The third graders have had a busy six weeks.  In math we have studied place value.  The students can now read, write, and compare numbers through 999,999.  We have also worked on addition and subtraction of larger numbers.  The students have learned to count money.  We are now beginning to work on multiplication.  Please help your child learn these facts.  You may want to purchase some flashcards from a dollar store.  The third graders work on problem solving daily, and they are becoming quite good at solving stated problems.  In science we spent quite a bit of time learning about matter.  The children know that solids, liquids, and gases are made of molecules.  We are now learning about simple machines. The students have been working hard in class, and they have made lots of progress.

The Heflin Hornet Hive has been really busy working on reading comprehension skills.  During our reading studies we learned that elephants from Thailand are being taught to paint beautiful pictures using their trunks!  We have learned the difference between fiction and nonfiction and believe it or not, the book, ELEPHANTS CAN PAINT TOO is nonfiction!  Did you know that hundreds of elephants are dying in Thailand because of deforestation?  The author of this book, Katya Arnold, and her husband, has opened up “painting schools” for the misplaced elephants in Thailand .  These beautiful animals are taught to paint and then the paintings are sold!  When people buy their pictures, the money goes to care for the elephants.  Through use of our computers, we even had the opportunity to watch an elephant paint and actually saw some of their beautiful paintings being sold.  You can too by going to their website at www.elephantart.com.  Who knows, you may even want to purchase “elephant art” !  I know that we wanted too.  They were beautiful!