Winter Break Maker Challenges

 

HISD's 12 Days of Code 2020 - STEAM Lab week13 & 14

STEAM Lab 20-21 week 12

STEAM Lab 20-21 week 11

STEAM Lab 20-21 week 10

 

STEAM Lab 20-21 week 9

STEAM Lab 20-21 week 8

STEAM Lab 20-21 week 7

STEAM Lab 20-21 week 6

STEAM Lab 20-21 week 5

STEAM Lab 20-21 week 4

STEAM Lab 20-21 week 3

 

STEAM Lab 20-21 week 2

Welcome to STEAM Lab @ Home

Welcome to a new and new kind of school year, Panthers. I miss working with you in the lab, but have created a new set of activities to help you continue to program, make, and protect the planet!

Neighborhood Naturalist 

1) Find That Lizard  a game created by herpetologist Earyn McGhee. I will post her picture a fun facts; you examine the photo carefully - enlarge it if you need to - and circle the camouflaged lizard! 

2) Big Bend Challenge - a game to learn fun facts about Texas plants and animals!

3) Garden Spotlight - watch the video to learn about what lives in the Piney Point habitats. Each grade level has a nature focus and is encouraged to submit their photos of their grade plant or animal through a Class Dojo message. 

 Maker Challenge - 

You all did an AMAZING job with these last year. I was so impressed with your creativity and skills! Each week there will be a new challenge for you to make with you family. Turn in pictures and videos of what you make to me through a Class Dojo message.

Coding

Try to complete one level a week in code.org or try to create a Scratch or Scratch Jr project.

Getting Unstuck Redux Day 10

Last day of my Getting Unstuck 2020 revisit! There were tons of amazing projects in the studio again and after my personal explorations I am going back to start building student projects with some of the 230+ saved creations!

I had seen soooo many amazing projects using the Translate extension, I knew that I wanted to make a project with these blocks. The idea behind this was a blend of two things: the children's game "Telephone" - where a message is passed down the line, person to person, and secondly, the amazing international Scratch community! Every day groups of people from all over the world came together to work on this experience. Scratchers from the across North America, Netherlands, Italy, Russia, and Australia offered me advice and solved my coding quandaries every day. I wanted to celebrate both of these in my original Day 10 project:



So for this last day, there were several ideas I wanted to explore, but I settled on a "typewriting" effect used by @karenb in her Day 10 (and by several other Scratchers over the course of GU 2020) and I went back to a project by @yhsieh in the Day 5 studio where she made Van Gogh's Starry Night come alive with a perfect musical accompaniment and some erasure and substitutions.
I love Art Nouveau and decided to take the Czech artist Mucha and pair his work with a contemporaneous compatriot - Dvorak. The Metropolitan Opera has been streaming their productions nightly since mid March (which has been a lifeline in my new shut-in existence) and tonight's is Rusalka! It was meant to be! It's not as effective as @yhsieh's https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/410867880/ but I hope you enjoy it!

Getting Unstuck Redux Day 9

Penultimate day of my secong run through of Getting Unstuck 2020!

I whipped together a project using a list and thought I was done, then I realized it was almost identical to one of my previous projects and was NOT doing anything "interesting" with the list! Last minute hysterical scramble to put together this Clue game. I did enjoy making it and I hope you will play it:

or if you can't play in the blog here is the link on Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/411691853

I wasn't sure what I wanted to work on today - I saved tons of projects from the studio, but almost all were planned reworks for student assignments. My absolute favorite project was a digital version of a code breaking game by Scratcher @pkirschmann: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/411998185/  - you should absolutely try it! Also, @mstone326 coded a digital version of the card game WAR that is so much fun!  https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/412020525/ @Mme_Roome made a Scratch Boggle game too: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/411908450/

While all the games were amazing, I am still hung up on producing visual effects! Picking up from Scratcher @giulioooo's project from Day 6 and the inspiration of the traditional stage presentation of the lovely Coro a bocca chiusa, in Puccini's Madama Butterfly. I hope you enjoy it!

