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This is one of my new favorite books that I have read.  Yes, I realize I am a little behind.  There are several books out in this series, but I only recently discovered them.  This book is the action and adventures of a little boy forced to go to a school he dreads.  The secret that only his family knows is that he is from a long line of people in his family each with their secret gift.  The only thing is that Charlie up until now didn’t think he had one at all.  It is a great story about a kid who ends up learning more about himself and his family.  It makes you want to read the next one to see how this boy changes the lives of his friends and family. 

images: http://images.google.com/imghp?hl=en&btnG=Search+Images

This was the word of the week last week.  It refers to someone who watches another event or game.  This is someone who watches someone or something else.  Usually we talk about people at athletic events as being spectators.

This week I would like for us to talk about the characteristics of living things.  What makes something a living or non-living thing? 

We say that all  living things grow; however, sometimes we talk about non-living things growing as well.  We refer to non-living things like water pressure growing till it bursts the pipe or the crater of a volcano growing till it collapses. 

bacteria

What do all living things do or have?  What makes a plant a living thing but a rock a non-living thing?  How do living and non-living things work together?                                             

Could there be living things without non-living things?  I am anxious to hear everyone’s thoughts and ideas.

  images: http://www.googleimages.com

Recently my little fish have had more fry or babies.  They have to be removed from the larger tank as they have a very low survival rate when in the tank with the larger fish.                       

You can see almost all their organs through their transparent skin.  It is easy to see why our skin has a layer that is not transparent but opaque.  Here is a little video to watch their swimming behavior.   How do they use plants to escape predators?   

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This week we would like to tackle measurement.  Yes, measurement not money!  It is always good to have something you know to compare to a weight, so you can better understand how much that weight is.  Here are two pictures of objects that weigh about one gram.  Either measure with a scale your teacher provides or estimate some items in your classroom or at home that might weigh about the same as a gram. 

    Many adults have items they use to estimate metric weights and measures.  What are some that you or your parents might use to estimate measures in the metric system?  They may know one that will help you remember, how much is a gram?