Shadow Lake Bog

Shelf fungus

We had a wonderful trip to the Shadow Lake Bog. The skies parted as the bus left Lake Wilderness and the sun shone upon us on our entire field trip. This trip allowed students to see how they are connected to their environment and to the community as we begin to learn about the sustainability of natural resources. The sphagnum at the bog is a non-renewable resource. We learned that the peat moss at the bog is approximately 65 feet deep. However, what is so amazing is that it only grows about one to two millimeters a year. If the moss is harvested and sold as peat moss, bogs such as the Shadow Lake Bog are forever destroyed. Peat moss is also used as fuel in European countries. And, of course, they have been drained to make room for more houses. We also learned that there are only 3% of the bogs remaining in King County. In class, we looked at the important benefits the bog offers to our local community. Visit the link on this blog to learn more about the S.H.A.D.O.W. organization. I highly recommend the tab "Learn" to find out the following information: What is a bog? Why is it important? and Who live in the Bog?



Skunk cabbage




Hummocks of sphagnum moss



More hummocks of sphagnum moss

A well-dress twig of a tree

Welcome to Fourth Grade

It is going to be a fantastic year. We have so many great activities and learning experiences planned. I hope you enjoyed your summer. I enjoyed time with my two daughters. Leah goes to school at Central Washington University but lived with us this summer as she worked at a golf course. My oldest daughter is married and is a first grade teacher in Spokane.

One of the questions on the Website Detective form asks for the name of our dog. Her name is Kaia and she is an Alaskan Klee Kai. She looks a lot like a Husky, however, she only weighs about 16 pounds. She likes to go to bed with a stuffed animal every night and her favorite snack is a raw carrot. This picture was taken on a snow day.

Be sure to visit the LWES Home Page. There you will find all the important dates for the month of September. I have a few listed on this site as well. Thank you for being responsible and doing your homework assignment. I look forward to our year together.

My Family

This is a picture of my family. My daughter, Katie, was married the summer of 2012. She is a first-grade teacher in the Spokane School District. Her husband is a math teacher and high-school football coach. Leah heads back to Central Washington University in a couple of weeks to begin her senior year. She is majoring in nutrition. My husband, Brent, works for a company called Viking Pump. He travels a good deal of the time because he is responsible for maintaining accounts in the mid-west and western states.

Lulu

This summer we had a four-legged guest staying with us. Leah has a cat named Lulu who stayed with us over the summer. She is a silly cat, and I will miss her as she heads back to college with Leah. I really enjoy cats. I grew up on a farm in Iowa where we had a horse, cows, pigs, chickens, a dog, and many cats and kittens.

Jack-in-the-Beanstalk Sunflowers

Every summer my husband attempts to grow taller sunflowers than the previous year. They stand majestically in the garden, and they are even with my second-floor windows. I love sunflowers and you will soon have the chance to create an artistic masterpiece as we start our science unit about seeds.

Just had to add a snow picture