This past Friday was an exciting day at Laurel Mountain. First of all, we had our 4th and 5th grade Enrichment Cluster Showcase. The displays were set up in the mini-gym, cafeteria and in the hallway. Thank you to everyone came to see the incredible journey our 4th and 5th grade students have taken over the past eight weeks. The President of our RRISD School Board, Mr. Charles Chadwell, came by to visit. Jan Richards, our principal, toured him around the showcase. We were very proud to show the students' hard work to Mr. Chadwell.
I was amazed by the variety of products displayed at the showcase. We had live experiments taking place, demonstrations of peer mediation, movies, paintings, clay figures and bowls, beautiful cross-stitching work, monster heads and scary stories, a fire safety video, preserve tours, claymation videos and sets, student created comic strips, photography portfolios to name a few. It is always so impressive to see what the students can produce in eight hours over eight weeks. Our students are truly amazing!
After the showcase, several teachers and a couple parents from Pond Springs Elementary in RRISD met with Jan Richards and me to discuss the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM). At Pond Springs, they are working towards creating their own version of an Enrichment Slot (E-slot). This is the time that we have every Friday morning from 8:00-9:00. It was fun to answer questions about how we have developed SEM at our school. If you have not already figured this out, I am very enthusiastic about SEM and I love sharing that positive energy with other teachers. And it is REALLY exciting to that the philosophy of SEM and the idea of working with students' strengths and interests is starting to spread in own district.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Sharing Culture in Kindergarten
Laurel Mountain is a school where everyone is a teacher and learner. We love having students and parents share parts of their culture and heritage. This is what was happening in kindergarten last Friday.
In Mrs. Annette Lee's class, John K's parents came to share a Korean game with the Lizard class. The family is new to the United States and the student is learning English for the first time this year. It was a lot like our game called "Sorry". This game was really fun with lots of laughing and cheering. Games and puzzles are one of the favorite enrichment activities for the Lizard class this year, so this was a perfect fit.
In Mrs. Miranda's class, Westwood Dance teacher, Ms. Karen Searles, brought her students to present a dance and movement session with the class. The Westwood Dance students developed and led a lesson for the students centered around the theme of Mexico, which was also the kindergarten social studies unit last week. Also, this past Friday, Mrs. Loraine Gatson, a LME mom, taught the class about the Irish holiday custom of popping open Christmas Crackers and led the children in a craft activity.
In Mrs. Annette Lee's class, John K's parents came to share a Korean game with the Lizard class. The family is new to the United States and the student is learning English for the first time this year. It was a lot like our game called "Sorry". This game was really fun with lots of laughing and cheering. Games and puzzles are one of the favorite enrichment activities for the Lizard class this year, so this was a perfect fit.
In Mrs. Miranda's class, Westwood Dance teacher, Ms. Karen Searles, brought her students to present a dance and movement session with the class. The Westwood Dance students developed and led a lesson for the students centered around the theme of Mexico, which was also the kindergarten social studies unit last week. Also, this past Friday, Mrs. Loraine Gatson, a LME mom, taught the class about the Irish holiday custom of popping open Christmas Crackers and led the children in a craft activity.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Journey of the 4th and 5th grade Enrichment Clusters
This past Friday was the 8th and final meeting of the 4th and 5th grade enrichment cluster. The Showcase will take place in the cafeteria and mini-gym this Friday, December 9, 2011. 5th graders will tour from 8:15-8:45 am and the 4th graders will tour from 9:00-9:30 am. We hope that you are able to join us on this journey of enrichment.
Below you will find the summaries from the enrichment clusters.
