Basic Needs

Dear Parents,


This week we are identifying the characteristics of basic needs that organism need to survive. This is one of our science TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills). Your child should be able to identify basic needs that have to be met in order for humans, animals, and plants to stay alive and healthy.



Basic needs would include but are not limited to

• Shelter






• Food






• Water






• Sleep

At the Keep Ben Healthy , site your child has to work hard to keep Ben healthy by giving him the right amount of water, rest, etc... Try not to let him run out of any of the BASIC needs or Ben may have to go to the doctor's. This is a great website for your child to see the needs we all must have to stay healthy!!!

At the What does a plant need?, site it's just like keep Ben healthy but you have to keep the plant alive. Make sure the plant gets all of the needs it requires or it will shrivel up. Do you see different needs between the plant and Ben? What needs do they have that are the same? Have fun seeing how long you can keep the flower alive!

Animals have to have the right kind of environment to meet their basic needs to survive. Some animals live in the water, some on land, and some in rain forest. Can you help the animals get back to their home so they will survive. Check out Where is my home?, site to help the animals!

I hope that you have lots of fun checking out the basic needs we all must have in order to grow big and stay healthy!

Animal Parts!

Dear Parents,


We are currently discussing the basic body parts of different animals. Your child should be able to identify the different parts of animals. This is a part of our science TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills).



Here is an example of the body parts of a lady bug!







At Name the body parts, site children will label the different body parts of different animals. Lets See if they can name them all! If they get it incorrect it's OK because the game won't let them keep the label at that part... They will have to try until they get it. Have fun!




At the Butterfly, Butterfly, site your child gets to name the body parts of a butterfly! There is a great dictionary that gives them clues in labeling the parts correctly. There is also an answer button for them to click on when they are through to see if they got it correct!

Caterpillar, is another great site that allows your child to label the different parts of the caterpillar. This site also allows your child to check and see if they have the correct body parts labeled. I can't wait to hear how your child is doing!



I hope that you and your child have lots of fun learning about the different body parts of animals!

Living or Non living? That is the question!

Dear Parents,
This week we are discussing living and non living organisms. Being able to tell apart a living and non living organism are apart of our science standards. You can find all of the standards at the TEKS, (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) site.


What makes something living? What makes something non living? Here is a list to help determine the characteristics of each!



Living things:

• Need air, water, and food to live


• Can grow and change
  
• They are either plants or animals
  

Non-living things:

• Do not need food, water, or air to live
  
• They cannot grow or change

At the Are you right?, you can see if you know which pictures are of living things or non living things. The neat thing about this site is it will tell you if you are right of if you need to try again! See how well you can do!


Find the living things, site allows your child to find the living plants and animals by taking a picture of them however, that's not all... Can you put your animal back in the correct spot where you found them? See how good of a memory you have!

Do you have old magazines laying around the house? Am I living or non living?, is a great printable that allows your child to find clip art of living and non living things. They have to find an object and then put a check in each column to decide what makes that object living or non living! This is a great hands on activity that activates your child's thinking!

I hope you and your child have lots of fun exploring different things that are living and non living!

The Three R's

Dear Parents,
We are now learning how to use the three R's:

Learning how to use and conserve resources and materials are apart of our scienceTEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills). Your child should be able to identify and hopefully apply the three R's in class and at home!

Here are some fun Internet sites that you and your child can check out together! These sites will help your child understand how to use the three R's in a fun way!

At the Recycle-roundup site, your child will have fun picking up the garbage in the park. There is a little catch, they must put the garbage in the correct recycling bins in order to get the top score!
Extended idea: Your child and you could start your own recycling bins by purchasing inexpensive tubs and labeling them like the games bins! What a fun little project!


Have you ever wondered where your house hold materials go if they are recycled? The What can it become? site, will help your child understand just that! Click on the house hold items to find out more? Can your child think of other house hold materials that can be recycled?

If you enjoy videos this one is for you! Did you know...? is an interesting video that is full of fun facts! Do you want to stump your family members? Use this video to ask the questions and see if they know the answers...

Do you enjoy crafts? If so check out , Recycled crafts ! This is a great site that allows your child to find household materials, reuse them to make great things! These recycled crafts would be an inexpensive gift that everyone is sure to love!

The Beanbag chair site, is another fun site that allows your child to be creative and resourceful. It's an inexpensive way to reuse materials! Make a cool beanbag chair for a bedroom or maybe the living room!

I hope ya'll have lots of fun learning about the three R's! I can't wait to hear all about it!

Welcome

Welcome parents and kiddos! Through out the year I will keep you updated on what we are doing during science time. I will post fun activities, resources, and games for you and your child to explore together! I am hoping this will be very worthwhile and exciting! Have lots of fun!!!