Farm Chat - Residential Concepts

Residential Concepts, Inc.
Farm Chat
MAY 2015
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 5
Insect Invasion at the Lake House!
April buzzed by as the crew at the Lake House focused on learning about
insects! A fascinating fact they learned about Ohio’s insects is that they
are found in a rainbow of colors and interesting patterns. These colors
and patterns help protect insects from predators. For example, many
butterflies have eyespots on their wings that emulate the face of an owl
or other large animal. When an animal looks at the butterfly, they see the
image of a larger animal which may keep the butterfly safe.
One of project groups worked on was studying a butterfly’s life cycle. The
four stages of the butterfly’s life cycle were charted on paper plates. The
first stage, the egg, was created by cutting green construction paper into
the shape of a leaf then adding small black pom-poms to represent eggs.
For the second stage of the life cycle, groups wound pipe cleaners around
pencils then slid the pipe cleaners off the end to make caterpillars. The
third stage, chrysalis (where the butterfly undergoes a transformation in
the cocoon), was made using a stick with brown construction paper
attached to represent the sack containing the butterfly. The final cycle,
the butterfly, was created using tissue paper and a pipe cleaner. The pipe
cleaner was wrapped around the tissue paper to make the body and the
ends were left sticking up to represent antennae. The tissue paper was
then spread out to look like wings. The four phases were attached to the
plate to compete the project.
Ants were another topic during April’s insect invasion! The crew learned
about the ant’s anatomy, habitat, colonies, and different jobs they perform. After learning about ants, ant colonies were created using paint to
make fingerprints ants.
Pictured left: Brianna C. displaying her ant colony.
Pictured right: Lauren E. sharing the life cycle of a butterfly.
Shrinking Eggs at the Annex
The Annex was busy with spring projects throughout April! The group also had fun with a science experiment! The experiment was “shrinking eggs.” To begin, materials and supplies were gathered including two eggs, water, two glasses, vinegar, and sugar. In the first stage of the experiment, the shell had to be removed to expose the semi-permeable membrane of the egg. This was done by placing the eggs in a cup of vinegar for 24 hours. Next, the eggs were washed to remove remaining bits of the shell. The second stage required making a sugar solution. This was done by dissolving sugar in
water. One egg was then placed in a glass of water and the other egg was placed in the sugar solution. The eggs were left
alone for 24 hours to complete the third stage of the experiment. What happened? The egg in the sugar solution shrunk!
This experiment was an example of osmosis, where water moves from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated solution, through the semi-permeable membrane of the egg.
Pictured above:
Nick W. helping
with the experiment.
Spring is Blooming at The Farm
Everyone was excited to be back on The Farm after Spring Break! Crafting started right away with “paper
flowers with a twist!”
Unique flowers were created using construction paper, cut and twisted, to create colorful decorations
for The Farm! Supplies needed included: construction paper, scissors, and tape. For each flower, groups
needed 6 paper squares. The bigger the square, the bigger the flower! First, groups folded each square
into a triangle and made 1/2 inch cuts to the triangle, but the cuts were not all the way through paper
on the end (see Step 1). Second, groups rolled the center diamond back and taped the ends. The outer
diamond was then rolled in the same direction and secured (see Step 2). The third step involved securing the bottom of the center diamond to the outer diamond with tape (see Step 3). After all 6 squares
had been cut, rolled, and secured, the groups gathered all 6 creations, secured them together with tape,
and the result formed a beautiful flower (see Step 4)! The flower was then attached to a dowel rod covered in green construction paper for the stem.
Pictured above:
June J. holding one
of the flowers creatThe flowers were placed throughout the building to brighten things up as everyone waited for flowers
ed at The Farm!
to bloom outside!
Cooking
Corner
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Pictured above are the items featured in the most popular Friday meal for the month. Pictured from
left to right: mini chicken pot pies, beet salad, mini pineapple upside down cakes, and lemon iced
tea.
MAY BIRTHDAYS
Anita W.
Beverly B.
Jocelyn L.
Debbie W.
Thomas A.
Michael J. T.
Head injuries are a huge concern in any accident but especially for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Monitoring any injury to the head is important because even what appears to be a minor bump on the head
can result in injury to the brain. The neck and spinal cord can also be injured at the same time. Signs and
symptoms of a head injury may include:
 Loss of consciousness
 Change in level of consciousness, unusual drowsiness, or difficult to awaken
 Head pain or headache that continues to get worse or does not subside within four hours of injury
 Individual does not remember head injury event
 Dizziness, falling, staggering, dropping objects, and loss of coordination
 Inability to move any part of body without injury or pain to that part of the body
 Speaking difficulties including slowing or slurring of speech
 Blurred vision or double vision
If you see any of these signs after a head injury, call for immediate medical attention or call 911.
4073 Tollgate Road
Phone: 513-724-0094
Batavia, OH 45103
Fax:
513-724-0786
Email: ljones@residentialconcepts.org
www.residentialconcepts.org
MISSION STATEMENT
To improve the quality of life for adults
who are developmentally disabled by
nurturing their mental, physical, emotional, and social development through
new life experiences.
SAFETY ALERT
SAFETY ALERT
HEAD INJURIES