Airport Park

We have been baking up a storm the last couple of days, so this morning we decided to take a little break and go to Airport Park (as we like to call it) by the Rods Football field and unwind a little...

"We love this park!!!!"

 

Mrs. Carr

The MB Museum, Science Gallery and Planetarium

For the first day of spring break, groups A and D (which only totalled 17 children) took a bus trip to the MB Museum, Science Gallery, and the Planetarium. For some of our children it was their first time going to any of the three places, it was very exciting to watch the children experience these for the first time and for others the tenth time :) Here are some pictures showing our adventures throughout the day...

 The entrance to the museum, stopping to look at the Buffalo.

 We are part of the exhibit!

 Oh no, there is a fire! Everyone panic!

 Exploring the ship, 'The Nonsuch'.

 Walking on the "water" beside the Nonsuch

Watching a silent movie with Laurel & Hardy.

After the MB Museum we went to explore the Science Gallery. Here are some more of our photos!

 Racing some race cars!

 

How strong are you? Can you make it to the top?

 

Does this mirror make me look funny?

 I've got big feet!

 I can see my hand!

...the final stop on our field trip was the Planetarium 'Astronaut' show

 After all our fun, we went for lunch and then headed home on the bus. It was such a fun day for all of us we had such a great time! 

 Lunch time!

 Waiting for the bus...

 

We own this bus, it's all ours!!

Stop Motion Club - Weeks 2 + 3

Over the course of the 2nd and 3rd weeks we worked on creating backdrops for our characters and we began using special effects (such as tying fishing line to characters and holding them with our hands out of view, so we could create the effect of flying). 

As we gained experience with the process of stop-motion we became much more efficient. We were able to make minute long movies in 45 minutes! The camera person communicated well with the animators, and the director did well to communicate the storyline to the animators.

We worked very well in teams and built upon each other's ideas. When ideas didn't work out we were gracious with each other and problem-solved to make things work. 

"Uggh, this Lego guy keeps falling down."

"Try separating his legs so he balances better"

We began using backgrounds to fully make the movies come to life. For a Godzilla movie we made a city backdrop.

As we got better at animating we developed a "set designer" position who made Lego characters as needed for the movies.

Our movies are now much smoother and have clear storylines! We enjoy the different jobs on the movie set and have now all had experience with the camera, set creation, animation, and editing.

Mr. Dueck

Winter 2016

We had a great winter this year! Here are some pictures to show how awesome it was!

Vegetarian Chilli

7 Benefits of cooking with kids..

Here's just a short list of the wisdom that gets passed on when kids cook:

1. Math Skills: Doubling a recipe requires addition (or multiplication) skills, halving it requires division, and recipe fractions like 1/2 cup and 3/4 teaspoon bring math applications into the kitchen. Often, kids don't recognize they are practicing math!

2. Comprehension: Reading and understanding step-by-step directions, adding ingredients in sequence, and techniques such as folding and blending, are all important components to yielding the finished food product. Helping your child fine tune their reading comprehension skills at the same time doesn't hurt!

3. Real Life Science: Cooking is a science experiment. Too much salt, baking powder, not enough flour, or the wrong timing and you're likely to have a flop on your hands. Cooking provides an opportunity for kids to get hands-on experience with basic science.

4. Self-Esteem: Cooking allows kids to get instant feedback, which helps them learn and grow in self-knowledge. Learning a new skill, such as baking or cooking, is known to help elementary and middle school children with healthy self-esteem development.

5. Communication: A relaxed atmosphere in the kitchen offers an opportunity to talk, about anything! Parents (and teachers) can take advantage of this, as communication is a key element to raising a well-adjusted, healthy child.

6. Life Skills: Cooking is a life skill, much like driving a car, learning to read, or swimming. As children grow and get closer to adulthood, the job of feeding becomes theirs. Start the cooking lessons at a young age so the transition to adult cook is easy later on.

7. Fun! Last but not least, cooking is fun! Having fun with your child in the kitchen builds positive memories, good vibes, and good food.With all the benefits of teaching kids to cook, and no limits with starting, what are you waiting for? 

(reference: http://www.zak.com/articles-7-surprising-benefits-of-cooking-with-kids)

"It's beautiful, isn't it Mrs. Carr?" 

(Quote from one of our boys)

"Yes, it is, food can be beautiful"

"I can't wait to eat it!"

"You'll have to wait until tomorrow after school. It needs to simmer for a few hours"

"But we made it, so we get to eat first right?!

"Don't worry, the cooks get to try it first, then we share with whoever else wants some" :) 

Mrs. Carr