six more weeks of winter.

Today, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow!

Beverly decided to get in the spirit. She came out of her burrow and....

saw her shadow!

Looks like it will be six more weeks of winter here in California!

To learn more about this humorous American tradition, click here.

Do you know any fun facts about Groundhog Day?

How often is Punxsutawney Phil correct?

32 :: Welcome to Japan!

2012-02-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Mrs. Yollis,

My dad recently visited Japan on a business trip. He took several photos to share with the class. This photo was taken in a famous intersection in Tokyo called "Ginza Crossing". This is the Beverly Hills of Tokyo.

In this picture, my dad was outside of a Japanese candy store.

In this last picture, my dad went to a Japanese garden.

Today everyone got a chance to taste a Japanese treat.

I hope you like these photos.

Domo Arigato (this means Thank you in Japanese)

Matthew

31 :: Zipped!

2012-01-31T20:04:00.000-08:00

Do you recognize these zipped up characters?

What do you think of their sweatshirts?

Make up a story about this photo!

30 :: Scary Geometry!

2012-01-30T20:03:00.000-08:00

Parsa wore this fabulous shirt today!

What geometric concepts do you see on his shirt?

29 :: Using a Tape Measure

2012-01-29T20:03:00.000-08:00

Today, two district workers came to our class to hang our white board. They used Mrs. Yollis' tape measure to measure how high to hang the board. It was interesting to see this real life math lesson!

What other tools did the men use?

Have you ever used any tools in your home projects?

28 :: Obtuse!

2012-01-28T12:16:00.000-08:00

In math, we are learning about different types of angles. We learned about right angles, acute angles, and obtuse angles.

An obtuse angle measures more than 90˚.

Here is a very interesting obtuse angle we found in our class!

What other state joins with California to form this obtuse angle?

Have you found any obtuse angles in your house?

27 :: Moving Shadow!

2012-01-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

What happens to a shadow throughout the day?

Here are some photos taken hourly at our school.

What do you notice about the length of the shadow?

Why does the shadow move?

26 :: Transparency!

2012-01-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

If an object is transparent, light will pass through it. Objects on the other side of a transparent object can be seen.

What do you see inside this transparent cube?

25 :: Violinist!

2012-01-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

Today a student brought in her violin. She played some songs and accompanied the class as we sang Happy Birthday!

Do you play an instrument?

How often do you practice?

What songs can you play?

24 :: Kodiak Grizzly Bears!

2012-01-24T19:23:00.000-08:00

Today Mr. Yollis came in and talked with us about Kodiak grizzly bears! Beverly enjoyed learning about her relatives!

23 :: Snow Day!

2012-01-23T19:30:00.000-08:00

Today there was snow at school. The kindergarteners and first graders were learning about Antarctica, so they had snow made at school.

Have you ever been to the snow?

22 :: Human Right Angle

2012-01-22T19:25:00.000-08:00

This student found a fabulous right angle...right in her house!

Have you found any 90˚angles in your house?

21 :: Opaque Study #3

2012-01-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

The barbecue and the watering can cast some interesting shadows because they are opaque.

What do you notice about the shadows?

20 :: Opaque Study ~ Beverly Style

2012-01-20T14:37:00.000-08:00

After school, Beverly went outside and stood in front of the window.

The light source, the sun, is behind her.

She is opaque so light cannot go through her.

How would you describe the blinds?

19 :: Opaque Study #2

2012-01-19T14:38:00.000-08:00

Lots of opaque objects to see out at p.e. Not only are bodies opaque, but so are jump ropes!

What do you notice about the shadows?

18 :: Opaque Study #1

2012-01-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Yollis took this photo today at around 10:00. What do you like about this photo?

Please submit your opaque studies this week!

17 :: Opaque

2012-01-17T20:27:00.000-08:00

This shadow scene reminds me of Little Red Riding hood!

What does this photo make you think about?

16 :: A Growing Brain!

2012-01-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

Photo by Mrs. Yollis

This is a brain cactus in my backyard. Notice the new growth!

