STEM & Blossom: February
A monthly newsletter for all things STEM and Innovation!
Happy February!
The lab is hustlin' and bustlin' as our projects are in full swing! Please view my Reels of our previous projects by clicking the buttons below! Be sure to check out STEM_and_Blossom on Instagram for all things STEM at Hallinan!
Have a fabulous February!
Best,
Nickie Doran
Other STEM-Related Announcements:
ROBOTS! Need We Say More?
Interested in giving your child the tools to succeed in this "robot paced" world?
We are looking for volunteers to help us restart our Lego Robotics Club!
If interested, please attend the First Lego League (FLL) Parent Information Night (https://www.firstlegoleague.org) Wednesday, February 8 from 6:30 - 7:30 in the Hallinan Library
Save the Date:
2/23 - Hallinan STEAM Night!
Join us at Hallinan for STEAM-inspired activities all throughout the school!
Take a Peek at Our Last Projects!
K-5 Projects in Motion (Currently Happening)
Kinder: Sensational Seasons Kindergarten students explore the 4 seasons and create their first digital project using Stop Motion! Students work in pairs to create a season in a box, then create a Stop Motion movie showcasing a "story" that might happen during that season! Can you guess what seasons these "stories" would connect with? .... Planting a garden, swimming by the river, building a snowman, going on a leaf hunt!
- 1st: Penguin Adaptations and Arctic Survival 1st graders will do ALL THINGS penguins, arctic, adaptations and survival! We will study and draw penguins, engineer penguin feet to carry an "egg" to their partner, conduct blubber experiments, learn about Inuksuks AND create watercolor salt art inspired by Aurora Borealis!
- 2nd: Landforms and Stream Tables! Whoooo! This unit is the Bees Knees! For this project, students work in pairs to learn about landforms and erosion using stream tables. Students become "Geotechnical Engineers" as they collaborate and create solutions to slow or stop erosion in their stream tables. Their challenge reads..."Oh no! Due to erosion, your village is at risk of flooding and damage! Your challenge is to protect your LEGO village using no more than 10 popsicle sticks, one piece of foil and your nature walk findings!"
- 3rd: Design a Roller Coaster (Balanced and Unbalanced Forces) 3rds explore balanced and unbalanced forces as they work in their trios to design a cardstock roller coaster with specific criteria and constraints! I love this project because we are able to study a crucial science concept, while also making a super fun, interactive project! Students go crazy with this one as they come up with creative names for their coasters, create tickets and more!
- 4th: Oregon, my Oregon (3D printing) 4th graders dive into their first 3D printing project as they create an Oregon map/keychain that has meaning to their team! We start the week exploring the topography of Oregon and the PNW, discussing mountains, rivers and other special monuments in Oregon. Teams then design "their" Oregon on paper prior to starting their CAD (computer-aided design). We learn essential skills about Tinkercad, our 3D printing software and if all goes well, end our week with a fun Kahoot! that tests their PNW volcano knowledge!
- 5th: Architects in Schools (AiS) and Design a SMART Home! This is a BIG ONE! Architects in Schools comes to Hallinan! I am so excited to have Yuko Mino (Hallinan parent) and Brandon Lanius join us at HAL for the next 3 weeks! They are full-time working architects and will teach our 5ths everything they need to know about creating authentic, accurate blueprints, how to use a scale (an architectural ruler), and much more! Teams will receive a "client" in which they need to build a scale-model home that meets their clients criteria, wishes and needs. We will continue to work on these projects into their following STEM week as we incorporate SMART home features (automatic garage doors, auto lights, fans, etc.) using SAM Labs!
K-5 Projects in the Forecast (Beginning 2/13)
- Kindergarten: Animal Needs and Shelter Design Kinders spend the week exploring what animals need to survive as well as their variety of environments. Students create animals out of egg cartons and then develop a plan to build a shelter for their animal. Their shelter must include all things an animal needs to survive. Students spend the remainder of their week building their shelter and share their animal homes on Seesaw!
- 1st Grade: Spinning Sky: Phases of the Moon First graders dive into Moon studies as we explore the phases of the moon! We start the week building a vehicle to take us to the moon and introducing each moon phase. We discuss, ask (and debunk) the question: Does the moon actually changes shape ??!! .... Students then become Movie Makers with their partners as they create a moon phase stop motion video! I can't wait to see what they create!
- 2nd Grade: Material Magic: Design a Playground 2nd graders explore what a material property is and test properties to determine the best suited material for specific purposes. Students then create a plan to design a playground with material property knowledge in mind!
- 3rd Grade: Travel Oregon Third graders become Travel Guide experts as they create digital content to encourage the masses to Travel to Oregon! Teams will research various Oregon regions and are given the option to create their presentation via Canva OR Adobe Express (Spark). Their Oregon "Content" (Ads, Websites, Presentations) MUST include a logo, interesting facts, eye-catching imagery and reasoning for why their location is a MUST VISIT! Let's travel the local way, 3rd graders and show off our great state!
- 4th Grade: Engineer an Automata Toy! Want to know a really fun way to incorporate 4th grade science standards of simple machines? BUILD A TOY! For this project, students start the week learning about various Automaton, how they function and what features they have. Following this, students create a vision board for an automata toy they'd like to create and develop a plan. Teams then execute their plans as they build a toy that features a simple machine component, is interactive, colorful and FUN! I can't wait to see what this group of 4ths create!
- 5th Grade: Design a SMART Home (Continuation of Architects in Schools) All 5th grade students have had a week in STEM getting to know their clients, working on scales, developing efficient and mathematically sound blueprints and working side-by-side with professional architects. We now get to spend this week with FULL build days to bring their plans to life. In addition, we explore SMART home features, such as automatic light systems, fans and solar panels and discuss creative ways to meet their client needs while also incorporating additional features. 5ths are introduced to block coding with SAM Labs, allowing teams the opportunity to expand on their coding skills, while also making their homes NEXT LEVEL awesome! Some of my favorites from last year: An automatic fireplace, a tree house that ran on solar power energy, an automatic garage door feature and a DC motor fan to keep their client cool in the summer months! I can't wait to see our final home results!
Innovation Lab Needs:
Paint!
Masking Tape
Shoe Boxes!
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