2nd Grade Trip to Remington Nature Center

First the students went on a scavenger hunt through the nature center. They were trying to find 12 hidden apples and answers to a page of questions by reading the information and looking around at the exhibits. Then there was a presentation about some of the animals that live in Missouri and we saw their furs. We also got to see a live brown bat that a lady was rehabilitating after it was found in a St. Joseph school. Then the students got to make track impressions in play-doh, rubbings of tracks, and stamp various tracks.

5th Grade Trip to Harvesters

We mostly bagged carrots at Harvesters except for a time where half the students and I went to work on sorting and boxing food donated by QT. The students all worked hard! The kids were impressed with some of the unique carrots we came across.

4th Grade Trip to Hallmark and the Ice Terrace

First we learned about the history of Hallmark and how it was founded by J.C. Hall. He was a passionate, creative person who had a strong work ethic and a lot of success. We also toured the Hallmark Visitors Center. Then we went ice skating at Crown Center’s Ice Terrace. All of the skaters did an amazing job of persevering through difficulties and they all improved by the end of the hour. I am proud of how hard they tried and they should also be proud of their accomplishments today.

3rd Grade KC Symphony Trip

We learned all about how music can tell a story. A local actor acted out various toys for the March of the Toys.  He also narrated the story, The Remarkable Farkle McBride, while the orchestra played.  It was one of the best performances I have seen since I have been going to the symphony. :)

5th Grade Trip to DLR Group

We toured DLR Group’s office and learned about all they do there. They have worked with the Kearney School District on renovations to several buildings. They also designed the KC Speedway, Overland Park soccer complex, and many schools. They are actually the number 1 architecture firm for designing K-12 schools in the world. We heard from architects and several engineers as well as the marketing director.  The students also learned how to use SketchUp to design buildings. Then the students split into two groups and each group designed either a gym or media center. They built it with Legos and presented them to the class. The DLR Group also treated us to pizza, cookies, and drinks. The goal is to expose students to many different career options and for them to see the skills we work on in GATE (problem-solving, collaboration, communication, etc.) being used in real life.