On Wednesday, Tim Kelly, the TV weatherman from NECN came to visit our 5th grade. He gave a fascinating presentation about weather. One of the highlights of Mr Kelly’s talk was when he blew up a balloon and let it go. Everyone tracked the balloon as it demonstrated what happens when high pressure and low pressure interact. Mr Kelly was very entertaining and informative. We will check his forecasts regularly.
In Math we played Review Jeopardy to get ready for the chapter 7 test. Thursday, May 3, was National Wear 2 Different Colored Shoes Day. Many 5th graders participated. In Reading we finished the book The Graduation of Jake Moon and we are about to begin reading Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. This book is timely because we are learning about the Revolutionary War in Social Studies. It will be interesting to read about characters involved in that historical period.
It’s a good thing today is Friday. We are all tired and ready for a weekend! I, for one, am hoping for clear skies to see the Super Moon on Saturday night. Oscar will keep me company.
One of the surest signs of spring on Cape Cod is the return of the ospreys. I love to see their huge stick nests being built on posts, telephone poles, and other tall structures near marshes, ponds, rivers and estuaries. Osprey nests are built of sticks and lined with bark, sod, grasses, vines, algae, or flotsam and jetsam. The male usually fetches most of the nesting material—sometimes breaking dead sticks off nearby trees as he flies past—and the female arranges it. Nests on artificial platforms, especially in a pair’s first season, are relatively small—less than 2.5 feet in diameter and 3–6 inches deep. After generations of adding to the nest year after year, Ospreys can end up with nests 10–13 feet deep and 3–6 feet in diameter—easily big enough for a human to sit in.
Most ospreys are migratory birds that breed in the north and migrate south for the winter. They lay eggs (typically three), which both parents help to incubate. Osprey eggs don’t hatch all at once, but are staggered in time so that some siblings are older and more dominant. When food is scarce these stronger birds may take it all and leave their siblings to starve.
The Osprey is the only hawk on the continent that eats almost exclusively live fish. Ospreys are excellent anglers. Ospreys hover over the water, plunging feet first when they spot prey. They dive from about 30 feet in the air and catch a fish on at least one in four dives! Check out this video of osprey fishing in a lake in England.
It is Sunday night, the last night of April vacation. I had a wonderfully relaxing week. On Sunday of the first weekend I went on a Whale Watch. My friend Terry & I drove to Provincetown. We boarded the Dolphin Fleet 8 and soon passed Race Point. We saw many white sided dolphins. These cheerful marine animals always bring a smile to my face! As we traveled into the North Atlantic there were Northern Gannets diving into the ocean for fish. In the distance we could see many spouting whales. Eventually we got close enough to see humpback whales feeding. Don’t be alarmed, the whales are not eating the birds! The humpbacks make a huge circle of bubbles under the water to capture fish. The birds wait above the water for the whale to surface and they catch the fish that fall out of the whale’s mouth. I had never seen such an exciting explosion of birds and whale before! It was disappointing to head back to shore. One final wale bid us farewell.
Monday and Tuesday were very warm so I went for lengthy rides on my bicycle. Once again, I saw something new to me! I have seen many boats along the canal but never a paddle boat. I’m wondering if they give rides? The rest of my vacation was spent with family and friends.
The Bruins just won a do or die game in overtime which makes me, and many classmates, happy. Another happy thought is getting back into the classroom with my class after a refreshing time apart.
When you respond to this post, be sure to tell me about your vacation.
Last Wednesday we spent a beautiful morning at Muddy Creek! We arrived at about 8:30 and the water was still as glass. The sun was warm and there were only a few clouds on the horizon.
Last week was Harwich Middle School Spirit Week. Monday was 80′s Day. Tuesday was Twin Day. All teachers wore their Monomoy Regional Middle School sweatshirts with jeans. Many students were much more creative! Wednesday was Crazy Hair Day. 5th Grade won Crazy Hair Day!Thursday was Color Wars. 5th Grade’s colors were black and white. We looked good but 6th grade beat us.
Davo the stuffed tasmanian devil was with us 2 weeks ago. He spent a lot of time in school & took part in some fun, every day activities with us. Here are pictures of his adventures.
When Davo and I got home from school we had a quick snack of pizza bagels. Then we went outside and shot some hoops. Davo won the slam dunk contest.We then took a short walk on the beach and got home and played MLB:11 the show for PS3.He hit a walk-off home run to win the game.Then we went to baseball camp and Davo watched me practice.When we got home we had some delicious spaghetti and garlic bread.Then we watched Tom & Jerry and went to bed.Davo had a wonderful time with me.
Davo, the Tasmanian Devil who is spending this week with our class, had a wonderful afternoon and evening with Clifton and Caleb. You can read Davo’s post – he had help typing it – at his blog. There is a link under Blogs We Follow. Be sure to check out the photos of his adventures with Caleb & Clifton, & Clifton’s family. Also, click on some of the links to find information about Tasmanian devils. There is a terrifying sound clip of what they sound like. I learned that Tasmanian devils are marsupials.
Mr Davo Devil arrived in our classroom today. He is a very charming tasmanian devil who has been touring North America since the fall. We were all excited to meet him & we look forward to showing him around Harwich. Stay tuned for more updates on his adventures.
Our Student Association sponsored a Hat Day recently. People paid $1.00 to wear a hat all day in school. All of the money raised was donated to Heavenly Hats, a nonprofit organization that helps people and families with cancer. Check out our 5th grade charitable style.
Here is a short video about the Heavenly Hats Organization.
He gave a fascinating presentation about weather. One of the highlights of Mr Kelly’s talk was when he blew up a balloon and let it go. Everyone tracked the balloon as it demonstrated what happens when high pressure and low pressure interact. 
Mr Kelly was very entertaining and informative. We will check his forecasts regularly.
Thursday, May 3, was National Wear 2 Different Colored Shoes Day. Many 5th graders participated. 
In Reading we finished the book The Graduation of Jake Moon and we are about to begin reading Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. 
This book is timely because we are learning about the Revolutionary War in Social Studies. It will be interesting to read about characters involved in that historical period.
