ATTENTION SOON TO BE FIFTH GRADERS!

 

The Urban Nature Club is for fifth-grade students extremely interested in nature. Most of what we do is plant and maintain the school garden, so an interest in plants is essential. We may also do some bird watching and other nature activities. Some of the gardening is hard work and you WILL get dirty, so you must be willing to literally DIG IN. While we will spend time outside, sometimes we will be inside planning the garden or learning how to study nature. The Urban Nature Club is fun, but it is also a time to learn. Every student will be EXPECTED to keep a nature journal, which includes writing and nature illustrations. Some of this will have to be done at home. Good behavior and cooperation is a must! You also must be able to follow all instructions, have excellent attendance, and work well with others. Please apply only if you can’t imagine yourself doing anything else. The club will most likely meet on Mondays after school, but that time might change. Thank you for your interest, Ms. Seitz

Please answer the following questions on a clean sheet of lined paper. The paper MUST have a heading with your name and class. The writing MUST be neat and legible, but students will not be judged on spelling or sentence construction. Enthusiasm and commitment is what I’m looking for. The questions MUST be answered fully. In the event that many students submit an application, the strongest candidates will be chosen by lottery.

1. Please explain in two sentences or more why you want to be a member of the Urban Nature Club.

2. Please describe in two sentences or more any experiences you have had in nature or gardening. Don’t worry if you haven’t had much experience. If you haven’t, please tell me what you are most interested in learning from nature and gardening.

3.  What are some of your interests outside of school?

4.  What about nature and gardening appeals to you? In other words, what do you like about these things? Please answer in two sentences or more.

5. Finally, why should you be chosen to be a member of the Urban Nature Club? Convince me that this is a good fit for you. Answer in two sentences or more.

That’s it! Good luck to everyone!

DUE DATE IS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012. THEY CAN BE LEFT IN MY MAILBOX. LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

ATTENTION FOURTH-GRADERS

It was a beautiful day but quite windy in the P.S. 230 Garden on McDonald Avenue. We went out to plant some basil and in the garden saw a young bird not quite strong enough and having a hard time flying in the wind. It would take off and then get blown down or tired. So I went over to pick it up and, well, it was pretty easy. The young house sparrow (I suspect a female) was a little uneasy at first (and yes, pooped on Ms. Seitz!), but then she settled into my hand and the hands of four Urban Nature Club Members. The students remarked how soft and warm she felt and how they could feel her heart beating. Then she was placed in the shrouded safety of one of the garden beds until she was ready to try her wings at flying again.

 

Besides that, we pick our first piece of broccoli, which was shared among us. It had a crisp and tender stalk. Very yummy. There were also a few radishes to gnaw on. The raspberries are little green balls right now. Can't wait for those to ripen up. And the snapdragons are in bloom and well as Lamb's Ear in the herb bed with its pretty pinkish flowers.

We also have three additional raised beds on the Dahill Road side of the school, which are doing really well. We're growing corn, squash, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and others delicious things. Speaking of the garden, we are looking for parents and student volunteers to help maintain the garden over the summer. If you're interested, let Ms. Seitz know.




Also, fourth-graders interested in joining the Urban Nature Club next year should start thinking about why they're interested because I will be handing out applications soon. If I receive more than 8-10 applications, winners that display the greatest interest in nature and who have stellar behavior will be selected by lottery.

HORSESHOE CRAB BEACH WALK ON SUNDAY

If you plan on coming on the horseshoe crab walk along Plumb Beach on Sunday, please let me know so I can expect you.

Meeting time: 8:30 A.M., Sun., May 20, 2012

Directions to Plumb Beach: Take Ocean Parkway (toward ConeyIsland) to the Belt Parkway East. After Exit 9, move into the right lane. You will be getting off soon. Look carefully on the right for a parking lot and pull in. This is the Plumb Beach parking lot. If you reach Exit 11 (Flatbush Ave.), you have gone too far. If you are lost, call me at (917) 945-9696.

FOURTH GRADE SCIENCE TEST COMING UP!

It's time to put on your science thinking caps. The hands-on portion of the state science test begins on Wed., May 23, 2012 and ends on June 1, 2012. Students will be scheduled in different groups. The written exam takes place June 4, 2012 in the student's classroom.

Please study your science notebook, go to brainpopjr.com, and read, read, read. Practice your vocabulary. And remember, never forget to write the unit of measure (centimeters, milliliters, degrees, grams) because you will lose a point each time you forget. Eyeballs, eyeballs, eyeballs......

Do your best work and never stop trying as hard as you can! I'm on your side kids!

Even when I'm not teaching science, I like to explore the natural world. That's why when I visited Washington, D.C. this spring break, I went to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. From geology to entomology, astronomy to biology, there's plenty to experience at the museum. I especially liked the museum's 2011 Nature's Best Photography Exhibit. Here's a few photos that I took there, but you can go to http://www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/natures-best-2011/index.html to see more. 

New York City is NATURE CENTRAL!

Kids are always amazed when I tell them that hawks and owls nest in New York City. Here's another example of nature co-existing with the city--two red-tailed hawks perched on a 12th floor ledge of a building near Washington Square Park in Manhattan. What a view they have from their cozy, little home. You can watch these predators (and their two eggs!) 24/7 by tuning to Hawk Cam 2012, a partnership between The New York Times and New York City Audubon. The address to spy on these carnivores is: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/the-hawk-cam-is-back-for-another-season. Happy virtual birding!