Why do you think they call it brain cactus?

How can you tell the new growth?

14 :: Staghorn Ferns

2012-01-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

I bought a staghorn fern at a garage sale when I was in high school. About thirty years later, it looks like this!

Mr. Yollis and I are splitting the ferns apart and making new ferns!

We learned how to split the staghorn fern by using a video on YouTube!

Have you ever learned anything by watching a YouTube video?

Have you ever transplanted a plant?

13 :: MLK, Jr. Art Project

2012-01-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

Kelly's mom came in and did a wonderful craft project for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

12 :: Emus!

2012-01-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

Photo by Mrs. Morris

Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

Mr. Morris and I were walking through Belair National Park in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia and saw some emus!

Emus are very common throughout mainland Australia, but they can be hard to spot because they avoid densely populated areas. They don't like thick forest or very dry areas either.

When we were driving throughout the outback, we saw quite a few on the side of the road.

Emus are native to Australia. They are Australia's largest bird and the second largest bird in the world.

They can grow to 2 metres (6.6 ft) tall. Emus are quite fast and can sprint at 50 km/h (31 mph) for a fairly long distance.

Your friend,

Mrs. Morris

Have you ever seen an emu?

What other relevant facts can you add?

11 :: Butterfly Information Needed

2012-01-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

While on the Giant Traveling Map of South America, we saw that this giant blue butterfly is found in the Amazon Rain Forest?

What kind of butterfly is this?

Use keywords like: butterfly, giant, "rain forest" to search for information with your parents.

10 :: Cybraryman's & the Roseate Spoonbills

2012-01-10T17:55:00.001-08:00

Mr. Blumengarten, also known as Cybraryman, has been leaving quality comments on our new student blogs and even sent us a postcard from Florida! At first we thought the birds were flamingos because they had pink feathers. When we read the back, we learned that these unique birds are roseate spoonbills. We also learned about estuaries.

What is an estuary?

Do you know anything about roseate spoonbills?

What is the difference between a library and a cybrary?

9 :: Naughty Nibbler!

2012-01-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

Photo by Mrs. Yollis

When I looked out my window, I noticed that the birdseed that Mr. Yollis put out for the birds was being consumed. However, it was not being eaten by the birds!

What should I do to this naughty nibbler?

Make up a story from the squirrel's point of view!

8 :: Mustache Man Returns!

2012-01-08T09:00:00.001-08:00

Good Morning Everyone,

I saw a guy... a special guy... Mustache Man returns!

This time, he was wearing a beige mustache with a mustache shirt and he
seemed to be celebrating New Years!

Please report back if you see Mustache Man out and about! Look everywhere.

Sincerely,

Sammy

Make up a story about Mustache Man!

7 :: Aerial Photography

2012-01-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

Photo by Alexandra's father

Aerial photography is a photograph taken from an airplane, helicopter, or satellite. This is Mrs. Yollis' version of aerial photography!

How high to you think Mrs. Yollis climbed?

Have you ever climbed a ladder?

How did the ladder help the photograph?

6 :: Scarlet Macaw

2012-01-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

While on the Giant Traveling Map of South America, we discovered many new animals!

Who can research and share some facts about the scarlet macaw?

Remember, do not plagiarize! Put your comment in your own words!

5 :: Andes Mountains & Amazon River Basin

2012-01-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

Today we used cones to model the Andes Mountains and blue chains to model the Amazon River and its tributaries.

Which physical feature did you build?

What did you learn or notice?

4 :: South America ~ Argentina

2012-01-04T13:02:00.000-08:00

Today we got a wonderful comment from a teacher in Argentina. That prompted us to take a closer look at that South American country. Read our full post about it here!

What do you notice about Argentina?

3 :: South American Human ClustrMap!

2012-01-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

Today we examined our South American ClustrMap from our class blog. (This blog's ClustrMap had fewer vistors from South America.) We then made a Human ClustrMap!

We used National Geographic's Giant Traveling Map of South America to create our map! Here are some of the other activities we did on this fabulous map!

