How to Make Sponge Toffee - Science!

I love the things my family and I take interest in during a day - lots of shared information, but also numerous questions.  AND the beauty of books and the internet is that we are able to find the answers to our questions.

Today I bought my kids a crunchie candy bar and we simply needed to know how it is made - check it out below.

A professional candy maker shares the process: This is a clip from "Watson's Chocolates factory in Tonawanda, Buffalo, USA  just a few days before Valentine's Day. Professional candy maker Gerry gives us an inside look at the complicated art of creating sponge candy, a chocolate-coverage crunchy confection unique to the Buffalo area." 

Here is a CBC video for how to make your own sponge toffee (ignore the opening ad!)


Sponge toffee recipe

Enjoy.

Derby the dog: Running on 3D Printed Prosthetics - Science

My Dec. 22nd post is about science, creativity, determination, and 3D printers.  These things come together to help a puppy become more mobile.

Respond below to your thoughts on this video and/or make an information suggestion to continue exercising our brains over the two week break.  

Season's Greetings, Ms. Murrells-Allaway and family.

Kitten Therapy: The Prescription for Stress

My daughter showed me the below YouTube clip (3:04) from her FaceBook page today.  Adorable and informative.  Animal therapy is wondrous

Christmas can be a stressful time, especially for parents coordinating what I refer to as "the production" (or at least I let it become that way, right or wrong, most years).  I'm aiming to enjoy the process of Christmas more this year - being organized, but pairing the to do list, slowing down our days, relishing family time, visiting with neighbours and friends, and ... cuddling with our three cats: Fig Newton (Newtie for short), Sirius Black, and Dobby (we're major Harry Potter fans - try out the sound recording if you haven't already - supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Newton, Newt, or Newtie, 18 yrs old!

Sirius Black

Dobby

Pagani Vehicle - Sports Car

Thank you to all of the students I've worked with, and my family members and friends for inviting me to learn more about our diverse world.  This car theme is for Callum who loves anything and everything about cars.  I invite you to skip those opening ads - sorry that they are part of many video clips.

Pagani Huayra A Short Documentary (National Geographic 14:56)

Emperor Penguins, Antarctic. Captured by Photographer Paul Nicklen

Source: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/08/teachers-guide-to-21st-century-learning.html

Let's continue exercising our brains over our two week holiday.  Let's share great topics to learn and explore about.  We can learn through the internet, books, and simply talking to one another.  

I'll start with this National Geographic Live documentary about the Antarctic's Emperor Penguins (20:38). Photographer Paul Nicklen talks about his journey photographing and learning about these majestic animals while living in the antarctic.  It's the story BEHIND the pictures.  This theme is for Grace's animal passion.

Reply below with other topics and ideas or email me at smurrell@sd83.bc.ca

"National Geographic Live! - Paul Nicklen: Emperors of the Ice"

The 18 minute mark shows the penguins jetting out of the water to avoid being dinner for a leopard lion; they can soar up to 4ft in the air due to their strength, speed, and determination to get out of the water - FAST!

The 

Bastion Scholastic Book Fair an Amazing Success!

I am lost for words!  I'm still confirming totals with Scholastic, but an initial estimate shows that we made just over $4800 for the book fair.  That's amazing!  Bastion learning commons thus will take approximately $2200 in Scholastic credit - yummy!  Therefore, get yourselves onto NoveList K-8 (ask your teacher or teacher-librarian for user name and password; this online database is part of the EBSCO, SD83, ERAC purchase (BC Gov buying consortium)) or Scholastic and make some book suggestions (Book Wish List Binder in the Learning Commons (AKA library) on the counter.

First check to see if the Bastion Learning Commons already has the book.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of the parents and students that helped make this extremely busy book fair a success.  I truly could not have done it without you.

I'm still working at packing up those book fair boxes and then I can start cataloguing the new books I selected from the fair. 

Warm wishes to all and happy reading.





Scholastic English Book Fair, Dec., 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 2014

Enter for more information!

Greetings Bastion students.  Our three day book fair is next week!  Click into the above link for information about coming books: book reviews, & activities.

I need parent and teacher volunteers for set up, sales, and pack up.  To find out more and sign up for a task choose below:

- Book Fair Volunteer Sign Up

- Clean Up Crew

Book Trailers: