Moving on to our "Bonding with Chemistry" enrichment cluster. The students in this cluster love doing experiments with dry ice (hey, who doesn't?). So last week, we had the experts at Mad Science come in and do a hour long demonstration with dry ice. There was a long talk about the safe handling of dry ice before any experiments began. The students, along with the guidance of the Mad Scientist, were able to participate in a variety of experiments with the dry ice. The students got to blow on dry ice, watch quarters shiver, make their own bubble water and even got to take a dry ice shower with dry ice bubbles. The students agree that science is fun!
Finally, we had a guest chef in our "Cooking Around the World" enrichment cluster. And that guest chef was our very own 4th grader, Andrew Bailey. Chef Andrew has a life long passion for cooking. He has attended numerous cooking classes at Central Market, cooked many meals for family and friends and last year he co-facilitated a 2nd and 3rd grade enrichment cluster with his teacher. Last Friday, Chef Andrew demonstrated how to prepare West African Mashed Sweet Potatoes. He decided on a recipe to cook with the students, prepared the list of ingredients, prepped all the ingredients and demonstrated all of the steps with the students. Each child in the cluster had an opportunity to cook along with Chef Andrew and prepare their own dish of sweet potatoes. And I can say from first hand experience that they tasted quite delicious!
We love having guests at Laurel Mountain. We love bringing in the experts to show our students the connection between their interests and passions and the real world. Who knows how many future doctors, scientists and chefs are within our school walls? This is another thing that sets LME apart!