Read for 2013

Looking forward to the New Year and celebrating reading have been a fun tradition at Parish Lower School for many, many years.   Now we take advantage of this event to bring the third graders back to read in their old classrooms or library.  Seeing their smiles and armfuls of books coming through the doors is more than nostalgic.  One third grader said quietly to another, "It feels like coming home."  I love the reading + smile = coming home equation.  Our Head of Middle School kicked off the morning with a fantastic reading of Pierre by Maurice Sendak.  Then, we all found a comfortable spot and for 33 minutes and 33 seconds, the only sound was the turning of pages. 

Library + STEM + Amphibians

Discovery Education and the Siemens STEM Academy brought together scientists at the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park for a live webinar today at noon.  It was perfect timing for our second grades.  Their classroom tadpoles have nearly become adult frogs. There was a huge interest in seeing  and learning about amphibians from around the world.  Over 40 of our second graders brought their lunches to the library or to the STEM center to learn from the zoo's scientists about the animals and the threats they face from environmental issues.
This offers the perfect opportunity to do a little bit of research using PebbleGo, too.  This non-fiction database is a great resource for early elementary students.  There is some great information about amphibians there.  It was fun and exciting to connect the STEM center, classroom and library in such an authentic way.