I feel like I’ve said this already this school year, but I can’t remember a time I’ve been so excited about the learning taking place at MJDS. Today’s ETC class added to the enthusiasm both the students and teachers are feeling in anticipation of Maker Fair! 

(If you missed my last post about Maker Fair you can read more about it here!)

Gev. McAdams, Gev. Noorlander and I created three different example kits for the students to try. Last week we had the students sign up for one of our kits and today they tested them out. Whether it was hammering away as they created string art, watching Gev. McAdam’s video tutorial or decorating their new planters, all students were having a blast. 

We intentionally planned three very different kits with a variety of materials and set of directions. I used Google Slides to create a pamphlet, Gev. McAdam’s had a QR code to scan that sent kids to her video tutorial and Gev. Noorlander had a list of directions to follow. We wanted to show the kids that their options are endless when it comes to choosing a project and designing their kits. 

Lastly, we asked the students for feedback as this will be a critical part of their process as well. Our questions were directly connected to the project requirements and parameters. We are looking forward to reading through their thoughts and seeing what project ideas they can come up with on Friday! 

Stay tuned for more excitement! 

PS. Yes — I was wearing noise cancelling headphones! Have you ever been in a space where 8 people are hammering at once? OY!

Can you believe we have started third quarter? That means we are halfway through the school year — ahhh! We have learned SO much but still have SO much left to do! 

About a week ago we wrapped up our Rube Goldberg projects. We (teachers and students) were so proud of the completed contraptions! We ended the unit by inviting teachers and students to view our work, ask questions and provide feedback. Overall it was a really successful unit in many ways. Students continued to build capacity as teammates, we developed our documentation skills and had tons of fun! You can view photos here. 

It will be difficult to top the learning experiences we’ve had so far — but we are confident that third and fourth quarter will be incredible. We are beyond excited to start our next ETC activity! With Home Depot Saturday kid workshops as our inspiration, the students will be participating in a Maker Fair! 

Students will be choosing something (a project, a DIY activity, art, etc.) that he/she would like to learn how to make. Next, they will research a variety of ways to make it and create a project proposal to initiate the purchase of materials needed. After successfully completing the project, the kids will create written tutorials and ready-to-go kits so that others can recreate their newly learned skill. Ah, this is so exciting! 

This Wednesday students will test out the kits we’ve designed as examples. I learned how to make string art, Gev. McAdam’s created a dog toy and Gev. Noorlander learned how to make succulent planters. We can’t wait to share photos!