5th Grade: Build a Boat That Floats and Holds Weight

The students worked in small groups to create a boat that would float and hold the most pennies.  All groups were successful and one group’s boat held 84 pennies-Wow! 

3rd Grade: Kleenex Catapults

The students worked in small groups to create a Kleenex box catapult.  Next week, they will make adjustments and launch marshmallows with the catapults.  

2nd Grade Trip to Kaleidoscope

We spent the morning at Kaleidoscope using our creative thinking.  The children created many projects of their choice including puzzles, necklaces, capes, etc. 

5th Grade Trip to the Federal Reserve Bank and Stamp Fulfillment Center

We had way too much fun at the Federal Reserve Bank, but who wouldn't have fun when you are surrounded by money!?  We learned about currency throughout history and the role that the Federal Reserve Bank plays in our banking system.  We also helped analyzed money to find counterfeit bills.

This gold bar was worth over $450,000!  It was very heavy!

These students were creating their own currency.

Then we traveled deep into the caves to visit the Stamp Fulfillment Center.  We learned about how they create and process orders for stamps from all over the world.  

Students processing orders.

Students processing orders.

4th Grade Build a Boat Activity

The 4th graders used materials to design a boat that could float and hold the most weight (pennies).  We focused on using the engineering design process and working together as a team.  All teams were successful and one boat even held 166 pennies!

3rd Grade Science Experiment

We read an article about weathering making the ruins of Pompeii crumble.  We explored weathering further by conducting a science experiment dropping water from different heights onto flour.  We concluded that the higher the water is dropped from, the more damage it causes.

5th Grade: Solving the Mysterry of the Rubik's Cube

Today we started a unit where we are going to learn how to solve a Rubik's cube. We will work through several stages before we solve it. It is definitely teaching us perseverance! :)

4th Grade Math Card Game

The 4th Graders practiced multiplication using a card game.  They laid out all of the cards face down.  Then each player turned 2 cards face up.  The student with the highest product won all of the cards that were face up.

3rd Grade Trip to Harvesters

We took a trip to help package food at Harvesters in Kansas City.  We sorted and bagged potatoes.  The yucky potatoes were tossed in a dumpster for compost.  It is amazing how stinky a rotten potato can be!!!  I was proud to be with such a hardworking group of kids!

Listening to the instructions.

Close inspection of a potato.

Working hard!

Look at all of those potatoes we bagged!

We love it when parents and grandparents can help out too.

Love the satisfied smiles of a job well done...or maybe they are just excited we are going to CiCi's Pizza for lunch!

2nd Grade Special Guest Speaker

Nurse Stevens came from North Kansas City Hospital to teach us about proper hygiene, specifically washing our hands.  We definitely want to stay healthy while many sicknesses are going around this time of year!

Nurse Stevens putting a special glow germ lotion on a student's hands.

Students put their hands under the black light to "see" the germs before and after washing their hands.  

4th Grade Trip to Truman Library

We learned a lot about the history of the United States and the life of Harry S Truman on our tour.  We had an excellent tour guide whose descriptions really made the artifacts come to life. 

The mural painted by Thomas Hart Benton in the entrance to Truman Library.

Exploring the life-size statue of Truman.

On the steps of the Truman Library.