What do you think of our Human ClustrMap?

Where exactly did you sit?

2 :: Little Lizard

2012-01-02T15:55:00.001-08:00

Photo by Mr. Yollis

There are so many lizards in our backyard! Many are six to eight inches long and can be found running across our patio, sunning themselves on rocks, or hanging out in the dirt. Today, there was a tiny little fellow clinging to the corner of our roof! He was no more than two inches long!

Why was he there?

What was he waiting for?

Make of a story about this little guy!

1 :: Rhodie Rings in 2012

2012-01-01T11:30:00.000-08:00

Photo by Mrs. Yollis

Rhodie is a priceless party pooch! Here we see this dapper doggie donning a daffy New Year's doodad!

Actually, Mrs. Yollis cajoled this cooperative canine into collaborating in this carnival caper.

⟐ ⟁ ⟐ ⟁ ⟐ ⟁ ⟐

How did you celebrate the New Year?

Do you have any goals you'd like to achieve in 2012?

Try to use some alliteration in your comment!

(Alliteration is the same sound at the beginning of connected words.)

365 : Soaring Hawk

2011-12-31T10:07:00.001-08:00

Photo by Mr. Yollis

This afternoon, Mr. Yollis and I were outside enjoying the last day of 2011. The sky was blue, the air temperature a perfect 75˚ F (24˚ C) and this beautiful hawk came soaring across the sky.

I thought it was a perfect photo to end this yearlong project. We had a wonderful year with lots of participation, and now we will soar together into 2012!

What was your favorite part about the 365 Project?

Do you have an new ideas about how we can structure this

Daily Digital Documentation for 2012?

Make up a story about this hawk. What's his name? Where's he going?

364 : Miriam's Sunset

2011-12-30T16:43:00.001-08:00

Photo by Miriam

Dear Mrs. Yollis,

Today I went outside and noticed there was a gorgeous sunset! You can only see the silhouette of the mountains and the sunset is such a bright reddish pink and purple color that it it appears as if there is a fire burning in the distance.

Do you know what a silhouette is?
What does the sunset look like to you?
Have a Happy New Year!

From,
Miriam

363 : Sunset Star!

2011-12-29T22:26:00.001-08:00

Photo 1 by Mrs. Yollis

Photo 2 by Mrs. Yollis

Here is a beautiful tree ornament that hangs in a tree in my backyard. I featured it on January 16!

For this photo, I was experimenting with the sunset option key on my camera. In addition, I tried zooming in.

Which photo do you like better and why?

How did zooming in change the sunset color?

On another subject, how many triangles do you see?

362 : Hydrangeas

2011-12-28T22:25:00.000-08:00

Hydrangeas are a beautiful flowering plant. They come in many colors, but I thought these were so beautiful. They were growing in my mother-in-laws garden. I was surprised to see them blooming because mine only bloom in the spring.

What colors do you see on the pedals?

Do you have any flowers blooming in your winter garden?

361 : Miriam's Rose

2011-12-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

Photo by Miriam

Dear Mrs. Yollis,

A few days ago, I noticed a big, pink, rose right outside our window. I was so surprised to see this perfectly large rose. The weather was unusually warm even for sunny southern California, so our roses started to bloom even though it is still winter.

What do you think of our weather?

From,Miriam

360 : Decorations Galore!

2011-12-26T09:47:00.000-08:00

Photo by Sarah

Dear Mrs. Yollis,

We were driving by houses looking at the Christmas decorations and we saw this amazing house that had lights all over and it lit up the whole street! The home had ornaments hanging from trees, many different Santa Clauses on the roof and on the lawn, and presents wrapped up in lights. There were a lot of other people walking by just to look at that house. It was beautiful!

Did you decorate your home for the holidays?
What did it look like?

From,

Sarah

359 : Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T16:34:00.000-08:00

Ho Ho Ho! It's Santa and Frosty!

Did they visit your house?

Make up a story to go with this photo!

358 : It's Winter and It's 80˚?