Instantaneous Experiments - What a great time we all had! We created “Oobleck”, made our very own Lava Lamps to take home, found out what happens when you mix dish soap with yeast, made bar soap expand with just a microwave, and made the coolest Dry Ice Globes! The best part is that all the experiments we did can be made with materials that can be found around the house J
Is There a Doctor in the House? - In the Is There a Doctor in the House? enrichment cluster, students had the opportunity to practice suturing procedures with medical tools. They also explored the anatomy of the heart by dissecting a pig heart under the guidance of Dr. Su, an internist and LME parent. Mrs. Gini Hand provided lessons on infant/child CPR and choking. After predicting what areas in the school were likely to have the most germs, students took samples around the campus and grew bacteria in Petri dishes. All of the participants expressed a desire to continue exploring opportunities in the medical field.
Claymation - The students learned how to create a stop-motion film. They first learned the steps of stop-motion film by making a flip book. To begin their project, they decided on a topic/service, used a graphic organizer to layout their process, used clay, cardboard, and other materials to design their set. Using a digital camera to capture snapshots, they then uploaded the shots into Window's Movie Maker on the computer. Once they finished organizing and editing their snapshots, they added finishing elements like music, transitions, title, and closing credits.
Landscapes, Portraits, Still Life, Oh My! - In the Landscapes, Portraits, Still Life, Oh My! Enrichment cluster, students avidly and prolifically created beautiful works of art that reflected many different styles, textures, and color palettes. Each week, the children eagerly planned out their pieces, tried new techniques, and experimented with color mixing. Ms. Monica Aaroz shared with students pointillism techniques. Their favorite mediums were tempera/acrylic on canvas and watercolor on anything! Several students chose to donate their paintings to Meals on Wheels so that homebound adults may enjoy the artwork.
LME Crisis Response Team - The LME Crisis Response Team enrichment cluster began with a simulation of a potential, real-life situation: a fire in the nature preserve. Students were able to act out the scenario as fire, police, medical, school, and media responders, and were given the task to figure out how to best handle the emergency. We then had speakers from the Austin Fire Department and American Red Cross to teach us about their role in handling an emergency, and how we can be prepared for an emergency in our community. We spent time learning about personal safety plans, and students spoke to their parents about having a meeting place and evacuation plan for their homes. We spent the remainder of our cluster researching various types of emergencies, including hurricanes, house fires, flooding, and tornados. Students created products to share their new learning with others, and we left our cluster armed with helpful information about how we can prevent, be prepared for, and respond to many different types of crises.
Monsters and Myths - The Monsters and Myths enrichment cluster had lots of fun together. We began our cluster with Mr. Wheeler coming and talking to us about the history and mythology of monsters. This was a great interest starter. We then made tear art monsters. Mrs. Jackson did a mini lesson on ghost story writing. We all wrote ghost stories and then shared our spooky stories in the dark lit by flashlights. Then we learned about the art of applying make up to create a look. The students practiced on each other and then made their own monsters and wrote descriptions.
LME PHOTOGRAPHER’S SOCIETY - The LME Photographer’s Society has had a very productive 8 weeks. We started out with the basics of digital cameras and photography, and learned how to unload our pictures to a computer. We then ventured out to the preserve and around the school grounds to practice our outdoor photography skills. We learned some great lessons on composition and lighting. Next up was to visit the other clusters and learn the ropes of taking indoor pictures. Once we had enough photos, we began to think of a final product we could make using out fantastic images. The cluster learned about Microsoft Publisher, Photo Story, Picture Editor, and StudioWorks. StudioWorks is the program that Laurel Mountain uses to create our yearbook with the help of our wonderful volunteers! Each child selected which product or service they wanted to create, and we hope you enjoy the fruits of their labor at the Enrichment Showcase!
Rocks Beneath our Feet - We began our enrichment cluster by having the students develop a plan for what we would be doing over the eight weeks of enrichment clusters. While discussing our plans, it was important for the kids to decide on a particular product and service their cluster would focus on over the duration of the enrichment cluster. At the end of the first cluster, the students decided our product would be to conduct research on different kinds of rocks and minerals and create a new display for our preserve’s outdoor display case. In addition, we looked at having a presenter from Mad Science conduct a presentation on rocks. Our final idea was to try and find expert volunteers to come into our enrichment cluster to help the kids with their research.
