Enrichment

Yesterday, we visited the Ice Chip Factory in Olympia. The students toured the factory, tasted lots of different flavors, and had a discussion about business ideas. This month, each class will be going through the process of developing a product, asking for investments, marketing the product, and then selling the product. The 2nd/3rd grade class will be creating their own duck (yes, it was originally called duck not duct) tape products. They have come up with their ideas and will be asking for more capital investments next Tuesday. The 4th/5th grade class will be making and selling chocolates. They will be in charge of design, add-ins, and choosing the best packaging to make it sell. We will be doing a few more field trips to learn about businesses. Both classes will go to Alaffia in April and the 4th/5th grade class will go to Cutter's Point to learn more about the huge coffee business in WA state.

You may be curious about the year-long project on which the students have been working. Odyssey of the Mind is all about creativity and problem-solving. I equate it to being part of a think tank. Last week, the former WA state coordinator and the current coordinator came to visit and give students pointers on their long-term problem (their skits/ideas) and their spontaneous problems. It was a great experience and I think some students have a much better feel for what they need to do moving forward. Here are some photos of the students doing the spontaneous problems. The spontaneous problems measure how quickly students can think "on the spot." For example, one group was given a water bottle. They had one minute to think and three minutes to answer the question, "what can this be used for?" The scored 1 point for normal answers like "storing liquid" and 5 points for creative answers like "fill it with sand and use it as a dumbbell." If you wan

The students have just completed an Olympic Unit where they studied the science behind some of the winter Olympic sports. They are currently working on a proposal to coordinate a school Olympics for some of the younger kids. I love seeing their enthusiasm. First, we studied the science behind ski jumping and reducing air resistance. The kids created their own marble ski ramps and explored the best height and angles to get the longest air time. We then looked at aerodynamics and friction and explored bobsledding. The kids experimented whether straw or wood runners were faster on their own mini bobsleds. Students designed their own "curling rocks" and we had a competition on our smooth tables. We learned about friction and surface area and we that slightly bumpy ice reduces the friction because there is less surface area to cause friction. Super smooth ice would cause a vacuum effect and slow the rocks. Finally, we had our own biathlon. Students de