Duckling Darlings!

We couldn't believe our eyes when, finally, our sweet feathered friends hatched from their eggs and joined our SK family this week!  Read on for more details...

Daily Five/Language
- Journaling: We wrote loads about our ducklings this week!  How we were feeling as they began to make pips in their eggs, and how their hatching process unfolded, were both complex topics to practice upper case, finger space, ending punctuation (plus our First/Then/Last form!)
- Memories: We used our M is for Memories day to write Mrs. Linzmeier notes about our favorite days in SK so that she'll know how much fun she'll have when she returns to SK next year!
- Printing abc/ABC: We showed our stuff and wrote our best lower and upper case alphabets - it was hard work and FUN to see how far we've come!
- Word Wall Words: We wrote our list of word wall words from start to finish and WOW are we experts by now!  These words come up in so many books, and in so much of our writing, so we're feeling extra proud to know them so well! 

(Our friends watching our Pekin hatching on the big screen - the iPad was perched atop our incubator, and, this way, lots of friends could get a good live view at once!)

Science
- Development: We each made books to illustrate and explain how our ducklings formed inside their eggs.  Ask your SK to complete the four step "life cycle of an egg" for you at home!  Egg...
- Hatching: We were THRILLED to watch our ducklings hatch in live time, and on the big screen, with the help of our SMARTboard!  Everyone had a good view and we were collectively mesmerized by our sweet "Alexa" the Pekin, emerging from her egg.  WOW!
- Care and keeping: We are taking gentle care, keeping our voices soft, our hands out of the brooder, and giving our ducklings food, water, and warm light, plus cushy shavings to rest on.  We are good mamas and daddies!
- Compare and contrast: We observed one of our ducklings, and then a chick from our neighbors across the hall, to notice what is similar and different between the two birds.  Ask your SK to clue you in!

Math
- Venn Diagrams: To illustrate more clearly the differences and the similarities between ducklings and chicks, SKers created Venn Diagrams that showcase features belonging to both birds.  It was tough work but REALLY helped us better understand same and different!

Announcements/Reminders
- Sleeping Bags: Please be sure that your SKer's bag has gone through a HOT thirty minute dryer, and that it's back at school for these final days - thank you!
- Farm Field Trip: We are so looking forward to our time at Green Meadows next week!  Please look inside your SKer's Friday Folder for all the details.  (Sunscreen, nut-free disposable lunch, long pants!)
- Scrapbooking Parties: We thank you for kindly volunteering to come in on Thursday/Friday May 30/31st!  We will have all of the photos ready for friends to come and choose from, back on pretty paper, and glue into their scrapbooks. We will need your help to ensure that they each find photo(s) that match their entries (i.e. Holiday Sing, Spring Tree, etc.) and glue things in properly.  Again, thank you!
- Picnic + Field Day: We hope you'll join us in the front circle at 11:15 for a fun picnic lunch, (and if you'd like to watch Field Day from the football bleachers you are welcome to.) 
- Thank you!  An extra large thank you from way down deep to Mrs. Wine for her beautiful "Welcome Duckies" treats.  What fun we had, celebrating the big birthday hatchday!