Mrs. Hooker's First Grade Class

CMoR Dollar Night

2012-02-12T16:32:00.000-05:00

Target Family Night is back by popular demand.

Bring the whole family to enjoy what The Children's Museum of Richmond - Central has to offer from 5:00-7:30pm on the third Friday of every month* for just $1 per person!

Free Family Art Program at the VMFA!

2012-02-04T16:09:00.000-05:00


Description:: Come celebrate the Year of the Dragon with VMFA! Explore the rich Chinese culture through puppet shows and art activities. An agenda detailing locations, acitivities, and times will be posted two weeks prior to the event.
Day + Time:: Sat February 11, 2012 1 – 4 pm
Open To:: Families with children ages 3 – 12. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Cost:: Free

Open Studio Saturdays at the VMFA

2012-01-30T16:14:00.000-05:00


Description: Participate in a free “make-it and take-it” art project inspired by a select work of art from the world-renowned collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. (Activities vary each month based on availability of materials.)
Day + Time: First Sunday of each month 1 – 4 pm
Location: Art Education Center
Open To: Recommended for families with children ages 3-12

Cost: Free, no registration required; Sun, Feb 5

CMoR Dollar Night!

2012-01-15T16:32:00.000-05:00

Target Family Night is back by popular demand.

Bring the whole family to enjoy what The Children's Museum of Richmond - Central has to offer from 5:00-7:30pm on the third Friday of every month* for just $1 per person!

Wild Child Days this Weekend!

2012-01-11T16:37:00.002-05:00

Wild Child Days at the Science Museum of Virginia

Saturday, January 14, 1-3 pm

Join us for some special kid’s activities with our friends from Radio Disney! Celebrate the incredible IMAX® film Born to Be Wild and make your own animal mask! Wild Child Days is included with Museum admission or free for members.

The Self-Motivated Student

2012-01-11T16:04:00.001-05:00

Some schools are paying students in cash for earning good grades, but a better alternative would be for teachers to help students motivate themselves, says Larry Ferlazzo, a teacher and author. He suggests teachers praise students' efforts rather than their talent, assist students with self-control and build their confidence through periodic 15-minute writing assignments.

This is a fantastic article, and the TED talk by Dan Pink, who I saw speak last summer at the National National Boards for Teaching Excellence conference, is equally wonderful.

George Washington Carver

2012-01-01T12:50:00.004-05:00

This week we are learning about George Washington Carver. Facts:

George Washington Carver was born into slavery around 1864 on a plantation in Diamond Grove, Missouri. The exact year of his birth is unknown. When he was an infant, he and his mother were kidnapped by slave raiders. The owner of the farm traded a horse as ransom for the baby, but the mother was never seen again.

As a young boy, Carver loved to collect and learn about plants. He had a strong ambition to go to school, but the ones in his area did not accept African Americans. He learned to read and write at home, and at ten years old, he put himself through different schools. As a student, he loved art and showed great skill as a painter. Carver decided to pursue college and was accepted to Highland University, but was promptly denied when administrators discovered that he was black. After repeated rejections, he was finally accepted to Simpson College in Iowa, where he was the second African-American student to attend. There, he studied art but realized his true love was science, and after a year, he transferred to Iowa State Agricultural College, which is now Iowa State University. He was the first African-American student to attend and faced many challenges, but his passion for botany and agricultural science led him all the way to become the first African-American faculty member at the college.

Later African-American political activist and leader Booker T. Washington invited Carver to teach at the Tuskegee Institute, an esteemed university specifically for African Americans. Carver accepted the position and taught there until his death.

Carver realized that farmers in the South relied heavily on growing cotton, but the plants depleted the soil of its nutrients. After several seasons, the soil would not sustain new plants as well as before. Carver discovered that certain crops, such as peanuts, sweet potatoes, cowpeas, and soybeans returned proteins and nutrients into the soil. Carver suggested farmers plant soybeans one year and then plant cotton the next. His method of crop rotation saved countless acres of farmland in the South.

Carver began experimenting with peanuts and sweet potatoes because they were now readily available as cash crops. He developed hundreds of uses for peanuts alone, including lotion, shaving cream, wood stain, leather and cloth dye, rubbing oil, hair tonic, and even a laxative. He also made food products from peanuts, including vinegar, instant coffee, cocoa, mayonnaise, salad oil, and peanut punch. He developed over one hundred uses for sweet potatoes, including flour, sugar, instant coffee, yeast, wood stains, paint, medicine, and meal for livestock. During his lifetime, Carver only held three patents, all for cosmetic uses. He believed that food products came from a higher power and should not be a source of profit but rather available to all.

Carver died in 1943 and gave his entire life savings to science. In both 1948 and 1998, the U.S. Postal Service released commemorative stamps in his honor.