2011-12-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day! Mr. Yollis' parents were visiting and we all sat outside. We started with jackets, but after an hour, we switched to shorts!

What is the weather like where you are?

357 : Harvey's Christmas Card!

2011-12-23T21:28:00.000-08:00

Harvey loves getting Christmas cards, or should I say he loves...shredding them!

Merry Christmas, Harvey!

356 : Winter Flowers

2011-12-22T10:03:00.001-08:00

These beautiful flowers were blooming in the planter at school. School is out for winter vacation and no one was around to see them. So, here is a photo so everyone can enjoy!

What kind of flowers are these?

355 : Winter Solstice at 9:30 P.M.

2011-12-21T08:53:00.001-08:00

Tonight, at 9:30 P.M. in Los Angeles, it will officially be winter!

This is a special snowflake card made by my dear friend, Jeanine. I treasure this ornament!

* * * * *

The sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn latitude line. It is the longest day in the southern hemisphere and the shortest day in our northern hemisphere!

Click here to learn more about the solstice.

354 : Happy Hanukkah!

2011-12-20T11:38:00.001-08:00

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah! This eight-day Jewish holiday is also call the Festival of Lights. Menorahs around the world will light the first candle at sundown.

Do you have any family traditions you could share with us about Hanukkah?

353 : Ice Skating Outdoors!

2011-12-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

The local mall set up an outdoor skating rink.

Mrs. Yollis and Mrs. Ranney made plans to skate!

Mrs. Yollis skating away!

There's Mrs. Ranney in the red vest!

Some kids used PVC walkers to stay upright.

Have You ever skated on ice?

352 : Hot Air Balloon Ride!

2011-12-18T10:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Mrs. Yollis,

I went to Orange County to visit my grandparents. While I was there, I went on a hot air balloon ride. The balloon ride was at the Great Park. The Great Park used to be the El Toro Marine Base. When I went up in the balloon, our tour guide told us we were 400 feet high! From the top, I could see a lot

of Orange County.

Right next to the balloon ride, there was a plane runway. On the runway, there was a timeline of American events. Each and every timeline was where the planes took off.

Have you ever been to the Great Park/El Toro Marine Base?

Sincerely,

Aidan

Why does the balloon rise?

How does it stay in the air and how does it land?

I wonder what some of the American events were?

351 : Beverly is Rudolph!

2011-12-17T11:02:00.000-08:00

That Beverly has a lot of spirit! She loves celebrating and having fun! In October, she dressed up as a pirate! In November, she tried her paw at the recess game Bamboo!

Now, she showed up for the holiday party as Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer!

What do you think Beverly will do next?

350 : Davo Researches Tasmanian Devils!

2011-12-16T23:00:00.001-08:00

Davo looked up Tasmanian Devils in the World Book Online Encyclopedia!

What did you look up?

What new facts did you learn?

Did you watch any videos? If so, what did you learn?

349 : Holiday Skype Surprise!

2011-12-15T22:31:00.000-08:00

How did you like the Australian Santa Story that Mrs. Morris read?

348 : Edublog Awards!

2011-12-14T22:24:00.000-08:00

We were thrilled to learn about our Edublog Awards!

We decorated letters to spell THANK YOU!

Did you attend the ceremony?

Have you left a comment of congratulations?

347 : Snowmen!

2011-12-13T21:00:00.001-08:00

Maya's mom came in and made a winter craft. It was a cute little snowman!

We followed all the steps to assemble our new friend!

What did you name your snowman?

Where is he living?

346 : Mustache!

2011-12-12T21:05:00.000-08:00

The mysterious, mustached man!

Have you ever worn a costume or prop?

345 : Tree Removal

2011-12-11T14:00:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, as much as you might love a tree...it must be removed. This eucalyptus tree is so beautiful, yet its roots are destroying the plumbing in our house!

Yesterday, Mr. Yollis climbed up the tree and started the process of removing the branches.

Have you ever pruned or removed a tree from your yard?

344 : Meet Brian Skerry!