Getting Unstuck Redux Day 8

It is Day 8 and the prompt called for using a variable.

I didn't save as many projects today (only 22!), but I LOVED every single one! I created a game for Monarch Heroes with 3 levels. I have such a hard time with games! I cannot play them so I never know if they are too hard or too easy! All the bugs in the project were pictures I took in our gardens.

So I wanted to work on creating a firework effect today and started off inspired by a really fantastic project: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/411894563/ but I ended up being more focused on lighting effects and went back to a couple of projects I had saved from the Day 6 studio by Scratchers @mrreuland and @giulioooo. I love fireflies and this reminded me of a special place I visited many years ago. I hope you like it!

NEW PROJECT

Getting Unstuck Redux Day 7

The prompt for Day 7 was using the ask and answer blocks. I use these a great deal, so wanted to focus on building proficiency with another aspect of the pen extension.  

My original project was a Magic 8 Ball "randomizer" based on a popular assignment from our STEAM Lab.

As I was revisiting the really marvelous range of projects in the studio I found the perfect thing! https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/411520923 by Scratcher @CyberParra translated words into art and it made me think of one of my favorite artists - the brilliant Spanish Surrealist, Joan Miro. I was able to learn to use the stamp feature and play with the idea of "automatic painting". 

I had a lot of fun with this and hope you enjoy it!

Getting Unstuck Redux Day 6

This prompt brought out some spectacular creativity! I save more than 30 projects from this day's studio - great games, gorgeous effects, and charming animations.

For me the prompt recalled some of our No Place For Hate events. I took a list created by the 2nd and 3rd grade coalition members for an event in 2017-18 that I still have in my records and uploaded it as a list. The program then calls a random "act of kindness" from the list each time you click the space bar.



 I really struggled with what I would work on today and just ended up going with the day's theme by falling back on "pick random". Scratcher Mattioli2 makes really wonderful things! The lightening program was just amazing. I didn't get it entirely figured out. I will have to continue to work on getting the effect just right, but I feel like I have a made a good start. Let me know what you think!

Getting Unstuck Redux – Day 5

Today marks the half-way point of my review! It has been really good to revisit the studios and sort all the projects I saved. After I finish my personal learning “remix”, I am going back through all the student ideas to write up the assignments – that will probably take 3-4 weeks, as there have been so many great ideas!

Today’s prompt was also well-known territory for me. I made a little scene where the shark sprite reacts to each of the other ocean critters if they touch. The sensing blocks are a lot of fun and work particularly well for games. Here is what I made:

I saved too many projects from the Day 5 studio, but fortunately most of the 30! projects were ideas for students so I didn’t need to pick through all of them for my learning project! I loved one maze project by Scratcher @HSSLab (https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/410905325) that appeared to have a glowing flashlight illuminate the maze!
I wanted to work with that effect, so here is how it went:

Not great, but I can understand how to get the look I want; I will just need to keep practicing!

Getting Unstuck Redux – Day 4

I use and have students use the broadcast blocks a lot. They are very adaptable for all kinds of purposes and clearly inspired a lot of creativity - I saved an absolutely enormous number of projects from the Day 4 studio!

I am taking a few different classes this summer and one of them is about mapping and using maps. That worked very well with the use of the broadcast block (like in Google maps, if you click on a location pic it takes you to information about that place). The Houston heat and being stuck at home for so long had me nostalgic for other summers we spent in cooler climates! This is what I made:

This studio has set me up with student Scratch project prompts/ starter projects/ challenges for years to come! Among the wealth of fantastic ideas were projects using the music extension with broadcasts and I was motivated to work with some of these effects today. I will need to practice with the music tools a great deal more, but I think kids will have fun playing the fish!