After having made contact with some volunteers from Austin Gem and Mineral Society, we were able to get two different sets of volunteers to come to our enrichment cluster for 3-4 weeks. The volunteers worked with the kids on each of the specific research topics the kids were working on. In addition, these volunteers brought in many samples and provided brief presentations of their own and even provided specimens the kids could use that related to their research topics. Each of the specimens were accompanied by an information card, created by the students, that will be placed in the display case with its’ matching rock or mineral.
Once all of the information cards were developed for the different rocks and minerals, the cards were taken to Kinko’s to be laminated so they could be placed in the display case for others to read and learn from. During our 6th cluster, the volunteers and the kids went into the preserve to set up the display case. During the cluster showcase, the students will be taking parents into the preserve to show the display of rocks and minerals.
Our last cluster involved one of our volunteers coming in with rough minerals along with a gemstone cutting machine to show the students the process a mineral goes through from when it is mined to when it becomes a piece of jewelry. Each of the students was given a sample box of Texas rocks that they could keep for their own rock collections.
Cooking with Zeek - The kids learned about many different dishes from different parts of the world! Zeek, the beagle, traveled the world and sent back recipes and people to teach us how to cook cultural dishes. For the last cluster we had a contest! Each team was given a choice of ingredients to make something. Everyone came up with something different and the judges had a hard time picking a winner! You can check out our blog at www.cookingwithzeek.blogspot.com
You’ve Got Me in Stitches! - The girls in You’ve Got Me in Stitches! enrichment cluster had a productive and enjoyable time creating cross stitch pieces of their choice. While some of them had done some stitching before, this was a first time experience for most. Each girl has finished or is in the process of finishing a simple project and arrangements have been made to get the pieces framed as they are completed. We had hoped to have enough time to create some things to share with those in Central Texas who were affected the fires that occurred in September. But, we ran out of time and weren’t able to do that. However, many in our group commented that they might make something in the future to share with others who are facing hardship.
Draw Me a Story - In the Draw Me a Story enrichment cluster, we changed our name to The Mini Leonardo De Vinci's of LME and decided to sketch comics. We began our enrichment cluster with a visitor and LME mom, Monica Aaroz. She showed us some 3D drawing techniques and how to shade properly. As a group, we voted on drawing one large comic that would displayed at the Enrichment Cluster Showcase. We had a blast drawing funny little creatures, adding in hilarious dialogue and learning from one another. Look for our creative display of art!!!
Fitness for Fun - The Fitness for Fun enrichment cluster 2011 focused on engaging students toward a lifetime of health and fitness. Students learned the ten foundations of fitness, essential principles for proper nutrition, and basic standards for functional movements such as the squat, dead lift, and press. Through a series of guest speakers ranging from U.S. Army Special Forces to industry leading video game designers, students were given an opportunity to hear the benefits of maintaining a healthy life outside of an athletic career.
Lights! Camera! Action! It’s Movie Time - We had an awesome Movie Making enrichment cluster. Each student used the laptops, and later, the net books to create a movie on Movie Maker. Each student took pictures, down loaded pictures, created the movie, and the best part, added transitions and music to our own personalized movie. Later, we worked in small groups to create a LME movie…such as LME Pets, New Staff & Teachers @ LME, and LME Tour. We learned a lot and had great fun making movies. This is definitely a skill that each student will use long after this enrichment cluster.
Clay, Clay, Clay - What a blast we’ve had using our imaginations and skills to create unique works of art from clay. Our creations range from sculpture to potter’s wheel pots to pieces made with clay slabs to coil creations. Many of our pieces have been glazed and fired and are waiting to be seen by others. We have produced over 150 works of art in 8 weeks, or around 7 pieces of art per student. Not only have we been busy learning how to make different clay products, we have had a lot of fun creating and sharing with each other. We are also sharing with the community by donating several of our bowls to the Empty Bowl Project Auction, which provides financial support to the Round Rock Food Bank.
