Here's the current line-up for science units during the spring term at Avoca West. Our curriculum is organized to allow many teachers to take advantage of the seasonal temperatures by presenting themes that focus on the natural world around us during the third term.

We look forward to lessons and activities that can be conducted outside, in the Outdoor Classrooms, as well as investigations that will continue within the school!

From studies of the earth and seasonal change, to plant life and invertebrate explorations, this is an exciting time of year for "doing science" at Avoca.

Here is a list of topics for each of the grade levels that are set for the final term of the 2011-2012 school year:

Kinder :       Butterflies

1st grade:    Spring Sprouts and Wild Weather

2nd grade: Prehistoric Life

3rd grade:  Plant Growth and Reproduction

4th grade:  The Sun, Moon Earth

5th grade:  Experimental Design (Ms. Tramontin/Mr. Paynter)

5th grade:  Invertebrates (Ms. Lee/ Ms. Kondos)

We are so looking forward to being out in the gardens as the warm weather returns! There is a lot of work that needs to be done in anticipation of the growing season and we are wanting to involve the students in its care, as soon as we return from spring break.

If you are a parent or a grandparent of an Avoca Student and you are interested in helping in the Outdoor Classroom please join us for our first planning meeting at 2:15 on Monday March 19th in the conference room at Avoca West.

Volunteers are invited to participate on either Thursdays or Fridays this year. The student sessions after spring break will run from 11:15-12:45 and we expect that we will have a variety of children in attendance whenever the weather allows. More details about the program will be presented at the introductory session on Monday March 19 at Avoca West. We will begin in the conference room with an overview of the program as it has been developed in past years and then tour the outdoor classrooms if the weather cooperates.

We look forward to your ideas and input to make 2012

Our best Nature-Keepers Program yet!

Join us as we welcome Spring in the Outdoor Classrooms at Avoca West !

Students in 1st grade and 3rd grade will begin their plant studies when we come back to school after Spring Break, but the sap won't wait.....the sweet sugar is rising now!

If you have never had the chance to witness the harvesting and preparation of syrup from Maple trees, you are literally in for a real treat!  Lake County Forest Preserves are currently tapping their trees and conducting tours of the sugar bush at Ryerson Woods during the first 3 weekends in March.

Your family can enjoy learning about the history of maple syrup at several other local forest preserves and nature centers in the midwest, however my personal favorite event is The Maple Syrup Festival held this year on March 24th and 25th at the North Park Village Center. It is the real deal....the event is FREE and families can see trees being tapped, watch the sap being reduced to syrup, take a taste of the sweetness just as pioneers and native people enjoyed it. The nature center also provides kid friendly activities and hosts a farmers' market. A pancake breakfast is available for a minimal charge with proceeds going to charity. I highly recommend it!

During the winter months, Avoca students in 1st grade and 5th grade are working on astronomy units. While it is often an interesting topic for many of our students, some show a particularly keen fascination with the universe and it is for those students and their families that I am excited to share this Community Announcement of an upcoming telescope event.

This is an open invitation for our families to participate in the Free Star Gazing Party on Tuesday evening Feb. 28, 2012 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. It will take place at the Morton Grove Historical Museum and Education Center, at 6148 W. Dempster. If the night sky is clear, a variety of telescopes will be set up in Harrer Park adjacent to the Morton Grove Historical Museum and Education Center.

Your children will be able to view craters on the moon, distant stars, several planets and an interesting nebula where new stars are forming. It is truly amazing to be able to look directly into the night sky with a telescope, and we expect to be able to see Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and the crescent Moon, as well as the Pleaides star cluster and the Orion Nebula.

The event is hosted by Niles West High School Astronomy students and science faculty. The program will include educational, hands-on exhibits inside the Museum Education Center, as well as providing outside telescopes for the evening's viewing. In case of cloudy skies the event will be re-scheduled. You can call the Museum at (847) 965-0203, for more information.

The beginning phase of our outdoor classroom transformation at Avoca West is pictured below.

The tabletop area was established during the autumn of

the 2008-2009 school year.

Click on the Outdoor Classroom Project to view all of our updates and current information on events and the continuous  changes  as the program expands.