Here is how it went:

Getting Unstuck Redux – Day 3

Day three's challenge:

The minute I saw the two things at one time, I immediately thought of those silly challenges: Can you walk and chew gum at the same time? Pat your head and rub your belly? Hope on one leg and recite the Gettysburg Address? I used the first two for my project base:

Today’s studio was full of more amazing! How do people come up with these ideas? There are now almost a million things on my "I Need to Learn to Do That" list, but I decided to work on making the pen create symmetrical drawings. Again, I included the recorded introduction.This is what I made:

What do you think?

Getting Unstuck Redux – Day 2

A note about community and the importance of the notes/ credits/ comments. The Scratch community is all about learning and sharing. When I shared yesterday's project, I put a comment in the notes that I wasn't happy with the effect and was looking for suggestions. Another Scratch user saw the request and referred me to a couple of other fantastic projects that used the effects I wanted.

Use the comments! Use the Notes and Credits! Never be afraid to ask for help! That's the lesson and here is the new and improved project:
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/412836264/

Now, onto Day 2!

I was re-amazed by all the projects in the Day 1 studio when I went back and had the same reaction to the Day 2 studio! So many amazing ideas and all from one prompt:

I have you all makes lots of projects with key presses so they can work with the Makey Makeys. Panther students were also the inspiration for my theme! In our Teams class meetings I heard from so many people that they wished they could go somewhere, anywhere! Here is the project:

The projects I saved from Day 2 were 90% student project ideas - you will LOVE them! However, there were a few skill challenges for me! I decided to work on visual effects with clones some more, sliders to let the user manipulate the sprite and its effects, the space bar changes the costume. I am also including something that will be part of your class Scratch projects this coming year - a voice recording introduction before the project starts.
See how I did:

Getting Unstuck Redux Day 1

The adventure really begins! The email:

Here is my Day 1 project:

Because students didn’t get to finish the year at school and see how the Eco-Schools projects turned out, I really wanted to include our habitats in the project. I have been taking care of the gardens since the students left and every time I go there is something new – a “surprise” each time I engage, so it seemed like a good fit for the project description.

One thing I love about Scratch is that it allows for so much creativity and personal expression! In the studio there were well over a hundred projects and every one was different! 

Another thing that was special about this was the conversations that were taking place in the comments. Not just hearts and stars, but real feedback about what people liked, great ideas about things to add, and suggestions about how to fix problems.

I starred 23 projects from the studio to revisit and learn from. 10 were great lesson ideas that you will be seeing soon in your STEAM lab assignments!13 of them were interesting effects or different ways of coding that I wanted to try. I chose to work on the pen extension. Here is what I made today:

It isn't 100% what I wanted yet, but the great thing about Scratch is you can always go back to add and improve! I hope you will try something new today too!

Getting Unstuck Redux - Day 0

I recently participated in a really fantastic learning experience called Getting Unstuck hosted by the Scratch Ed Team. One of the problems in teacher learning (and student learning!) is that we don’t take time to think about and delve into what we saw, heard, and did. Without time to reflect and re-examine new ideas and tools, they are quickly lost.

I want to make sure that doesn’t happen, so I will be sharing my Getting Unstuck Redux with you here! I will revisit the experience day by day to look at what I made, have a closer look at projects I saved, and see if I can build on what I learned.

Day 0

The introduction:

When we signed up, we received a welcome and an invitation to create a getting to know you project and share it to the studio. Here is mine:

STEAM @ Home week 9

Here is your week 9 challenge!
#MathArtChallenge
Look at the explanation page for some ideas on how you can make your project, then amaze yourself (and me!) with just how creative you can get with just a cut up paper tube!

STEAM @ Home week 8

Here is your week 8 challenge!
They say a picture is worth 1000 words! Lets see if that is true. What story can you tell with Shadow Stories?

 

STEAM @ Home week 7

Here is your week 7 challenge! 