Cartoons and Comic Strips - In our cluster, we began by showing and discussing a variety of cartoons, from single-panel classics to four-panel current comics to graphic novels. We learned that a single-panel cartoon is often making a point and the others tell a story, though a very short story, while entertaining or teaching. We improvised some scenes, acting them out in front of the class, and then turned them into comic strips. Then, the kids created their own characters and put them into cartoon stories. We had a lot of fun creating, exploring, and discovering stories and characters.
Power Point Productions - Members of the Power Point Productions enrichment cluster learned to use animation both within the power point software program and through stop-action animation techniques. They then used their skills to produce animated short videos to send their message to the world. Over the eight weeks, students in the enrichment cluster produced a public service announcement and also created videos intended for entertainment. In the meantime, they increased their skills with this important presentation program.
Laurel Mountain Lionhearts Peer Mediation Team - Twenty-two 4th and 5th grade students completed the PAX UNITED training to become LME's first ever Laurel Mountain Lionhearts Peer Mediation Team. They played a lot of fun, active and engaging games to practice teamwork and cooperation, such as "People to People", "Team Juggling" and "Human Machines." They learned that conflict is a normal part of life and that a caring and supportive mediator can help people find solutions to conflict. The Peer Mediators practiced skills to help them be effective in helping others such as: active listening, making "I statements", and gathering/re-stating information. Using the script provided by the PAX UNITED Program helped these students develop the confidence to launch the program when students return from Winter Break. The Peer Mediators are continuing to work on ways to publicize the service they will be providing, so that parents, teachers and other students will know when Peer Mediation can be used and how to request a session.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
Below you will find the summaries from the enrichment clusters.
Instantaneous Experiments - What a great time we all had! We created “Oobleck”, made our very own Lava Lamps to take home, found out what happens when you mix dish soap with yeast, made bar soap expand with just a microwave, and made the coolest Dry Ice Globes! The best part is that all the experiments we did can be made with materials that can be found around the house J
Is There a Doctor in the House? - In the Is There a Doctor in the House? enrichment cluster, students had the opportunity to practice suturing procedures with medical tools. They also explored the anatomy of the heart by dissecting a pig heart under the guidance of Dr. Su, an internist and LME parent. Mrs. Gini Hand provided lessons on infant/child CPR and choking. After predicting what areas in the school were likely to have the most germs, students took samples around the campus and grew bacteria in Petri dishes. All of the participants expressed a desire to continue exploring opportunities in the medical field.
Claymation - The students learned how to create a stop-motion film. They first learned the steps of stop-motion film by making a flip book. To begin their project, they decided on a topic/service, used a graphic organizer to layout their process, used clay, cardboard, and other materials to design their set. Using a digital camera to capture snapshots, they then uploaded the shots into Window's Movie Maker on the computer. Once they finished organizing and editing their snapshots, they added finishing elements like music, transitions, title, and closing credits.
Landscapes, Portraits, Still Life, Oh My! - In the Landscapes, Portraits, Still Life, Oh My! Enrichment cluster, students avidly and prolifically created beautiful works of art that reflected many different styles, textures, and color palettes. Each week, the children eagerly planned out their pieces, tried new techniques, and experimented with color mixing. Ms. Monica Aaroz shared with students pointillism techniques. Their favorite mediums were tempera/acrylic on canvas and watercolor on anything! Several students chose to donate their paintings to Meals on Wheels so that homebound adults may enjoy the artwork.
