Year 4, Session 5, Week 1
Session 5 started with a whirlwind of engaging activities that left our learners curious and excited about what is in store for the next several weeks. Exploring physics, pop art, and baking are just a few things that made a jam packed 4 days. We hope everyone had a happy holiday and are glad to be back!
Art
This week we learned about the artist Andy Warhol and “Pop Art”. Pop art uses vivid colors and references iconic pop culture in the design. The learners were able to pick from several designs and complete their work in the colors of their choice. Check out their awesome masterpieces hanging in our studio window!
Writer’s Workshop
This session the topic for Writer’s Workshop is “Science Based Fiction”. The ES heroes get to pick a science related topic of their choice and use it as the base of their story. While what they are writing is fictional, they must weave in ten true facts about their topic in order to teach the reader something. This week they began researching and chose which facts they wanted to incorporate. We can’t wait to see what they bring to exhibition!
Core Skills
At Active we cover the basics of math, reading and writing in many different ways. Whether through online programs like Lexia, Dreambox, and Khan Academy, or hands-on manipulatives in our Montessori studio, our learners are able to progress at their pace!
Baking
Once a week we take time to explore culinary arts! This week the Montessori studio baked a scrumptious crumb cake. Our little heroes practice fine motor skills such as cracking eggs, pouring, and mixing batter that will serve them well in everyday life. We love Wednesdays because the whole school smells of baked goods!
Quest
This session’s quest is called “Newton’s Toy Workshop” and is all about testing the laws of physics! Science took center stage as the Elementary Studio did hands-on experiments to test the effects of gravity and thrust. They constructed their own cars from basic materials such as cardboard, skewers, bottle caps, straws and tape. The first challenge was based on distance and accuracy of hitting a target without using any kind of force other than gravity. The learners could only let their car drop down a ramp. We conducted several trial runs and adjustments were made as the heroes deemed necessary. The second challenge was about testing the effects of thrust using a balloon engine. The learners had to get their car to travel the furthest distance on a flat surface using only the air from a balloon as a guiding force. It was awesome seeing the ES heroes work in teams and get excited about their physics discoveries!