Grade 2 Introduction to Woodworking

Second graders learned the purpose and functions of basic tools as they practiced their woodworking skills today. In their classroom, the teachers started off with a slow looking observation of a tool. Students drew and labeled all of the different parts of a tool, explained the purpose for that part, and indicated any wonderings they may have about that tool. In the Design Lab, students explored hammers, ratchet wrenches, hex key wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, and wood rasps. They practiced shaving/sanding wooden blocks, hammering nails into a wooden stump, bending wires of various gauges, and finding the appropriate tool for the different nuts, bolts, and screws available.

Grade 2 Sticker Making!

Second graders visited the Design Lab today and learned how to make their own hand drawn stickers. They explored the various tools and features of the Sketches School app and uploaded their designs to the Cricut Design Space app to be printed and cut. So much engagement, fun, and creativity!

Students use the various brush and color options to draw their designs.

The designs are uploaded to Cricut Design Space where we used the "Print then Cut" feature.

Lower School Hackers Club - Book Fair Voting Machine

The Lower School Hackers Club at 'Iolani School is brand new this year! It was started by three eager 4th graders with an interest and desire to MAKE! Their first project was to make a voting machine for our upcoming Scholastic Book Fair in the library. The idea was borrowed from this online guide: Makey Your Own Exit Ticket or Data Tracker. The LS Hackers worked together to design and create a voting machine that would allow shoppers to share what kind of book they purchased at the book fair.

Learning how to setup a Makey Makey and program it with Scratch.

Each Hacker is working on their speciality: programming, building, and drawing.

The end product turned out great! Mrs. Reser, our librarian, loved it and so did her shoppers!

The LS Hackers project was even featured on the Makey Makey blog!

Grade 1 Mobile Project

The first graders are learning about balance. They were given various materials ranging from yarn, construction paper, rubber bands, index cards, foil, craft sticks, pipe cleaners, and bottle caps. Each pair of students worked together to design and construct a balanced mobile. We were very fortunate to have members of the volleyball team join us today!

Kindergarten Cardboard Construction

Kindergarteners had a blast using the Makedo kits to manipulate cardboard. They learned how to cut and pierce holes using the "Safe-Saw" and also attached cardboard pieces together using the "Scru" and "Scrudriver".

They were all so engaged throughout the entire process and it was amazing to watch all of their ideas unfold as they constructed their creations.

Laser Engraving Recorders

Mrs. Ellis, our music teacher, wanted to laser engrave her students' recorders. We learned how to create a jig to hold the mouthpieces in place, edited the names on Inkscape, then watched the laser complete the job. There's nothing better than teachers continuing to learn and grow together!

We were also able to engrave the plastic recorders for use as loaners in case students forget their recorder at home.