LME Crisis Response Team - The LME Crisis Response Team enrichment cluster began with a simulation of a potential, real-life situation: a fire in the nature preserve. Students were able to act out the scenario as fire, police, medical, school, and media responders, and were given the task to figure out how to best handle the emergency. We then had speakers from the Austin Fire Department and American Red Cross to teach us about their role in handling an emergency, and how we can be prepared for an emergency in our community. We spent time learning about personal safety plans, and students spoke to their parents about having a meeting place and evacuation plan for their homes. We spent the remainder of our cluster researching various types of emergencies, including hurricanes, house fires, flooding, and tornados. Students created products to share their new learning with others, and we left our cluster armed with helpful information about how we can prevent, be prepared for, and respond to many different types of crises.
Monsters and Myths - The Monsters and Myths enrichment cluster had lots of fun together. We began our cluster with Mr. Wheeler coming and talking to us about the history and mythology of monsters. This was a great interest starter. We then made tear art monsters. Mrs. Jackson did a mini lesson on ghost story writing. We all wrote ghost stories and then shared our spooky stories in the dark lit by flashlights. Then we learned about the art of applying make up to create a look. The students practiced on each other and then made their own monsters and wrote descriptions.
LME PHOTOGRAPHER’S SOCIETY - The LME Photographer’s Society has had a very productive 8 weeks. We started out with the basics of digital cameras and photography, and learned how to unload our pictures to a computer. We then ventured out to the preserve and around the school grounds to practice our outdoor photography skills. We learned some great lessons on composition and lighting. Next up was to visit the other clusters and learn the ropes of taking indoor pictures. Once we had enough photos, we began to think of a final product we could make using out fantastic images. The cluster learned about Microsoft Publisher, Photo Story, Picture Editor, and StudioWorks. StudioWorks is the program that Laurel Mountain uses to create our yearbook with the help of our wonderful volunteers! Each child selected which product or service they wanted to create, and we hope you enjoy the fruits of their labor at the Enrichment Showcase!
Rocks Beneath our Feet - We began our enrichment cluster by having the students develop a plan for what we would be doing over the eight weeks of enrichment clusters. While discussing our plans, it was important for the kids to decide on a particular product and service their cluster would focus on over the duration of the enrichment cluster. At the end of the first cluster, the students decided our product would be to conduct research on different kinds of rocks and minerals and create a new display for our preserve’s outdoor display case. In addition, we looked at having a presenter from Mad Science conduct a presentation on rocks. Our final idea was to try and find expert volunteers to come into our enrichment cluster to help the kids with their research.
After having made contact with some volunteers from Austin Gem and Mineral Society, we were able to get two different sets of volunteers to come to our enrichment cluster for 3-4 weeks. The volunteers worked with the kids on each of the specific research topics the kids were working on. In addition, these volunteers brought in many samples and provided brief presentations of their own and even provided specimens the kids could use that related to their research topics. Each of the specimens were accompanied by an information card, created by the students, that will be placed in the display case with its’ matching rock or mineral.
Once all of the information cards were developed for the different rocks and minerals, the cards were taken to Kinko’s to be laminated so they could be placed in the display case for others to read and learn from. During our 6th cluster, the volunteers and the kids went into the preserve to set up the display case. During the cluster showcase, the students will be taking parents into the preserve to show the display of rocks and minerals.
Our last cluster involved one of our volunteers coming in with rough minerals along with a gemstone cutting machine to show the students the process a mineral goes through from when it is mined to when it becomes a piece of jewelry. Each of the students was given a sample box of Texas rocks that they could keep for their own rock collections.
Cooking with Zeek - The kids learned about many different dishes from different parts of the world! Zeek, the beagle, traveled the world and sent back recipes and people to teach us how to cook cultural dishes. For the last cluster we had a contest! Each team was given a choice of ingredients to make something. Everyone came up with something different and the judges had a hard time picking a winner! You can check out our blog at www.cookingwithzeek.blogspot.com
You’ve Got Me in Stitches! - The girls in You’ve Got Me in Stitches! enrichment cluster had a productive and enjoyable time creating cross stitch pieces of their choice. While some of them had done some stitching before, this was a first time experience for most. Each girl has finished or is in the process of finishing a simple project and arrangements have been made to get the pieces framed as they are completed. We had hoped to have enough time to create some things to share with those in Central Texas who were affected the fires that occurred in September. But, we ran out of time and weren’t able to do that. However, many in our group commented that they might make something in the future to share with others who are facing hardship.
