Unforgettable Friday

I found a few more great egg pictures to share!  We learned all about how an egg is "nature's perfect packaging."  This included learning about the parts of the egg and their functions.  I can't tell you how many families of first graders came to tell me how impressed they were that their 7 year old could explain the difference between a fertilized and unfertilized egg, discuss how the membrane acts as a rubbery shield to protect the chick from germs and what it means to candle an egg to see a developing embryo!  How many kids have ever actually heard the word 'chalaza?'

One of the really cool eggs-periments that we did involved testing the strength of an eggshell.  We learned that the dome shape of an egg is able to withstand an amazing amount of pressure as long as the pressure is evenly distributed.  After learning about this, we put our knowledge to the test!  Here we are standing on 2 dozen eggs.  These same eggs held over 60 first graders, as well as 4 teachers who saw us from the hallway and had to stop in to try it themselves!  Even with all of those people, we only had 1 shell crack...and that was not from standing on the egg.  This happened when one friend stumbled backwards getting off the eggs and put all of their weight on one shell, causing an uneven distribution of pressure.

This is one to definitely try at home!

One of the Harlan staff's favorite days of the year is Teacher's Go Bananas!  This is where the whole school is invited to dress up as their favorite book character.  At different times throughout the day the song "Banana Phone" comes on the PA to signal it is time for all of the teachers to GO BANANAS and run to another classroom in their costume and read to a different class the book that your costume is from!  Needless to say everyone had a blast trying to guess who would come in to read to Room 112!

Here are Mrs. Cibor (Rosie Revere, Engineer), Mrs. Cooper (The Storm Whale) and myself (Harold and the Purple Crayon) getting ready to run through the halls!  

We were super surprised to have Mrs. Smith (Memoirs of a Goldfish) GO BANANAS in our room!

We even had some great costumes worn by the first graders!

More memories to come this weekend!