Are you tired of just seeing what is outside your window? Then you will love this week's project! You can #HackYourWindow with the Scratch project or do an unplugged version! Click on the "samples" to see some of the coding projects or watch the video to see how to make an unplugged project.
As always, share what you make in Teams, Class Dojo, to my email kboycequ@houstonisd.org, or Twitter. Don't forget to @ me so I can your post!

STEAM @ Home week 6

Here is your week 6 challenge!

In Houston we have too much light pollution to see the beauties of the night sky very well. You will fix that problem by making your own mini telescope or planetarium! In my examples, I only did one planet and one constellation, but try making a whole galaxy! Make all the planets or several of your favorite constellations! Share what you make in Teams, Class Dojo or to my email - kboycequ@houstonisd.org don't forget to @ me so I see what you post!

STEAM @ Home week 5

Here is week 5's challenge!

Can you find items at home to create a symmetry circle project?

STEAM @ Home week 4

In this week's challenge you will explore force and motion and cause and effect, learn about the Rube Goldberg machine, and create a chain reaction machine!

STEAM @ Home week 3

Week 3 of STEAM Lab @ Home:

This week you will investigate food chains and create a free standing sculpture called a STABILE to illustrate what you learn!

Ancillary @ Home week 3

Click HERE for Ancillary @ Home

 week 3 activities

Ancillary @ Home week 2

Click HERE for Ancillary @ Home week 2 activities

STEM @ Home week 2

Welcome to week 2 of STEM @ Home!
 
This week you will design and build your own marble run with materials you can find at home. Click on the links to explore concepts like forces and motion, gravity, friction and more. Have fun and be sure to share your creations - email me kboycequ@houstonisd,org, share to your Teams page, or post it on Twitter # AncillayAtHome

Ancillary @ Home

Click HERE to access ancillary lessons

Happy Huerta/ Chavez Day

This was to be HISD's first year to recognize this day and I don't want to let it pass unmarked! These two icons of civil rights advocacy definitely deserve recognition. Dolores Huerta was raised to activism by extremely involved parents. She became motivated to greater community service by the struggles she witnessed as a teacher - she saw the impact of abusive, disenfranchising systems and policies of her students and their families and knew that things had to change. She is still fighting to bring justice to oppressed communities to this day!

STEM @ HOME

Welcome to our brave, new learning adventure! I hope all of you are keeping safe at home. We are all missing you and hoping to get back to school as soon as possible. In the meantime, we will all be creating lessons and content to share with you remotely.



I will be posting weekly ancillary activities on this page, the school website, Clever, and Ms. Wheatley and Ms. Roesch will be sharing from their Google Classroom and personal pages as well.

In addition to our activities, I will be sharing updates from the habitats, links to amazing at-home  learning opportunities from Nat Geo, NASA, LEGO, museums, zoos, and other organizations from all over the world in the left-hand side-bar.

Best wishes for your health and well-being!

2019-20 STEAM Lab week 26

A shortened week, but full of wonderful learning experiences!

Monday we gathered our UIL Team to congratulate everyone and give back their results. We are so Panther Proud of our scholars and performers!

STEAM lab was on the road this week to accommodate HMNS Bugs on Wheels. I love this program and so do all our students! I booked it last year and it was such a big hit, I hope to make it annual.

Monday was Monarchs for our Eco-Schools USA Monarch Heroes of course!

Tuesday was Decomposers for our Eco-Schools USA Recycling Team – they were excited to meet nature’s recycling team!

Wednesday was Pollinators for 3^rd grade:

Thursday was Arthropods for 4^th grade:

Friday was scheduled to be Arachnids for 5^th grade, but the cancellation will push that back after our return to school.

Kindergarten created their own definition and image of a Green Hero, had a bonus campus clean-up day and was able to produce their class profile video! 

Our Green Heroes were recognized by Don't Mess With Texas and received several boxes of special prizes! They got beautiful calendars, giant posters, and a clean-up bag with stickers and a mini book. Thank you so much for the gifts!