Draw Me a Story - In the Draw Me a Story enrichment cluster, we changed our name to The Mini Leonardo De Vinci's of LME and decided to sketch comics. We began our enrichment cluster with a visitor and LME mom, Monica Aaroz. She showed us some 3D drawing techniques and how to shade properly. As a group, we voted on drawing one large comic that would displayed at the Enrichment Cluster Showcase. We had a blast drawing funny little creatures, adding in hilarious dialogue and learning from one another. Look for our creative display of art!!!
Fitness for Fun - The Fitness for Fun enrichment cluster 2011 focused on engaging students toward a lifetime of health and fitness. Students learned the ten foundations of fitness, essential principles for proper nutrition, and basic standards for functional movements such as the squat, dead lift, and press. Through a series of guest speakers ranging from U.S. Army Special Forces to industry leading video game designers, students were given an opportunity to hear the benefits of maintaining a healthy life outside of an athletic career.
Lights! Camera! Action! It’s Movie Time - We had an awesome Movie Making enrichment cluster. Each student used the laptops, and later, the net books to create a movie on Movie Maker. Each student took pictures, down loaded pictures, created the movie, and the best part, added transitions and music to our own personalized movie. Later, we worked in small groups to create a LME movie…such as LME Pets, New Staff & Teachers @ LME, and LME Tour. We learned a lot and had great fun making movies. This is definitely a skill that each student will use long after this enrichment cluster.
Clay, Clay, Clay - What a blast we’ve had using our imaginations and skills to create unique works of art from clay. Our creations range from sculpture to potter’s wheel pots to pieces made with clay slabs to coil creations. Many of our pieces have been glazed and fired and are waiting to be seen by others. We have produced over 150 works of art in 8 weeks, or around 7 pieces of art per student. Not only have we been busy learning how to make different clay products, we have had a lot of fun creating and sharing with each other. We are also sharing with the community by donating several of our bowls to the Empty Bowl Project Auction, which provides financial support to the Round Rock Food Bank.
Cartoons and Comic Strips - In our cluster, we began by showing and discussing a variety of cartoons, from single-panel classics to four-panel current comics to graphic novels. We learned that a single-panel cartoon is often making a point and the others tell a story, though a very short story, while entertaining or teaching. We improvised some scenes, acting them out in front of the class, and then turned them into comic strips. Then, the kids created their own characters and put them into cartoon stories. We had a lot of fun creating, exploring, and discovering stories and characters.
Power Point Productions - Members of the Power Point Productions enrichment cluster learned to use animation both within the power point software program and through stop-action animation techniques. They then used their skills to produce animated short videos to send their message to the world. Over the eight weeks, students in the enrichment cluster produced a public service announcement and also created videos intended for entertainment. In the meantime, they increased their skills with this important presentation program.
Laurel Mountain Lionhearts Peer Mediation Team - Twenty-two 4th and 5th grade students completed the PAX UNITED training to become LME's first ever Laurel Mountain Lionhearts Peer Mediation Team. They played a lot of fun, active and engaging games to practice teamwork and cooperation, such as "People to People", "Team Juggling" and "Human Machines." They learned that conflict is a normal part of life and that a caring and supportive mediator can help people find solutions to conflict. The Peer Mediators practiced skills to help them be effective in helping others such as: active listening, making "I statements", and gathering/re-stating information. Using the script provided by the PAX UNITED Program helped these students develop the confidence to launch the program when students return from Winter Break. The Peer Mediators are continuing to work on ways to publicize the service they will be providing, so that parents, teachers and other students will know when Peer Mediation can be used and how to request a session.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
2nd and 3rd grade enrichment cluster
We are already in full swing planning and organizing our 2nd and 3rd grade enrichment clusters. These enrichment clusters will start on Friday, January 13 and go through Friday, March 2, 2012. The enrichment cluster showcase will take place on Friday, March 9, 2012.