2011-12-10T09:24:00.001-08:00

Mrs. Yollis, Brian Skerry, Ingrid Hanzer, Dan Beaupre

The third grade classes went on a field trip to see Brian Skerry's presentation called Ocean Soul. It was one of the student matinees from National Geographic Live!

We will be doing a blog post about it soon on our class blog.

What did you learn from listening to Explorer Brian Skerry?

343 : Landform Regions of the United States

2011-12-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

For Fun Friday, Mrs. Yollis, Ellie, Jake, Sammy, and Royce used clay to make a 3-dimensional sculpture of the United States.

What colors are the regions?

Appalachian Region

Rocky Mountain Region

Basin and Range Region

Pacific Region

Plains Region

342 : Welcome Back, Friends!

2011-12-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

These little snowmen were put away in the attic last January 2!

Here they are back in my house at the front door!

What are their names?

Make up a story about them!

341 : Whole Walnut!

2011-12-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

One walnut that I opened had a heart inside!

Today, Mr. Yollis was able to crack a walnut whole! Take a look at that complete nut! It came out of the shell on the left.

What does it look like to you?

Do you know any fun facts about walnuts?

340 : Christmas Tree in New York City

2011-12-06T17:17:00.000-08:00

The final photo from Rexon's trip to the urban center of New York City is of the giant Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.

Photo by Rexon's mom

Dear Mrs. Yollis,

This photo is of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in NYC. Every year, since 1933 they scout for a tree in the states of New York, Connecticut, Ohio, Vermont, New Jersey, and Ottawa, Canada. The tree is usually is 69 to 100 feet tall. The very first tree was put up by workers as the site was being constructed. It was 20 feet tall, decorated with garlands of paper, strings of cranberries and even tin cans. This year it is 74 feet tall, has 30,000 lights, five miles of wiring and is topped by a Swarovski crystal star weighing 550 pounds!

Have you ever seen the tree at Rockefeller Center? Have you been to New York?

Sincerely,

Rexon

339 : 9/11 Memorial, New York City

2011-12-05T23:56:00.001-08:00

Dear Mrs. Yollis,

My family and I visited the 9/11 Memorial when we were in New York. The memorial is to honor the nearly 3,000 people that died in the terror attacks on September 11, 2001. This photo shows one of the reflecting pools with the biggest manmade waterfalls on our continent. The names of the lives lost are cut into bronze panels around the pools.

Photo by Rexon's mom

They are building a museum and another World Trade Center around the pools. Right now there are two buildings being constructed, one of which is already 86 floors. It will be 105 floors when finished, and it will the tallest building in New York City.

Sincerely,

Rexon

338 : Ellis Island

2011-12-04T15:38:00.001-08:00

Photo by Rexon's mom

Ellis Island is a National Monument. It was open from 1892-1954 and was an important immigration station for those people searching to find the American Dream.

Did any of your relatives come through Ellis Island?

If so, what country did they immigrate from?

337 : Statue of Liberty

2011-12-03T10:23:00.001-08:00

Rexon and his family recently went to New York City. Here is one of the famous landmarks of the Big Apple!

Photo by Rexon's mom

Who knows some fun facts about the Lady Liberty?

336 : Happy Birthday, Mr. Yollis!

2011-12-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

Every year on the day we were born, we have a birthday. Mr. Yollis was born on December 2, 1955. He wanted to have a delicious steak and some giant onion rings for his birthday dinner.

What do you like to do on your birthday?

Do you have any special birthday traditions in your family?

335 : High Winds...Tree Down!

2011-12-01T10:10:00.000-08:00

Last night there were tremendous gusts of wind! Lots of trees lost branches, and one monstrous tree in my neighborhood fell over!

See the round, fir tree on the left of this photograph? Notice that the top of the tree grows beyond the Santa Monica Mountains in the background.

Now, the tree is gone!


Fortunately, the tree did not fall on anyone. It just clipped my neighbor's garage roof.

Did you lose any trees or branches in your neighborhood?

Did the power go out where you live?