Here are some great activities you can do at home to explore and learn more about George Washington Carver!

Sweet Potato Pie
Sweet potato pie is a popular Southern dessert that uses an ingredient that George Washington Carver spent a lifetime researching. Look for recipes on the Internet and bake a sweet potato pie with your child. This will give a wonderful opportunity to learn healthy eating habits and practice math and reading skills. Your child can help you measure ingredients and stir them together. Encourage your child to think of other ways to use sweet potatoes at home, such as sweet potato salad or sweet potato casseroles. You can extend the cooking activity by cooking a peanut dish or making your own peanut butter by blending peanuts.

Food Collage
As a fun art activity at home, have your child make a collage using the plants George Washington Carver studied, such as peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans. Encourage your child to use all parts of the plant, such as the sweet potato skin, peanut shells, and the paper covering that surrounds the peanut.

Invention Station
Remind your child that George Washington Carver discovered hundreds of uses for sweet potatoes and peanuts. He took something that was readily available and changed the way people used it. Have your child brainstorm creative and alternative uses for something. They may think of different ways to recycle and reuse an item (for example, using a tire as a planter) or find a different use from a common product (such as using onion skins as paper). Share their work with other students, friends, and family members.

Coats for Kids at the Diamond

2011-11-12T05:00:00.000-05:00

Puritan Cleaners is again teaming up with the Flying Squirrels for their 3rd Annual Coats For Kids / Ballpark Warming Party on Saturday, November 19th, from 10am to 2pm. Last year's event was a huge success, with over 1,000 coats collected in just four hours. The Ballpark Warming Party features a festival-style atmosphere with live music, ballpark food samplings, interactive games and inflatable attractions, access to the playing field for catches, and much more. Squirrels fans are invited to come by the stadium to enjoy live music, ballpark food, games and prizes for the the kids, and catches on the Diamond playing field. Fans are asked to donate a coat when they came in and, in return, they received a raffle ticket and a chance to win Squirrels baseball memorabilia and other baseball related prizes. The Ballpark Warming Party is free of charge to fans of all ages.

Open Studio Sunday at the VMFA

2011-11-03T12:47:00.000-04:00

Open Studio Sundays at the VMFA

Day + Time: First Sunday of each month 1 – 4 pm
Location: Art Education Center
Ages: Recommended for families with children ages 3-12
Cost: Free, no registration required
Description: Participate in a free “make-it and take-it” art project inspired by a select work of art from the world-renowned collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. (Activities vary each month based on availability of materials.)

Sun, Nov 6
Sun, Dec 4

Joy of Gingerbread at VMFA

2011-10-29T12:44:00.000-04:00

December Family Art Night at the VMFA
Description: [108] Joy of Gingerbread (register online!) Fri, Dec 9, 5 – 7 pm
VMFA’s annual gingerbread workshop will consist of all the parts, pieces, and treats to making a tasty house! Enjoy holiday fun, cheer, and quality time with the family! You and your child will learn new art techniques and collaborate on creative art projects in this family workshop.

Check out all Family Programs!
Ages: 5 - 12, Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Cost: $32 per workshop (VMFA members $28). Registration includes one child and one adult.
Registration: Register online, by phone at 804.340.1405 or by mail-in registration form.
Cancellations: Fees are nonrefundable except when VMFA cancels a class. If enrollment does not meet minimum capacity to fund class, you will be notified at least one week in advance.

Pete the Cat: I love my White Shoes

2011-10-26T12:22:00.001-04:00

Free Family Art Experience at the VMFA

2011-10-23T13:10:00.000-04:00

Celebrate Latin American Art at the VMFA

Day + Time: Sat October 29, 2011 1 – 4 pm
Location: Art Education Center
Ages: Recommended for familes with children ages 3 - 12
Cost: Free
Description: Celebrate special Latin American holidays and traditions, honoring family, culture, and VMFA's spectacular Ancient American Collection. Join us for gallery hunts, art activities, storytelling, and more!
Sponsored By: "Celebrate Latin American Art" is generously sponsored by MeadWestvaco Foundation.

Mrs. Hooker's First Grade Class

CMoR Dollar Night

Target Family Night is back by popular demand.

Free Family Art Program at the VMFA!

Open Studio Saturdays at the VMFA

CMoR Dollar Night!

Target Family Night is back by popular demand.

Wild Child Days this Weekend!

The Self-Motivated Student

George Washington Carver

Coats for Kids at the Diamond

Open Studio Sunday at the VMFA

Open Studio Sundays at the VMFA

Joy of Gingerbread at VMFA

December Family Art Night at the VMFA

Pete the Cat: I love my White Shoes

Free Family Art Experience at the VMFA

Celebrate Latin American Art at the VMFA