This year the 2nd and 3rd grade students will have 16 different enrichment clusters to choose from. A letter went home to our 2nd and 3rd grade parents yesterday explaining the upcoming enrichment clusters. The 2nd and 3rd grade students will be ranking their top four cluster choices in class this week. The students will find out on Friday, January 13 which enrichment cluster they will be a part of.
Here are the descriptions to our 2nd and 3rd grade enrichment clusters.
Space Cadets
Did you know that it takes more than 150 years for a car to drive to the sun? Did you know that summer will last for 21 years on Uranus? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an astronaut? If you’ve ever been curious about space and want to learn more, join us on our next expedition as we take off to explore the universe. Get ready for an exciting adventure. We will have a blast!!!This year the 2nd and 3rd grade students will have 16 different enrichment clusters to choose from. A letter went home to our 2nd and 3rd grade parents yesterday explaining the upcoming enrichment clusters. The 2nd and 3rd grade students will be ranking their top four cluster choices in class this week. The students will find out on Friday, January 13 which enrichment cluster they will be a part of.
Here are the descriptions to our 2nd and 3rd grade enrichment clusters.
Space Cadets
Roaring ChefsMmmm… does the smell of hot, sizzling food make your mouth water? Do you crave zesty appetizers and sweet treats? Then, Roaring Chefs is the place for you! Throughout our cluster we will discover some of the tools used by chefs in the kitchen and do some cooking of our own. We may explore different types of restaurants and create a menu for our own restaurant or we could even cook and bake all kinds of foods from many different cultures. When it comes to food, the possibilities are endless!
Friendship Bracelet FanaticsDo you love making jewelry for your friends? Have you ever thought about making friendship bracelets to share with friends old and new? If so, then this enrichment cluster is for you! We will be learning many different ways to make beautiful friendship bracelet creations that we can make and share. Yarn, floss, beads...all these tools and more! If you've got a passion for creating cool jewelry to share, come join in the fun!!
Rainforest HeroesBecome a rainforest hero! Learn all about the rainforest, its animals, its natural resources, and much more! We could do fun activities, crafts, and even recipes to find out more about the rainforest! Best of all, discover all the ways in which you can help to protect our precious rainforest and the animals that live in it! Adventure awaits!
Inventing Minds ClusterAre you an inventor? Is there an idea you have that could change the world? Do you like creating things? If the answer to these questions is yes, then join us for the “Inventing Minds” enrichment cluster. We will explore the characteristics of famous inventors and the process they go through in creating inventions. Then we can try our hand at making some inventions of our own.
Under the SeaIs a dolphin a fish? How about a Moray eel or a Manta Ray? Are you like me? Are you fascinated by the creatures of the sea? If so, come along and we'll find out just what these creatures are all about. Become an underwater commodore and learn all of this and much, much more!
Violent Volcanoes and Quivering QuakesDid you know that the biggest volcano known to man stands over 18 miles high? Do you find it interesting that the largest earthquake we know of was in the United States? If you are interested in learning more, come join our cluster! We will learn why the earth rumbles and hot, liquid magma spews violently from the earth. You may even decide to create your own erupting volcano or quivering seismograph. We’ll have an explosion of fun and an earth shaking time!
LME Animal House!Do you love learning about WILD animals? Do you want to know how they survive in our dangerous world? Come join the “LME Animal House” enrichment cluster and have an adventure! Become an amateur wildlife biologist and delve deep to get the answers!
Clay CreationsDo you like working with your hands? Does the idea of molding squishy earth make you happy? Then, come and discover the art of working with clay. In this cluster we will explore the techniques of working with clay, working on the pottery wheel, and creating original works of art. The possibilities are endless. Bring your imagination and creativity!
