A Day of Learning at Safety Town! 

Our second graders took learning on the road with a wonderful field trip to Safety Town at the Daniel Morgan Technology Center! What an exciting day of exploring, learning, and discovering!

Safety Town gave our students the opportunity to step into a miniature community and learn more about how communities work, how we can stay safe, and the many different careers that help a community thrive. Instead of just reading about these topics in a book, our kiddos got to experience them firsthand!

Throughout the day, students participated in interactive, hands-on activities and learned from people representing a variety of careers and community services. They explored topics such as law enforcement, pharmacy, construction, STEM, water purification, community safety, and much more. 

One of the best parts of Safety Town was seeing how excited the children were to ask questions, participate, and make connections to things we have been learning in the classroom. They discovered that it takes many different people, jobs, businesses, and services working together to make a community a safe and successful place to live.

We are so thankful to everyone at Daniel Morgan Technology Center and all of the community partners who helped make Safety Town such a fun and meaningful experience for our second graders. It was a day filled with learning, laughter, and lots of wonderful memories!

Learning about our community is always more fun when we get to step right into it! 

 

Our Final Grandparent Visit — Baba & Papa 

Today we welcomed Baba and Papa for our final grandparent visit, and what a wonderful way to wrap up this special month!

Papa shared that he lived in many different places across the United States while growing up because his family was connected to the Air Force. He attended Bunker Hill in Indiana for second grade and remembered his teacher, Mrs. Birdsong. He told us about walking to school every day and sitting at desks made of wood and metal—quite different from our classroom today!

Papa also shared a piece of history that really caught our attention. He remembers being in school when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It was interesting for our students to hear about an important historical event from someone who actually remembers when it happened.

Baba grew up in Greenwood, South Carolina, and attended Blake Elementary School. She brought a picture of her first grade class and we were surprised to see they sat at tables instead of individual desk.  Everyone was dressed up in their best clothes.  She reminded us that when she was in school, there were no cell phones and no computers! She brought some Dick and Jane books to share with us, giving the children a peek at the kinds of books students read many years ago.

Baba also told us that her school cafeteria was in the basement! The cafeteria staff cooked the meals right there at school, and she remembered that Friday was always fish day.

We loved listening to Baba and Papa compare their school days to ours. Their visit was the perfect ending to our Grandparents Month! 

As we close out this very special month, we are incredibly thankful for every grandparent who took the time to visit our classroom. We have heard stories from different states, seen treasures from long ago, learned old-fashioned games, listened to favorite childhood books, and discovered just how much school has changed through the years.

Most importantly, our students learned that some of the very best history lessons come from the people we love. Thank you to all of our wonderful grandparents for making Grandparents Month in Room 102 something we will always remember! 

  Another Sweet Grandparents Month Visit! 

Our Grandparents Month adventures continued today with two very sweet grandmothers—Nana and Grandma! We loved hearing their memories of what second grade was like when they were children.

Nana went to E.P. Todd School, right here in our very own district! She told us that one of her favorite subjects was spelling. Her teacher would give her a piece of candy whenever she made a 100 on her spelling test—now that sounds like some pretty sweet motivation!  Nana also loved reading and, of course, recess! She brought Annabelle’s Best Summer Ever and read it to our class. 

Grandma traveled all the way back to her second-grade days in Michigan! She loved reading so much that she would sometimes hide in her closet just so she could read her books. Now that is a true book lover!  She also remembered how much she enjoyed lunchtime because her school served really good food.

Of course, we had to hear about the Michigan snow!   Grandma said they got lots and lots of snow, but surprisingly, they didn't get many snow days. School usually stayed open unless the temperature became extremely cold. Our second graders thought that was pretty amazing!

We loved comparing their school memories to what school is like for us today. Thank you, Nana and Grandma, for spending time with us, sharing your stories, and helping us make another wonderful Grandparents Month memory in Room 102! 

 

A Visit from Beebop & Pop Pop! 

Our Grandparents Month adventures continued with a wonderful visit from Beebop and Pop Pop! We loved hearing their stories about what school was like when they were children.

Both Beebop and Pop Pop went to school in North Carolina. Beebop has an extra-special connection to our classroom because she was once a second grade teacher right here at Pine Street School! She also taught at several other schools throughout her teaching career, so she had plenty of school memories to share with us.

Beebop told us that her favorite book as a child was The Snowy Day because she loved snow and was always hoping for a snow day!  She also remembered reading Dick and Jane books and was sweet enough to bring our class two books to keep. What a special addition to our classroom!

When Beebop was in school, everyone dressed up each day. She remembered wearing saddle oxford shoes and riding the school bus because she lived in the country and had a long way to travel to school. 

Beebop also read Stephanie’s Ponytail to us, and the children absolutely loved it! There were lots of smiles and giggles as we listened. 

Pop Pop shared some of his school memories, too. He walked to school each day and ate lunch in the cafeteria. He especially remembered the delicious homemade bread—and the fact that they got ice cream!  We decided school lunch sounded pretty good back then!

Before they left, Beebop and Pop Pop surprised everyone with a special treat bag containing a pencil, eraser, oatmeal pie, and candy necklace! 

We loved spending time with Beebop and Pop Pop and learning about their school days. Every grandparent visit gives us another little peek into the past, and we are making such wonderful memories along the way.

Thank you, Beebop and Pop Pop, for spending part of your day with Room 102! We loved having you!