Bird Watching

Posted on by

Last week, we went on a walking field trip to a nearby park to do some bird watching activities.  The students have been learning about birds in science class, creating owl art in art class, and learning bird songs in music.  We were led by Ms. Svedlund, Mrs. Guay, and Mrs. Markstrum for this cross-curricular field trip.

During our time at the park, students used binoculars to spot as many different species as they could.  They had to move slowly and quietly so as not to scare our subjects away.  The students did a great job of using their ears and eyes to locate crows, woodpeckers, and other types of birds.

  

Then, the students were given a small journal for sketches and note-taking.  Mrs. Guay demonstrated how to sketch a bird using basic shapes and then smoothing those shapes out into a more realistic bird drawing.  The students again went off in search of birds to observe and sketch, and they took notes on size and color as well.

Finally, Mrs. Markstrum led musical bird activities.  The students sang a multi-part bird son and a song about a wild bird before participating in an activity in which they used instruments to simulate bird calls to find their partner.

We enjoyed snack and recess at the park before heading back. Thank you to Ms. Svedlund, Mrs. Guay, and Mrs. Markstrum for leading this trip!

Rain Forest Animal Reports

Posted on by

The first graders have completed our first big writing project of the school year!  In conjunction with our science program, each student chose a rain forest animal to research in depth.  Families helped find information about their animal’s appearance, diet, predators, and habitat, along with other interesting facts.

We took the notes on this information and synthesized it into large brochure-style reports.  This was a great opportunity to practice identifying sentence fragments and turning them into complete sentences.  The students carefully completed five different sections of their report, including illustrating their animal and their animal’s predators.

In art class, each student completed a beautiful collage representation of his or her animal.  These works are absolutely stunning!

Golden Lion Tamarin

Green Anaconda

Boa Constrictor

Spider Monkey

Jaguar

Red Eyed Tree Frog

Jaguar

Blue Morpho Butterfly

Poison Dart Frog

Jaguar

Be sure to stop by the classroom to see these projects displayed on our writing wall!

 

A Turtle-y Amazing Field Trip!

Posted on by


Wow!  Today we went on one of the BEST field trips I have ever had the privilege of attending!  The Kindergarten and first grade classes took a long bus ride to my hometown of Ojai.  We gathered at the Carolyn Glasoe Baily Foundation, where we met artis Yassi Mazandi.  She is the artist in residency there at the moment, and she has been painting watercolors of the turtles at the Ojai Turtle Conservancy.  She explained her work to the students:

She gave the students the chance to investigate some of her other clay work.  They got the chance to pass around one of her pieces (which made the teachers very nervous, but it got back to her in one piece.). She left our students with the inspiring advice to believe in our ideas:

Next, we met Matson and Jonas, two boys who created an app called Turtle Friend.  These students, who are now 12 and 13, created the app when they were 8 years old, and ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of Turtle Friend.  Turtle Friend promotes awareness of endangered sea turtles.  Through the app, you can track various sea turtles, watch videos, and learn more about these amazing animals.  They also explained how their organization, Paso Pacifico, uses artificial sea turtle eggs loaded with GPS trackers to track turtle egg poachers.

After a quick snack on the bus, we drove to the Turtle Conservancy.  This amazing place is not open to the public and typically does not host groups of young students, so we were very privileged to have the opportunity to visit.  When we arrived, we learned a little bit about their organization before splitting into two smaller groups:

We took a tour of the facilities.  The students were able to interact with lots of different species of turtles and tortoises.  At the end, we even had the chance to feed some giant Galapagos tortoises!

This field trip was so beautiful and special.  The Conservancy gave each child a turtle book, patch, sticker, and pin.

We owe a huge thank you to Yassi Masandi, The Carolyn Glasoe Baily Foundation, and The Ojai Turtle Conservancy.  Thank you, as well, to Mrs. Delwiche for coordinating the trip, our bus driver for getting us there safely, and Ms. Svedlund, Mrs. Riley, Mrs. Guay, and special guest teacher and Ojai resident — and my mom — Mrs. Atkinson for joining us.

California Coastal Cleanup

Posted on by

Here’s a message from our science teacher, Ms. Svedlund:

Please join us on Saturday, September 15 from 9 a.m. to Noon for California Coastal Cleanup Day!  Laguna Blanca School is hosting the table for the ninth year in a row at Miramar/Hammonds Beach (San Ysidro Road exit/Eucalyptus Lane) in Montecito. This is an opportunity for our EK-12 grade school to give back to the community and to give our coastline some much needed attention!

WHAT TO BRING: 

  • Bring Your Own (B.Y.O.) bucket or reusable bag to collect trash in, and/or gardening gloves. Help us cut down our waste.

–          Wear sunscreen and close-toed shoes, and bring a refillable water bottle and a hat. Please sport your LagunaWear!

–          MS and US volunteers under 18 who are cleaning the beach without a parent/guardian MUST bring a signed waiver with a parent or guardian signature. The form can be found on the community service page and in the HR front office.

