Jenna, Lex and Macy planting seeds.

This week we focused on things that grow in nature, and the difference between a plant and food. We had fun learning that a Tomato is a plant and Ketchup is made from tomatoes which is a food. Wheat is a plant that we make bread from, which is also a food. We also looked closely at how a Lima Bean grows, by conducting an ongoing investigation watching lima beans grow in our front window. We are learning the different names of fruits and vegetables in Spanish.

Ms. Denise's class planted our pumpkin seeds and talked about the legend of the "Three Sisters."  According to Iroquois legend, corn, beans, and squash are three inseparable sisters who only grow and thrive together. This tradition of interplanting corn, beans and squash in the same mounds is widespread among Native American farming societies and is a sustainable system that provides long-term soil fertility and a healthy diet. Growing a Three Sisters garden is a wonderful way to feel more connected to the history of this land while having lots of fun!

Thanks to Lukas and Marcus's grandfather, Jerry for reading "The Tiny Seed" by, Eric Carle, to the class, it was a nice addition to our work.

We have been enjoying the change in the weather and have been talking about the different seasons. In light of that, please make sure your children's jacket, gloves, etc have their names in them.

Thank you Kendra and Beverly for your hard work helping us get our garden set up. 

Barcelona, Spain

LOWER ELEMENTARY: Rhymes, songs, rounds and games in Spanish took most of our time this week. We had some of our lessons outside to benefit of the good weather and for a change of scenery. We also completed a worksheet on the letter "B".

UPPER ELEMENTARY: We expanded our vocabulary via flash cards and by walking from the peace garden to our actual garden. This exercise had a double purpose; to list the objects we encountered in Spanish and report the noises and sounds that we heard. Students responded enthusiastically to our "learning walk".

MIDDLE SCHOOL: With the help of our textbooks, we read some interesting facts about mascots, buildings in Madrid, extra curriculum activities, ice cream consumption around the world, and types of movies. Reflexive verbs were introduced and we practiced them in complete sentences. and then, we tried a variety of ice cream flavors.

TRIVIA FACT: Many streets in Tampa are named after Spanish cities. Some of them are Vizcaya, Barcelona, Almeria, Las Palmas, Granada, San Luis, San Juan, and San Pedro among others.