Class 5-316 2014-2015: November 2014

11.21.2014

P.S. 58's First Unplugged Night

On Unplugged Night I didn't watch TV. Instead I did some drawing and it was FUN!!! So really I felt really confident about it. Mostly, I was the only one who did it. Also, I played with my little sister. That is what I did on Unplugged Night :)
- Betzy

I played my new board game that I never got to actually play, I started making a christmas present for my brother, I worked on my latest comic "GUY," I also worked on another comic "SQUARE FRUIT" and I also built a roof deck for my house in LEGOs. (My brother vandalized it, so I had to build it a 2nd and even a 3rd time.) I read a magazine and my book, <i>The fourth Stall</i>. I put my brother to bed and that was very hard for me because he refused to brush his teeth. So I ended up dragging him to the sink. He ran for his life, so he went to bed without brushing his teeth and with paint covered clothes.
- Brendan

I got a package and opened it, and hung out with my brother. When he went to turn on the TV, I refused and went to read my new books. Then my dad, my brother and I ate Chinese food and my mom came home. While my dad went to the computer for work, I finally got to talk to my mom. After I took a shower and went to bed.
- Jackson

I didn't go onto any electronic device for the whole night. My Mom didn't check her email and we talked. Instead of watching TV, I drew a lot. We played Sorry and Battleship. After eating dinner and walking my dog we came home and played about a million rounds of Battleship. Then I took a shower and drew some more and went to bed.
- Sasha

When I got home, i was really excited to draw. I had the best idea to draw a comic about a bird in a reality show called THE BIRD SHOW. Then, me and my mom's friend came over. They talked while i drew my comic. Then, after dinner, I asked if they wanted to play my favorite board game Cartoona. You have these body pieces and you put then together and make a cartoon character. For every piece, it has a certain amount of points. The person with the most amount of points wins. We play that a lot, so my mom's friend taught me how to play a card game called Rummy. It was really fun but I didn't win. After that, my mom's friend taught me this addicting game called Higher or Lower. We played a round of that then I ran around saying "GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" because I won. Then I brushed my teeth and went to bed. First I drew and then I read. Then I woke up and went to school and started writing this. Unplugged night is a fun thing to do and i'm going to do it once a week. -THE END-
- Porter

I played Battleships with my mum. She won so I made the game go on until I sank all of her battleships. After dinner she read Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire to me.
- Theadora

"Unplugged night" was was probably easier for me because I went to after school first. At after school I went outside, played in the gym, and other activities. When I got picked up it was already around 5:45. I went home and read for homework. My dad started making dinner around 6:30 and I decided to help him; even though it seemed a bit early for dinner. At 7:00, me and my dad played chess ( my mom is in away). I won. We played a few more games and then got bored. This is my favorite part... I started jumping on the couch and doing anything I could to pass the time. Unfortunately, it lasted less than 3 minutes. After that I decided to go back to reading and playing games. The games took a long time because I was making weird sounds the whole time and the cats kept sitting right where we were playing. Before I knew it it was bed time and I went to sleep. Yay!!!!!!!!
- Esti

Last night on Unplugged Night. Me and my family played board games such as Sorry, Monopoly, Battleship and Mancala. We also played cards. My grandma was there, she played also. My sister had Flamenco until 4:30 and I was selling raffle tickets at the school. So we got home at about 4:30. Then we went out to dinner. I think Unplugged Night is a nice opportunity to spend time with your family. I think that everyone should do unplugged night. I am going to do it more often now. If we have another unplugged night, I hope everyone does it next time:D:):)
- Ruby

On Unplugged Night I didn't have much time at home. First, I went to the an appointment and then swim class. I did not use electronics for any of it. When I got home my Dad was watching TV so I told him to turn it off. My Mom had to email an important email so I just thought about what I wanted to do and checked Online sites for craft ideas. Then my Mom said that she wanted to glue fake leaves on Mason Jars to be candle holders so we did and my hands got very messy. My Dad couldn't do unplugged because he had work to do. Then we all decided to do a puzzle. I was just peeling the glue off my hands and playing with my cat. Then I had to go to bed. I read earlier so I didn't have to read. I got home very late so I didn't have much time. Being unplugged is fun and I hope that everyone who didn't be unplugged tries it.
- Sara

Yesterday was unplugged night and I had more fun than I thought I would! I played with my Legos. Me and my brother set up my T.M.N.T. toys and I hope you do it to!!!!
- Connor

What Happened to Our Class Pumpkins?!

They spent October and most of November on Hercules. But now it is time for the 4th annual Harvest Festival Pumpkin-Cupcake transformation.

It's about time they turned into cupcakes already! After some roasting and pureeing, they became cupcake batter along with a pile of chocolate chips. Vegan, of course.

Some vanilla "butter"cream frosting. Savory roasted pumpkin seeds are just an added bonus.

Cooling...

All dresses up with a sprinkle of maple vanilla bean sugar.

And that's how a pumpkin turns into a cupcake.

11.15.2014

Working Hard & Playing Hard

Choice Time helps balance our hard work with down time. It's a time to enjoy each other's company...

and to get a little kooky...

...to do interesting things with scrap paper....

...and to make dry erase art...

Mano A Mano Visits 5-316!

An organization called Mano A Mano visited the 5th grade to provide some background on Dia de los Muertos! Our focus on this holiday previewed some of the geography, history, and customs we will explore more deeply in our Latin American unit.