Game On!You may have heard of Football, Basketball, and Cricket …but have you heard of Basque Pelota, Joggling, Netball, and Blo-ball? In this cluster we will explore common and unusual sports around the world. We will play different sports and create our own. Do you have game? Yes…then join this cluster!
Dreamy Drawing"Stars sparkling, greenish, yellow, white and in my head a starry night." Vincent Van Gogh (famous Dutch painter).
Do the swirling colors of the sky or bright electric lights spark your imagination making you want to sit down and draw? If so, this is the enrichment cluster for you! Join us as we discover new possibilities in drawing, learn about artists and creative expression. Bring your inspiration and imagination as we will explore the world of drawing. What's in your head?
Card Making Extravaganza!Do you like to cheer people up or make someone’s day? Then the “Card Making Extravaganza” enrichment cluster is for you! We will use stamps, glitter, embossing powder, and ribbons galore! If you want to make homemade birthday cards, thank you notes, and thinking of you cards then this is the cluster for you!
Take TwoDo you enjoy being behind a camera? Do you like capturing events on “tape”? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a videographer? If so, maybe this cluster is for you. Join me behind the “eye” of the camera. We will have hands on experience with flip cameras, digital cameras and computer programs for editing and producing photo stories and movies. Lights, camera, action!
Perfectly Prepared Pies!Love desserts? Love pies? Apple, cherry and pumpkin? Ever dreamed of being a baker, or owning your own bakery? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then this enrichment cluster is for you! Experience the joy of creating yummy pies for friends and family. Maybe you can bake a delicious pie to cheer someone up! Join me in the quest for the perfect pie!
Scalely FriendsWhat animal breathes air, is covered with scales, can lay eggs and is cold blooded? If you guessed a reptile you were right! Experience the wonder of these prehistoric creatures through hands-on experiences, a demonstration by a reptile expert, and opportunity to learn more about these creatures in an outdoor classroom. Make the “Scalely Friends” enrichment cluster your #1 choice!
Performance PaintingIn Performance Painting, you will explore the work of artists from around the globe, from Africa to Australia, from Europe to Asia, from ancient times until today and then create your own original works of art in the style you choose. This enrichment cluster will really give you the chance to be creative. If you want to use your hands and create artwork during every single enrichment cluster session, this is the enrichment cluster for you!
2nd graders rock!
In Ms. Rumpf's 2nd grade class, they have been learning about rocks.
Mrs. Hanson, Logan's mom, came to class and did a lesson on mining minerals. Students used different tools (paperclip and toothpick) to mine chocolate chips out of chocolate chip cookies.
This lesson modeled of how miners mine the earth for minerals. Students learned about different minerals that are mined and the different jobs it takes to mine minerals.
It was a great lesson!
Mrs. Hanson, Logan's mom, came to class and did a lesson on mining minerals. Students used different tools (paperclip and toothpick) to mine chocolate chips out of chocolate chip cookies.
This lesson modeled of how miners mine the earth for minerals. Students learned about different minerals that are mined and the different jobs it takes to mine minerals.
It was a great lesson!
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Sound of Music in 1st Grade
Laurel Mountain was alive with the sound of music this Friday during e-slot.
Mrs. Clements' first grade cubs shared their talents and interest in music. We had performances on the violin, keyboard, guitar and even some singers.
After sharing our talents and talking about our favorite instruments and kinds of music, the children got a chance to explore different instruments. Some of them even choreographed their own performances that were shared at the end of our e-slot time.
Mrs. Clements' first grade cubs shared their talents and interest in music. We had performances on the violin, keyboard, guitar and even some singers.
After sharing our talents and talking about our favorite instruments and kinds of music, the children got a chance to explore different instruments. Some of them even choreographed their own performances that were shared at the end of our e-slot time.
Continuing to develop the whole child......
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