The First and Second grades were our first students to explore our Octa-clips with our recycled cardboard. They love the variety of ways to build and create with cardboard and our new fasteners. They were so proud of their creations. Look for these in the Makerspace this month!
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The kindergarten class enjoyed a new coding game this week. They got our pirates to the treasure and avoided the bombs. Then they repeated the activity in a smaller version with a partner. It was great fun. The first and second graders used the same manipulatives but their challenges were much harder. Everyone is enjoying our hands-on coding.
First, second and third grade students have all worked on hands on coding this week. They worked with a variety of game boards and levels of difficulty and created paths using direction cards. Then we introduced a new STEM "Toy" that the students love - the Code an Go Mouse Robot! This activity provides a variety of levels of hands on coding and a high level of interest and excitement. The students can't wait to use it again in our Makerspace!
Students in first and second grades compared and contrasted two similar materials, our Strawbees and our Straw Connectors. They were challenged to build a structure as tall as possible and measure their results. The older students were then challenged to convert their measurements from inches to feet and inches. They enjoyed building, using their measuring tools and recording their results!
Our Kindergarten and first grade classes have been the first to try out one of our new STEM "toys", the Code-a-pillar. They are great for problem solving, planning and sequencing and critical thinking. Working in small groups the children piloted some activities with the plan that they may be able to introduce those activities to younger students within the MakerSpace and create challenges for them. In these videos they were exploring and predicting. As they put different direction pieces onto the Code-a-pillar they then predicted where the creature would end up. They had a great time in our Makerspace!
E.C.A. held our first swap meet in honor of Earth day. Students were invited to bring in some of their old things that they never use anymore to trade for other things (shoes that are too small, old toys, knick-knacks, etc.) Children were asked to bring in 1-5 parent approved items to trade with their peers for new treasures. This awesome event came to E.C.A. after Destination Imagination participants shared their wonderful experiences with a similar event during our recent tournament. The first graders were delighted to use their rhyming skills to create new verses for the old classic Down by the Bay. Children used MS Paint to add text (a very tricky task) and then to illustrate if they had time. They really loved recording themselves singing their verses - and we hope you love them too!
You can listen by clicking on the play button, or if you double click it will open the video in youtube.
Mr. Gerry returned to ECA to share his passion about space with each class. The children learned about planets, the Hubble telescope as well as the Webb, the upcoming solar eclipse, the newest solar system and so much more. As always, the children are delighted with his visits! Using Chromebooks, the first graders worked in small groups to create their first stop motion animation movies. They began with a story, created a set, took countless pictures and finally added their audio. We got to use a new tool and app that was a little challenging, but it sure was fun!
First grade is entering their second week of their animation project. Students put on some finishing touches to their backdrops and started filming this week. We are using a new stop motion animation app on the chromebooks that has been a little tricky to master, but so far, the first graders are handling the challenge like champs!
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AuthorI'm Mrs. G - and we're doing great things in the ECA STEM program this year! Categories
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February 2018
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