STEM & Blossom: April
A monthly newsletter for all things STEM and Innovation!
April Showers β
Well, we sure have exceeded the adage of "April Showers" but I'm hoping EXTRA these days for the "Brings May Flowers!" (and hopefully lots of sun to go with it!). The weather has been wild, but it has been delightful to get back into the swing of things after a very rainy Spring Break!
It was also an absolute TREAT to walk into the lab after Spring Break with a huge delivery of wobble stools! Thanks to our AMAZING PTO and Hallinan Community, you have contributed to making Hallinan an EVEN BETTER place to learn! The classrooms are now equipped to accommodate ALL learners with our multitude of flexible seating options. Wobble stools, stand up desks, solo triangular tables, new chairs and SO MUCH MORE! We truly are a learning community that supports the whole child. Thank you for making iLab that much more engaging and wonderful with our new wobble stools! Be sure to check out a quick little THANK YOU video below from Mrs. Graver's class -- The first class to try out our class set of wobble stools at Campfire (our whole group area for STEM). You are AMAZING!
The Innovation Lab is hustlin' and bustlin' with a very diverse round of projects this time! Kinders are planting seeds in their ceramic pinch pots that they made and glazes, firsties are busy making homes for 3 sustainable little pigs, 2nds are learning all about pollinators and creating ways to best transfer pollen, 3rds dive into simple machines as they make cardboard arcade games, 4th graders are doing their first ceramic projects and 5th graders learn about Micro:Bits and coding as they create Micro:Pets! Please note that ALL of these projects will be on display at our STEAM Night, as well as a few other tech tools and activities. Be sure to come visit me in the Innovation Lab! STEAM Night is quickly approaching -- See info and details below and don't hesitate to reach out should you have any questions, comments or concerns!
I'd also like to take this time to remind you to follow STEM_and_Blossom on Instagram to see all of the amazing things we do in the lab! You can see your child's projects as well as other grades and I really take time creating some wonderful videos to best showcase your children's hard work in our amazing space! The QR code to find STEM_and_Blossom can be found at the bottom of the newsletter or just search the name and you'll find us! It is SO fun to follow along! I'm certain you'll enjoy it! :)
Wishing you a great April and I hope to see you soon!
Best,
Nickie Doran
STEAM Night at Hallinan!
Thursday, Apr 27, 2023, 05:30 PM
Hallinan Elementary School, Hawthorne Drive, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
The STEM Lab has Wobble Stools! THANK YOU Hallinan Community!
Thanks to YOU, Hallinan is now an even more special place to learn with our multitude of flexible seating options! Here in the Hallinan Community, we keep ALL learners in mind! Classrooms are equipped with stand up desks, wobble stools, new tables, chairs, desks and MORE! We are so grateful for you!
A SNEAK PEEK at Projects in the Works!
Purposeful Pottery!
Purposeful Pottery!
Pinch Pots & Tiny Seeds!
Click the buttons below to view all Reels from our previous projects! They are SO amazing!
K-5 Projects in Motion (Currently Happening)
See project details below! These projects will run from April 3rd-April 28th!
- Kindergarten: The Tiny Seed & Pinch Pots Kindergarten students tackle their first ceramic project in STEM! We will explore a book called The Tiny Seed and create pinch pots! Students will multi-task this week, learning both about the clay process as well as story structure. Students will create a story about their own "Tiny Seed" and make a plan for their story that includes a "first, next, then, finally" format. They will then create their own mini books that will pair perfectly with their hand crafted pinch pots! These will be on display for our STEAM Night, so students will take their pots home AFTER STEAM Night!
- 1st Grade: The (Sustainable) Three Little Pigs This is such a fun unit! Students listen to and compare and contrast a variety of formats of "The Three Little Pigs." We also get to hear the story from the Wolf's perspective! Following this, students work in pairs to create a plan of a sustainable home for their 3 Little Pigs. Teams will have the option to create their homes out of LEGO, Makers Materials or Unifix Cubes/Geometric builders. This unit combines some essential Language Arts standards, while also incorporating collaboration, creativity and sustainability!
- 2nd Grade: Engineer a Pollinator This is how I know Spring is here! 2nd grade students will explore pollinators, what they do and how they simultaneously work with humans to help us survive! We explore different native plants and pollinators throughout the week, then teams create a plan and engineer their own pollinators! Students will plan and create their pollinator with a specific flower in mind and will test how well their pollinators transfer "pollen" (baking soda) from one flower to another.
- 3rd Grade: Simple Machine Cardboard Arcade This project takes on an overarching theme for science grades K-5 --- SIMPLE MACHINES! Students are expected to identify and have knowledge of the 6 simple machines in our world, yet do not have ample opportunities to build and create with this knowledge in mind. For this project, 3rd graders are given a budget in which to "purchase" their materials to create an interactive game that showcases AT LEAST one simple machine! Teams will spend the week developing blueprints, building and testing their games! We will have "Arcade Day" on Friday to share and celebrate our games and they will also be displayed at STEAM Night later in the month! I can't wait!
- 4th Grade: Pottery with Purpose Thanks to our wonderful PTO, we have heaps of new ceramic tools that I am super excited to use with this year's 4th grade classes! We have various slump and hump molds, new glazes and tools, work mats, PVC rolling pins and MUCH MORE! 4th graders will select their choice of creating a bowl, small medium or large "jewelry dish" or a small plate for a special family member in their life. Since the ceramics process takes time (and patience), students will spend their down time while their projects are in the kiln working on animations! They will have a variety of platforms to choose from, from Wick to Paper Flip Books to Google Slides and MORE! We will end our week glazing our clay projects and sharing and celebrating our amazing animations that we will post to our 'Purposeful Pottery Padlet!' (say that three times!)
- 5th Grade: Micro:Bits and Micro:Pets (an empathy and coding hybrid project) For this project, we introduce a new technology, Micro:Bits! What are Micro:Bits? It is an adorable, pocket-sized computer that introduces you to how software and hardware work together. It has an LED light display, buttons, sensors and many input/output features that you can program and physically interact with! 5th graders will work with a another team and interview them about their ideal pet, their experience with pets and features of a pet that they like. They will then create a pet for the other team that keeps their needs and dreams in mind! It is SO special and something I look forward to every year! EMPATHY and ENGINEERING both play a crucial role in this project as they begin to think about wrapping up their elementary years!
STEM Schedule for the Year:
Innovation Lab Needs:
Plastic Bottles
Felt and Fabric
Masking Tape
Nickie Doran
Email: dorann@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.instagram.com/stem_and_blossom/
Location: Hallinan Elementary School, Hawthorne Drive, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 534-2353
Twitter: @nickie_doran