Celebrate the Vernal Equinox

photo by Ms. Tulbure

The first day of spring is called the 

Vernal Equinox. 

Spring started on Monday, March 20, 2017, at 3:29 A.M. (PDT) in southern California. It is called the Vernal Equinox. There are two times when the sun is exactly above the equator. 

1. The Autumnal Equinox is in September. (First day of fall.)

2. The Vernal Equinox is in March. (First day of spring.) 

Equinox means equal night and there are nearly twelve hours of day and twelve hours of night.

One sign of spring is the abundance of colorful flowers that start blooming everywhere!

The California poppy is the state flower. They are popping up everywhere.

Poppies by Mrs. Yollis

The mariposa lily can be found on hiking trails. The beautiful bloom is a quite picturesque! 

Lilac bushes are starting to blossom in backyards! What a lovely aroma! 

Lilac photo by Mrs. Yollis 

BrainPop offers six different informational videos about spring! 

What signs of spring have you noticed? Take a photo from your backyard and I'll add it to this post!

Do you have springtime hobbies or activities?

What did you learn from the BrainPop movies?

Chumash Village Experience

The third grade class went to the Chumash Village Museum to further their learning about the Chumash Native Americans.


Students walked through a day in the life of a Chumash child and brave.

First, they learned about acorns. Acorns were one of the main food sources for the Chumash. After acorns were picked, then they were mashed with a pestle and mortar into flower. Then the flower was leached to remove toxins and the bitter flavor. Next, the acorn meal would be placed on hot stones to make acorn cakes or cooked into a porridge.

Photos by Ms. Tulbure

Students also learned about hunting and the many uses for the animals the Chumash hunted, including making blankets and mats from their fur, and using them for camouflage during a hunt. 

Deer hide

Rabbit Fur

Photo by Mrs. Credle

Next, students listened to Chumash legends. As the Chumash did not have a written language, their stories were passed through generations by word of mouth. The storytelling was experienced in an ap, the Chumash home. Students looked closely at the materials that the ap was constructed from, including alfalfa, tule, and poles for the framework.

Ap

Smokehole

Afterward, students make shell jewelry. Typically, the jewelry would be made from abalone shell. or various other shells, and rope made from the yucca plant. 

Abalone

Lastly, the students leaned about various Chumash games. Games included games of luck (such as dice games) and games of skill. Students practiced playing a hoop and spear game to prepare them for hunting. 

What was your favorite part about the field trip?

What did you learn that you didn't know about before?

Give step by step directions on how to make the acorn meal or how to build an ap.