First grade reviewed all their Monarch learning for the year – incorporating new facts from their HMNS program! They then worked in teams to create their Monarch Movie, but unfortunately didn’t get to present their final project when school was cancelled. They also got acquainted with Scratch Jr!

Second, Third, and Fourth grade had their Scratch Intro, but then environmental projects took over! They donated a day to assisting the Monarch Heroes by relocating some of their beds and prepping them for Habitat Restoration Day, they prepped new beds in the Guacamole Garden, they bucket brigade watered all 50 of the Monarch Hero habitat beds and the vegetable gardens too! They also attended the HMNS Bugs On Wheels program for their grade level.

Thursday was Monarch Habitat Restoration Day! All eight classes came out to add new plants in place of ones that didn’t make it through the winter or were completely devoured by caterpillars in the fall!

In Digital Making Club 2^nd graders got acquainted with LEGO Dacta as an introduction before they start the Simple Machines and then the WeDo kits. The 3^rd grade put final touches on their interactive stories, and Krisha (who finished last week) started on LEGO WeDo. 4^th and 5^th graders started work with BirdBrain’s Hummingbird robotics kits. They started creating a simple – or in some cases, NOT so simple, design to attach the motors and lights and then program it to move, light up, or spin around in Scratch.

I was saddened to learn that school will not be in session until March 31^st, but obviously the safety of our children and their families is the top priority. I do wish I had an opportunity to say a proper goodbye to students and make sure I sent home activities and supplies. I look forward to seeing everyone back healthy and ready to make and learn again as soon as possible!

2019-20 STEAM Lab week 25

A great week, full of learning, making, and special events!

On Monday, K-2 classes from last week were back in the lab to wrap up their projects. We had wonderful Robo-Retells from K,

and 1^st ,

and second truly enjoyed their repurposed can cuicas!

Also Monday, we held a Black History themed Mardi Gras parade – it was a little late due to Friday’s closure, but plenty amazing! View some highlights HERE

We started the new units for K-4 this week and they are off to a great start! K is making their Green Hero videos, so they are practicing their song, conducting extra clean-ups, and sketching their version of a Green Hero.

1^st grade is creating their collaborative Monarch Movies. First, they brainstormed a list of everything they learned this year about monarch and then divided into groups to make the slides for each topic. The slides were organized into order and combined and then they practiced narrating their sections and managing our recycled film strip “viewer”!

2^nd grade is looking for more ways to combat waste on campus and to that end helped our Kinder by conducting a clean-up in front of the school. They collected a large box full of trash from just the small garden area by the Gold Car rider dismissal area. They sorted it and were shocked to see how much plastic trash is everywhere.

3^rd grade started working with Scratch. They worked through the tutorial projects at their own pace to acquaint themselves with the new programming environment and then started creating their own!

4^th grade began their Interactive Stories using Scratch and Makey Makey. In teams they selected either fiction, non-fiction, or poetry and divided their subject into pieces. Then each team member created an illustrated book page and wrote a Scratch program to animate their page. At the end, all the pages were lined up in order and everyone went down the line to enjoy the stories!

5^th grade hosted our 2^nd Cardboard Arcade for the year. They hosted Ms. Tran’s kindergarten and a wonderful time was had by all!

Friday saw our Kindergarten Eco-Schools USA Green Heroes’ annual Trash Bash. All eight of our K classes met outside for a massive litter pick-up and then they sorted the trash into categories. For the second year in a row, they discovered that plastic trash is the biggest culprit.

In the STEAM Lab we were able to squeeze in a little Free Build Friday too!

Our 3-5 Name that Book team competed on Wednesday. This group has done a great book with the book list! They have been hosting a popular series of Book Talks on the morning announcements! Check out the Name That Book tab at the top of this page to see some.Thank you to the Piney Point PTO for treating our readers to lunch!

