Winter/Spring 2025

 First graders have been learning about how light and sound behave. They will use this knowledge to build a rescue device for hikers who are lost in the woods. We have explored making sounds with rubber bands, metal water bottles and stethoscopes. Now, they are learning about how light behaves when it shines on mirrors, translucent, transparent and opaque objects. 

Second graders have been studying matter and its properties. They will build cooler that will keep a popsicle as frozen as possible when the cooler is put under a heat lamp. They have studied reversible and non reversible changes and what happens to a spinach leaf when it is frozen and then thawed. They also have used Legos to practice and understand the concept that small pieces can be put together to make something, and then taken apart and rearranged to make something new. 

November/December 2024

 

Kindergarteners designed and built painting tools that would paint thick lines, thin lines and dots. They worked through the engineering design process and worked with a partner to plan, create, and test their design!

Finished Products

Testing out the painting tools

Building the painting tools

5th graders have finished building and modifying their robot designs. They have been working on improving their driving skills through various challenges in order to prepare for the upcoming class robotics competition.

Two robots work together on the field to score the most points. 

4th graders were given the challenge to build a balloon-powered or rubber-band powered car in a group of 2 or 3 people. They were true engineers, building, trying it out and it not working, and then re-designing and re-building it until the car moved even a little!

3rd graders have been learning about forces and simple machines. They used this knowledge to build a compound machine rescue device to rescue a tiger out of the moat at the zoo. 

Exploring magnets

2nd graders were given the task of building a fast but safe sled for a plastic toy. They worked in a small group and chose materials and designed and built a sled that would keep the toy safe, but still go down the "hill" fast! 

the sledding "hill" 

1st graders have been working on re-telling and writing stories with a beginning, middle and end. After they write their story with a partner, they animate their story in the computer programming app for iPads, Scratch, Jr.