Earth Day

Room 102 celebrated Earth Day with a recycling craft. Students made organic planting pots. It was an opportunity to recycle old newspapers into biodegradable pots for starting seeds.

The directions read:

“In just a few minutes you can convert a single sheet of newspaper into a plantable container.  .  .”

We discovered it took more than a “few minutes,” but we sure had fun with the folding process of origami.

Mystery seeds were planted.

After the danger of frost has passed, students may plant their seedling pots outdoors.  Simply place the pot in properly prepared soil. The newspaper pot will decompose, allowing the plant’s roots to explore the surrounding soil. Using biodegradable pots reduces transplant shock and the hassle of managing plastic pots. 

Planting flowers on Earth Day is a simple way to celebrate the environment. Several students went home and made even more seedling pots.  Others have asked for the pattern. Click the sprout and it will take you to the pattern for making organic planting pots. 

Happy Planting!

Leap Year

We are so lucky this year.  We get an extra day!  February 29th comes only once every 4 years, and 2012 is one of those years!  In a leap year, the calendar has 366 days with 29 days in February, not 28 days.

Even though it's not an actual holiday, it seems like a great reason to celebrate! The frog is the unofficial mascot of Leap Year.  So after reading the science and history behind a leap year,  students had some fun folding origami leaping frogs.

Students learned quickly, and frogs were soon leaping around the room. Parents, your students are asking for the pattern to fold even more frogs.  You may download it at home by clicking here.  A great big thanks to davis.jaque for sharing.