Kindergarten Math

Kindergarten is CELEBRATING Math achievements! Kindergarten has been working on reading and working out story problems. We are all so proud of what we are accomplishing. So if you see a Kindergartner give them a high five! Also we have been enjoying some of the High School kids coming down and doing flashcards and reading with us! We love our older Hawks!

Nepal Presentation

Pranu Pradhan was the guest speaker on Thursday, March 2nd for the cultural presentation at Hay Springs Elementary School. Pranu introduced the students to her husband, son, mom and aunt. Pranu is originally from Kathmandu, Nepal. Some interesting facts that Pranu shared: Nepal’s population is 30.5 million people and the country is similar in size to Arkansas. Popular Nepali foods are rice and curry. She shared examples of the Nepali alphabet, numbers, and common phrases. The Nepal Flag is triangular to represent Mt. Everest. She showed the students some Nepali currency. One Nepalese Rupee is equal to .0076 US dollar. It is the year 2079 in Nepal and the students were able to see a Nepali calendar. The cow is considered sacred in Nepal so they do not butcher or consume beef. Pranu and her family all dressed in traditional attire. She showed the students a sari cloth. A sari cloth is over 6 yards long and is wrapped around the body and then draped across one shoulder. After the presentation, the Kindergarten Class played rhythm sticks and drum on a stick to some Nepali music. The students also received the “I See the Sun in Nepal” book and butter cookies for a snack. Thank you Pranu for taking the time to come and share about the culture of Nepal. Thanks also to the Snow-Redfern Foundation for the project grant that makes these cultural presentations possible.

FFA Chicken Presentation

FFA chapters across the country celebrate National FFA week, which is February 18-24 this year. This is an opportunity to bring awareness to the FFA program as well as agriculture in general. Hay Springs FFA Chapter vice president, Ava McKillip, was able to share some poultry education with the first grade class, who received a grant from the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation to study where our food comes from and where it is produced.

Ava brought 3 chickens, a Dark Brahma, Midnight Majesty, and an Ameraucana, from her 45 head flock for the children to learn about as well as view and pet. The children were able to see and learn the differences between the three breeds and the variations in the eggs they lay. There were samples of light brown, dark brown, cream, and blue/green eggs to view. It was discussed what the chickens eat during the warmer months as free range birds and Ava had samples of the feed and treats they eat during the winter months. One of the first graders was selected to offer the Dark Brahma some dried mealworms, aka “chicken candy”, but the chicken was feeling a bit shy and wouldn’t eat from his hand. To finish up the demonstration, Ava cracked open an egg to point out the yolk, white or albumen, and the air cell.

The children also learned some fun facts about chickens:
* Did you know that chickens have earlobes? By looking at the color of their earlobes, you can generally tell whether the chicken will lay white, brown, or blue/green eggs.
* It’s believed that chickens can see more colors and have better vision than humans. This helps them identify seeds and food on the ground.
* Have you heard of a T-rex dinosaur? Believe it or not, chickens are genetically more similar than alligators to the T-rex.

Ava will be part of a 4 member poultry team representing the Hay Springs FFA Chapter at the state level competition in Lincoln at the end of March.

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