Our textbook begins by showing a picture of a newt sitting on some pink coral fungus growing out of a pile of rotting leaves and asking if the subjects of the picture are alive or not.  I am sure that, by now, you all know the answers.  The focus of our classes this year will be Life Science, and there is no better way to approach the subject than to talk about the not so easily definable characteristics that all living things exhibit.  It is my hope that you have learned about this topic, and several others, in discussions with your children this past month. 

I have been asking your children to “Replay” on an almost daily basis.  What this means is that they should be spending five or ten minutes each night repeating, rehashing, redoing, and rehearsing the information we have learned that day.  My favorite way for this to take place is through a dinner or car ride conversation with an adult.  We all know that crazy little saying that gives people credit for learning 80% of what they teach.  Hopefully, a casual “So what did you learn in science today?” will lead to an increase in your knowledge and help clarify the picture for your child.