Past and Present and Future

In Social Studies, we have been learning about different ways to measure time. We talked about past, present, and future and how we can put things in order based on time, days, and years. We learned about using a timeline by putting our birthdays in order on a timeline in the hallway. 

This was a great visual to help students see how a timeline goes from oldest to youngest. 

Speaking of oldest...

The students practiced using timelines to put in chronological order inventions, such as telephones and cars, and how they've evolved over the years.

Other timelines involved putting in order life events of important American figures, events of a day based on time on the clock, as well as the order of Jewish holidays in the Jewish calendar.

Then, students had the chance to create their own timelines! They worked so hard putting in order their photos, writing a caption for each year, editing and revising, and then rewriting them in their very best handwriting. The whole project took a lot of time but they turned out so well! 

In keeping with our look into the past, Primary visited Aullwood Farm to create our own candles!

Ms. Tara, our guide, taught us about what people of the past used to see in the dark. 

This lantern was created with holes so small that someone could even ride a horse and the flame still wouldn't extinguish!

In communities near water, this light used blubber from whales to keep burning.

But for places that were not near water, they used animal fat to create candles!

She told us that in the present, we use nonrenewable resources such as coal and oil to provide power. 

We learned about renewable resources as well:

Ms. Tara taught told about one type of renewable material: beeswax! The Primary students blew her away with how much they already knew about bees! She said she's had 6th grade classes that didn't know nearly as much as we did! 

We went out to see where Aullwood's stacks are but, of course, it is much too cold for any bees to be out!

We learned about ways to help conserve energy by turning off water and lights when they aren't being used. Ms. Tara also told us about wind energy and showed us a radio that can work by hand crank as well as solar energy!

Finally, it was time to create our candles! Each student received a starter candle and they chose whether they wanted blue or red wax. 

Then, they started dipping! 

Layer after layer after layer went on.

The candles were tested in a base to see if they were thick enough and then packaged carefully to prevent from breaking.

We couldn't leave without a quick visit to the barn to see the animals, though! We were getting a kick out of these squawking turkeys!

That is one big draft horse!

Piglets keeping warm!

Continuing our look into how the past used to be, Mrs. Hoy showed the students some objects from the past. They had to first write what they thought it was. Then, we showed them a picture of what the present day version and students wrote what it actually was and whether it looks about the same or completely different today.

Some of these items were really tricky!

"I think this tool from the past was used to pick plants out of the ground.

It is a can opener. It looks different now. It needs electricity."

"I think this tool from the past was used to peel food. It was a knife sharpener from the 1940s. Now the knife sharpener is electric."

"I think this tool from the past was used to put a candle in it. It is a candle snuffer. Now it looks the same."

"I think this tool from the past was used to write. It was a compass to draw circles between 1917 and the last 1980s. Now people create stuff on the computer."

"I think this tool from the past was used to stretch art. It was an embroidery hoop. Now the hoop is computerized on a sewing machine."

We have learned so much about the past and present so next up is the future! 

Students created a timeline using a 2017 calendar to represent the future.

Beyond putting months in order, though, how do you learn about something that hasn't happened yet?? 

Well, we gave the kids the reins and they brainstormed what they think things will look like in the future. Some kids had some trouble getting started but eventually their creative juices were flowing and they were coming up with some really cool ideas!

Such a fun think-outside-the-box activity! 

A computer in the future

"A car goes through the portal and comes out 20 years later."

"People will go by rockets in the future."

A computer in the future

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On our last day before Thanksgiving break, we combined number recognition with lots of fun in the form of BINGO!

The kids had a blast!