5th Grade Trip to Coolcrest and Martha Lafite Nature Center

We learned about the angle of reflection in order to help us in mini golf.  We also had to use the correct amount of force when hitting the ball which took some practice.  The slope also caused some problems, but most of us improved by the end of the 18 holes.  Then we headed to Martha Lafite Nature Sanctuary where we learned about wetland habitats.  We waded in the creek to catch crawdads, water gliders, frogs, and many other critters. The students also worked with our naturalist to test the pH, turbidity, and depth of the creek water.

3rd Grade Trip to the Old Firehouse and JS Art Studio

We learned about the history of Kearney from our local barber.  He is an amazing resource who knows many aspects of Kearney history.  Then we took a brief tour of the Old Firehouse.  After that, we had an art lesson at JS Art Studio.  The students were to create a multimedia representation of Missouri’s state insect: the honeybee.  They used their creative thinking skills and I love how each piece of art is unique!  Some students faced challenges during the creative process and learned how to persevere through those challenges.

2nd Grade Trip to KC Beanstalk Gardens

We had a wonderful day with our guide, Lois.  She taught us all about plants including their parts, the parts we eat, what they taste like, and their many uses.  We even wrote with juice from the berries of the poke plant which was used to write the U.S. Constitution! We also planted basil plants.

4th Grade Trip to Ft. Osage

We stepped back in time as we visited a fort built in 1808.  It is located in Sibley, MO along the Missouri River. Our guide was very into character and even “flogged” me for stealing biscuits. (I was falsely accused!) When we got back to school, the students wrote about all that they learned at the museum, trading center, and fort.

2nd Grade Zoob Challenges

The students worked in small groups to create a car that could roll four tiles or more without being touched by their body.  They had to problem solve and use creative thinking to complete this challenge.  I liked how they worked well with each other and were persistent.

2nd Grade Base/Acid Experiments

Today we read about Andy Acid and conducted experiments exploring chemical reactions.  First, we mixed baking soda and dish soap.  Then we added lemon juice.  We observed the solution as it turned frothy. Our next experiment will take a week to see the results.  We put a hardboiled egg in Coca-Cola and another egg in vinegar.  We are going to observe what happens to the egg shells next week.

5th Grade Science City Trip

We traveled to Science City to get ideas for the Battle of the Brains Competition.  We had a lot of fun exploring all of the hands-on activities and we learned a lot.

4th Grade Bridge Engineers

We learned about how bridges work.  Then each student started building a bridge from a K'nex kit.

Truss Bridge

Beam Bridge

Beam Bridge