Digital Making Club – 3^rd grader Krisha finished our first Scratch + Makey Makey interactive story! She wrote and illustrated an original story and then created a Scratch project that animated her tale. She attached copper tape to the backs of her pages to connect them to the Makey Makey and make her book interactive! The rest of the 3^rd grade is right behind her in completing the work.

4^th and 5^th grade began work on their Interactive stories today, and 2^nd grade completed rehearsals for taping their Ozobot Robo-Retell.

Our Junior No Place For Hate subcommittee started work on our next campus-wide event. They are writing their own version of Dr. Seuss' The Sneetches.

Saturday, our UIL team competed at Northside High School in Oral Reading English and Spanish and Creative and Ready Writing. We are so proud of these super talented Panthers! Thanks to Ms. Hernandez and Ms. Wheatley for chaperoning, our Panther Parents for their support, and the PTO for sponsoring lunch!

2019-20 STEAM Lab week 24

A short, but productive week!

The week was suddenly cut short by a broken water main, so K-2 were unable to complete their projects. They will return to the lab one day next week to wrap up their last bits and pieces!

3^rd and 4^th finished their Ozobot Robo-Retells with 3^rd grade adding a circular course to their water cycles!

4th grade hosted a couple of story parties with students from Ms. Caro and Ms. Colmenero's kindergarten classes. They read selections from the K-2 Name That Book list. Everyone involved had a fantastic time!

Ms. Limon’s 5^th grade hosted the year’s first Cardboard Arcade! We begin this unit with this video about Caine’s Arcade

and the students choose a partner and begin designing! They invited Ms. Montoya’s 1^st grade to come play their games. Everyone had a fantastic time!

This week Ms. Ballentine’s 3^rd graders skyped with animal scientist, Kelimar Diaz. She shared a fantastic set of slides detailing her personal journey to a science career and then answered everyone’s questions about her work which focuses on terrestrial limbless undulatory locomotion.

Digital Making Club – 4^th and 5^th grade started working through a Scratch Challenge pack, 3^rd grade made impressive progress on their Scratch + Makey Makey interactive storytelling projects,

while second grade finished their Ozobot Robo-Retell of Little Red Riding Hood.

This week was rich in amazing arts experiences! Kindergarten had musicians from our beloved Arts Partners DaCamera in the classroom for their Great Train Race Music Encounters. 

Then on Tuesday, 4^th grade went to the Houston Symphony for a concert program that demonstrated how music can tell a narrative. Students were introduced to the way plot, setting, and character can be expressed musically. They were treated to the Marriage of Figaro Overture by Mozart, a movement from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, a couple of Spanish dances, Stravinsky’s Infernal Dance, Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King, and Bernstein’s Overture to West Side Story.

We love being an Arts Connect Creative Campus! It is wonderful having the chance to participate in these fantastic Arts Integration programs.

Next week our 3-5 Name That Book team heads to competition, so wish us luck!

2019-20 STEAM Lab week 23

A lot of great things happening this week!

On Saturday our PTO president, Mr. Bustos, came up with some volunteers to help set posts for the Monarch Hero habitat expansion and to help Mr. Keahey build beds for our new vegetable garden. 

We are all so excited about this garden that will assist us in our new goals for Eco-Schools USA, Fuel Up to Play 60, and Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

Our K-2 Name That Book team went to their contest at MC Williams Middle School. We are Panther Proud of these outstanding readers!

The PTO treated them to the buffet at Cici’s pizza afterwards.

Digital Making Club 2^nd grade continues to make fantastic progress on their Ozobot Robo-Retell. Nabaa finished the script, Penelope and Sherlyn completed the sets and costumes, and Damian finished the track – they will be all set to perform on Tuesday! 3rd grade has been hard at work on their interactive stories with Scratch and Makey Makey. 4th & 5th grade are enjoying their last week of LEGO WeDo and Scratch.

This week Ms. Lugo’s 2^nd graders skyped with Mr. Pedro Xavier in Brazil. He is a paleontologist specializing in extinction events and weather. They had a wonderful time learning about fossils and all that we can learn from them. 