(Everyone else will sign the waiver at the beach)

Parking down by Miramar Beach can be tough. Limited street parking is available. All Saints-by-the-Sea (83 Eucalyptus Lane) is kind enough to let us use their parking lot for parking for this event. Directions are to use the East lot by the school (left side of Eucalyptus Lane past the church). Otherwise, walking or biking to the site is encouraged.

The majority of trash found will be micro-trash. High tide may reduce cleanup area. Low tide is at 7:49 am (+2.5 ft) and high tide is at 2:29 pm (+4.89 ft).

Pre-registration is not required, but is encouraged. All participants who register for Coastal Cleanup Day before the event will be entered in EXPLORE ECOLOGY’S Ocean Lovers’ Give Away with prizes from Patagonia, REI, A Frame Surf Shop, Santa Barbara Sailing Center, Mountain Air Sports, Okeanos Swim, Paddle Sports, Surf Happens, Surf N Wear, and the Boathouse Restaurant.  Sign Up Now!

Help us keep track of the litter found at Coastal Cleanup Day. Record the trash you collect on a Data Sheet or on the Clean Swell App that instantaneously uploads to the Ocean Conservancy’s global ocean trash database. (There will be Data Sheets at the event for those who don’t want to or are unable to use the app for recording their trash.)

Let’s make this year’s event even more successful… See you at the beach!

Best,

Ms. Svedlund (LS) and Ms. Armstrong (MS) and Mr. Faust (US)

Ostrichland

Posted on by

We went on one of my favorite field trips today: Ostrichland!  Ostrichland is a farm in Buellton where ostriches and emus live.  Our class has been learning about birds in science, and this field trip provided an opportunity for a close encounter with some amazing birds.

The students had the chance to feed the ostriches and emus.  They had to keep a tight grip in order to hang onto their food trays!

Ms. Svedlund told us some interesting facts about these birds, and the students volunteered their own observations. We also found some fun photo opportunities!

 

After our visit to the farm, the students had a wonderful time playing at a nearby park. Even the teachers got in on the fun!

Thanks to Mrs. Svedlund for organizing this trip.  What a fun day!

Penguins

Posted on by

Today the first graders were treated to a visit from Peggy Lubchenco, a former teacher who has been to Antarctica twice.  She spoke with the first graders about the continent, emperor penguins, and her visits.  The students had the opportunity to dress up in clothing that scientists wear in the field in Antarctica.

Ms. Svedlund also dressed up as an emperor penguin.

All of our penguins huddled together for warmth!

Zoo Field Trip

Posted on by

Yesterday we went on a field trip to the zoo to see some of the rain forest animals we have been studying.  We had such a wonderful time, and Ms. Svedlund was a fantastic guide!

We saw birds, fish, snakes, frogs, big cats, and more!

The rhinoceros hornbill lives in the rain forest. Ask your student about the purpose of its upper hollow bill!

Can you find the snake?

At the gorilla exhibit

Making gorilla faces

How many first graders does it take to equal the arm span of a gorilla?

Even though they aren’t rain forest animals, we watched the elephants for a bit as they were fed and weighed. The one below was over 8,000 lbs!

We also stopped for a snack break and some recess time in the zoo’s play area.  I was so proud of how all of our students safely navigated sharing this area with other, smaller guests of the zoo.  We had a great time!

Sliding down the ant hill

California Coastal Cleanup Day

Posted on by

Here is a guest post from our science teacher, Ms. Svedlund, and our 6th grade teacher, Ms. Armstrong:

Please join us on Saturday, September 16 from 9 a.m. to Noon for California Coastal Cleanup Day! http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/cleanup  Laguna Blanca School is hosting the table for the eighth year in a row at Miramar/Hammonds Beach (San Ysidro Road exit) in Montecito.

WHAT TO BRING: 

  • Bring Your Own (B.Y.O.) bucket or reusable bag to collect trash in, and/or gardening gloves. Help us cut down our waste. To find out more about our efforts to make this a less wasteful event, visit this page: http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/byo.html

–          Wear sunscreen and close-toed shoes, and bring a refillable water bottle and a hat. Please sport your LagunaWear!MS and US volunteers under 18 who are cleaning the beach without a parent/guardian MUST bring a signed waiver with a parent or guardian signature. The form can be found on the community service page and in the HR front office. (Everyone else will sign the waiver at the beach)

Let’s make this year’s event even more successful… See you at the beach!

Best,

Ms. Svedlund (LS science) and Ms. Armstrong (6th grade)

 

 

WHAT IS COASTAL CLEANUP DAY?
Every year, on the third Saturday in September, people join together at sites all over California to take part in the State’s largest volunteer event, California Coastal Cleanup Day. In 2014, nearly 67,000 volunteers removed more than 1,190,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from California’s beaches, lakes, and waterways. Families, friends, coworkers, scout troops, school groups, service clubs, and individuals come together to celebrate and share their appreciation of California’s fabulous coast and waterways. The event is part of the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by the Ocean Conservancy, which is the largest volunteer event on the planet! http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/history.html