Enrichment

Here are a few pictures from the limo lunch. The kids had a great time! Thank you to Brad Tower for this challenge. Your kids wrote such sweet thank you notes which have now been sent to Mr. Tower.

During the last enrichment class before Christmas break, the students did a little Christmas science. First, they learned about dissolving properties and made predictions about which solution would dissolve a candy cane the quickest. Then we talked about freezing temperatures and what helps ice melt. I challenged them to think of ways to melt ice without using heat. They learned how salt lowers the freezing temperature and therefore helps melt ice. Then they generously sprinkled salt on their frozen "hands" and began to extract the treasures. We finished the day with some Christmas challenge math and decorating ornaments.

The 2nd and 3rd grade classes had a great trip to the Museum of Glass. They learned about the glass shaping process and also about rolling prints. They also created their own designs with cut glass.

The 2nd and 3rd graders have been studying waste and how we can do our part to improve the environment. We visiting the Lott Alliance WET Science Center and participated in some activities and scavenger hunt as we learned more about water waste.

We received an invitation to participate in a reading challenge. Brad Tower (who lost his three children in a fire a few years ago) is organizing an activity to read a book and write a letter to his late daughter, Maddy. I am inviting enrichment students and a few others to participate and you are welcome to pass it on to other students. I'm not sure what other teachers are encouraging it. This activity will go very well with our Letter to Author unit and so I would like to see 100% participation.  I have listed six/seven suggestions for books that inspire empathy. I would like your student to read one of these book by November 4th and we will work on the letters to Maddy on November 6th/8th. Students who do the challenge will be treated to lunch and a limo ride around November 14th (we will probably shoot for Nov. 15th or 16th because of the 2nd/3rd field trip on the 14th). Here are my book suggestions. Please have them read one they have NOT read before and one that challeng...

Welcome to enrichment. It's fun to have a bunch of new 2nd and 3rd graders this year. So far, we have been working on creative problem solving, logic problems, and our Project Paradigm. This class is going to research the topic of waste and find a creative way to solve the problem. The students have been super creative in finding ways to "reuse" materials and create something else. Please encourage them to "think outside the box." We are trying to move them away from "right" or "wrong" answers.

 Welcome back to enrichment! I am having so much fun with your students. They are an energetic, creative bunch. Our primary activities this fall will be working on a school newspaper and research ideas for Project Paradigm. We will also be working on logic problems, creative problem solving, and science/research concepts. Here are a few photos from our first few weeks. Josh and Aaron display their egg drop contraption. James (my son and helper for the day) drops one of the egg containers. Another contraption created in an effort to prevent an egg from cracking. Trying to "save Fred."