We LOVE the Skype a Scientist program! And are very excited about Ms. Ballentine’s skype next week!

During regular STEAM Lab we had our first Code.org graduate from Ms. Thormodsgaard’s class, Yomi! 

Robo Retells from K,1^st ,3^rd , and 4^th grades, while 2^nd made their repurposed can cuicas and 5^th grade started Scratch.

We closed out the week with a fantastic Free Build Friday!

Next week 5^th grade will start Cardboard Arcade! This is a favorite unit every year and I look forward to what they will come up with this time.

2019-20 STEAM Lab week 22

A great week of extra-special learning opportunities!

Three amazing Skype-a-Scientist sessions took place this week! On Monday, Ms. Mallona’s 3rd grade class met Ms. Jasmin Graham, MarSci-LACE Project Coordinator at Mote Marine Laboratory. She has participated in some remarkable projects related to ocean acidification as well as her primary field of study, cartilaginous fishes – especially sharks and rays. She also Skyped with Ms. Lee’s & Ms. Martinez’s 4^th graders. The introductory materials she shared included some fantastic footage of a saw-tooth ray pupping!

Continuing the marine science theme, Ms. Thompson’s 2^nd graders Skyped with Ms. Megan Howson on Thursday. She is based at the University of Miami and specialized in marine mammal communication. The students were amazed to learn about the work she is involved in and had lots of questions. She shared some of the recordings of dolphins and whales she has collected as part of her field work which was a big hit!

We are so grateful to the Skype-A-Scientist program for making this experience available and these two remarkable women for generously sharing their time and knowledge. I can vouch for the successful creation of 75 new, impassioned ocean advocates!

Digital Making club met on Tuesday and are making marvelous progress with their second unit projects! 2^nd grade divided the labor and Nabaa is writing the scripts, Damian is creating the Ozobot course, while Sherlyn, and Penelope are the art directors of their dramatic Robo-Retell of Little Red Riding Hood! 3^rd grade is hard at work on their Scratch + Makey Makey Interactive Stories. Books have been finished and animation is well underway! I hope we can share these completed projects next week! 4^th and 5^th grade are experimenting with making and programing the LEGO WeDo 1 with offline Scratch 2.

The regularly scheduled classes handled the scrambled schedule splendidly and were still able to complete their Robo Retell and making projects! Everyone reconnected with their Code.org course and many students are on track to graduate next term!

Ms. Caro’s kinder delivered a very spirited Bee Bot Robo-Retell of PD Eastman’s classic Are You My Mother?

While Ms. Pham’s 1^st grade Eco-Schools USA Monarch Heroes impressed with their rendition of verse two of the Monarch Song! Ms. Greenhouse’s 2^nd grade did a great job constructing and decorating their Da Camera Landfill Harmonic Music Encounter inspired reused can cuicas. 

Third through fifth grade researched their science topics in BrainPOP and learned to create coded tracks to have the Ozobots help retell the science stories they learned.

And of course, what would a week in the STEAM Lab be without a little Free Build time?

Our Wrap-Around specialist, Ms. Argueta, forged a partnership for Piney Point with Common Threads. They have a nutrition program being delivered in partnership with our awesome PE teachers, Ms. Ryan and Mr. Keahey. As an adjunct to their work and an implementation for our Eco-Schools USA and Fuel Up to Play 60 Healthy Living initiatives, they are helping us install a Guacamole Garden! Ms. Ballentine’s 3^rd grade class are the lead partners on this activity and have already taken the measurements, drafted a garden plan, and calculated our material needs. Mr. Keahey has been making garden beds for us by reusing old fence sections. He came out this Saturday with PTO president, Ms. Bustos, a volunteer, and myself to work on the new beds. 

Ms. Sharon – our Common Threads liaison, brought us our first set of donated plants Thursday. We are so excited about our new garden project!