Another classroom pet!

Introducing... Ferdinand. He's a baby map turtle I found while kayaking on the Rouge River in Rockford. He was all alone in a strange spot, so we decided to take him home and spoil him. (I know that our classroom is going to be like a zoo, but that's okay.) He was just too cute to leave alone.

(He's a common map turtle, which is how he got his name. After famous map-maker Ferdinand Magellan.)

I can't wait for the kids to meet him in August! Hope you are all having a fantastic summer.

Greenhouse Project: Items for Sale

Hello and welcome to our classroom blog page. Our class has been working on a service-learning project all year called The Greenhouse Effect. Our final goal was to raise enough money to purchase a well for a community in need of fresh water somewhere around the world through UNICEF's Tap Project. We learned that it costs about $500 to install these wells, so we set off on a large project to reach our goal.

We decided to build our own plastic water bottle greenhouse, which could be auctioned off to the public for funding for the well. Throughout the year, students collected 1,500 plastic water bottles (many out of trash cans and bins throughout the community). The bottles were prepped and stored until spring when we could begin the actual construction phase. We are in the midst of the construction and have almost finished our six-by-six foot greenhouse, thanks to the help of many wonderful parent volunteers and the hard work of all the students.

While collecting all of our plastic bottles, the students found that they had collected a large amount of bottle caps and decided to use them to help the project in other ways. Several creative students created the following items on their own to be sold. All proceeds will go to the purchase of our UNICEF well.

We invite you to take a look at the items the kids have made. If you are interested in purchasing any of the items, please leave a comment below detailing which item you would like and your information so we can hold it for you. If you live in the North Park (Grand Rapids, MI) community, you can come to the school between May 29 and June 5 to pick up your item, and we will accept your payment at that time (cash, or a check written to North Park Montessori). If you live outside of our community, we would love to ship your item to you. Once you mail us your payment, we will drop your item in the mail to arrive within a few days.

Thank you so much for your support. And keep checking back on this blog, as we have more items to post for sale in the next few days.

Peace, love, and fresh water,
Mrs. Mikrut's Classroom

Plastic Water Bottle Pincushion Rings

Perfect for keeping your pins right at hand.

Price= $5 each

We also have bottle cap collages made on artboard. $5 each:

"Brooklyn's Bottlecaps"

"Gaby's Bottlecaps"

"Jacob's Bottlecaps"