Hello Forest Families,

We had a busy fun week in our room. The children are excited about the changes in weather and loved catching this years first snowflakes on their tongue. With the changes in weather please check your child’s cubby for weather appropriate extra clothing, hat and gloves. Please also help keep your child’s cubby free of clutter by taking extra things home.

This week’s focus: Simple machines

We learned:

A Lever is a simple machine. A lever is a bar used for raising or moving a weight. The weight is placed at one end and a force pushes down the other end. All levers have a turning point  (fulcrum) and an area where the force is applied.

A seesaw, nail clipper, wrench are examples of a lever.

A pulley is a simple machine.   A pulley is a simple machine with one or more grooved wheels connected by a rope. A pulley makes it easier to move objects up, down, and across a long distance. The more pulleys you combine, the less force you need to move and object.

Curtain strings, flagpoles and boat sails are good places to see a pulley in action.

An inclined plane is an example of a simple machine. An inclined plane is a flat surface with one end raised higher than the other. It makes the work of moving things up and down easier.

Playground slides, escalators and  wheelchair ramps are examples of  inclined planes.

A screw is a simple machine. The screw is a specialized inclined plane that is used to raise and lower things as well as hold things together. It is an inclined plane wrapped around a central pole.

A bottle opener and road that winds around a mountain are examples of a screw.

A wedge is a simple machine. A wedge is a type of inclined plane. It is wide at one end and tapers to a point at the other end. Wedges separate things by cutting, piercing or splitting.

Our teeth, scissors and axes are examples of a wedge.

Wheels and axles are simple machines. When a wheel is turned, the axle (A bar attached to the center of the wheel) turns too.

Everyday machines that utilize a wheel and axle include the doorknob, the pencil sharpener and a car.

If you have a small example of a simple machine at home please feel free to send to school for your child to share with the class.

 In Science we learned about the life cycle of a pumpkin.

We learned:

• The life of a pumpkin starts by planting a pumpkin seed in the warm ground. After plenty of sunshine and water, the seeds will sprout a small plant. The leaves and vine grow larger and finally, pumpkin flowers blossom. The female blossom produces a green pumpkin that ripens to an orange pumpkin.
• Dry and save your seeds to make a pumpkin patch next growing season!
• Different pumpkin seeds produce different kinds of pumpkins. We learned that pumpkins can be orange, red, green and white
• Some pumpkins can be cooked and roasted into delicious goodies like pie, breads, ravioli and the seeds can be roasted for a tasty crunchy snack.
• A pumpkin carved with a face is called a jack o lantern and is a popular Halloween decoration.

A peek into next week: Bats

Have a great weekend!

Ms. Melissa, Ms. Kristin, and Mr. Jay