EXTRA EXTRA READ all about it!!!

This week we are learning all about sequencing of events. So we decided to take a look at the newspaper and how it was made. Now the interesting part is we are looking at the newspapers from the 1700s. WOW times have changed!!!!!

Then:
*The printer made words by pulling individual letters and forming them into words.
*When they printed a page they had to hang it up to dry before passing it out.
* 240 pages printed per hour
*They had to have a TON of patiences!!!

Now we have noticed that newspapers today have color, pictures, and cartoons. We have requested for a guest to come visit us this week. Hopefully we will be able to share more information once our guest teaches us!

Monarch Butterflies at risk..

This week we have been learning all about cause and effect in our literature. However, today Ms. Race received an email with an article stating that Monarch Butterflies are dying out and dying quickly! So we wanted to know what caused this to happen?! Why is this happening, why are the Monarchs disappearing when they are one of the most beautiful butteries found in Arkansas and many other states. Well here is what we discovered....

Cause: Americans have created a new poison that kills out weeds. Well here is the problem, we want the weeds gone from our roadsides, fields, and farms. So we have started using a new poison that eliminates these weeds. Sounds good right?! Wait, here is the problem, when we kill out the weeds we are killing out Milkweed. Milkweed is the number one thing butterflies eat and how they survive! We discovered Monarchs get a special poison from the Milkweed that helps them fight off their predators.

Effect: The Monarch Butterflies are dying out in massive numbers! We need to see what we can do to help them!

Here are a few ideas:

Jocelyn- "Why don't we just replant the milkweed in a different location?"
Libby- "Why don't they make a weed remover that kills all other weeds but leaves the Milkweed?"
Landon- "Why don't they put a barrier around the milkweed?"
Presten- "Why don't they cut a large area of grass and plant milkweed specifically in that area?"
Jakob- "Why don't they find a new location where there are no crops?"

Bees...

This week we are learning all about bees. Bees are actually pretty cool insects. We learned there are 3 types of bees in each hive. 1. Queen Bee- only one queen bee in each colony. 2. Workers- all the female bees 3. Drones- all the male bees.

Here are some cool facts:
1. During the winter, the drones are expelled from the hive and left to survive on their own.
2. The queen bee lays about 2,000 eggs A DAY!!! She can lay up to 2 million eggs in her lifetime. She lives about 4-5 years.
3. About 80,000 bees live in a colony.
4. If the queen bee dies, the workers pick one female bee and feed her a special food called "royal jelly."

We now have a few questions for you...

1. How many species of bees are there?

2. How do you tell two different kinds of bees apart?

3. How do they make their hives?

4. Why do some bees borough?

5. Does the honey keep the hive together?

6. How many colonies of Bumble Bees are left?

7. How big or small is a bee?

8. Are wasp, hornets, yellow jackets, and bees related?