Egg Basket Building Challenge

I worked with the kindergartners this afternoon on an Easter egg design challenge. They were tasked with building a basket that can hold 5 plastic eggs using the least amount of materials. They were only allowed to use craft sticks, paper clips, pipe cleaners, rubber bands, yarn, or index cards. The tricky part was finding a way to build this basket without the use of glue or tape. They started with a sketch of their idea then had to count how many of each item they would need to build their basket. Once they had a plan, they needed to get into a group of 3 to share their idea and then as a group choose one idea to build or create an entirely new idea using multiple ideas. Once an idea was chosen, students gathered materials and started building. It was a struggle for some groups as they went through the design process and needed to improve their design when they realized how difficult their design would be to build without tape. Some groups decided to change their idea in the midst of this realization and start with a whole new plan. I loved seeing the variation in designs from plan to product and watching their thinking in action. True engineering at work!

These are the baskets students created. You can see the thinking that went into designing these amazing creations.

5th Graders & Green Screen

Mrs. Hiraki's 5th graders are creating videos to depict the events leading up to the American Revolution. Some groups requested a green screen backdrop while others got situated on the play structure or grassy courtyard as their setting. All groups worked well together in directing each other to capture their scenes.

6th Grade Visitation Activity

This week we welcomed the students who were accepted as 6th graders for the 2019-2020 school year. As many may still be making their final decision whether to attend 'Iolani School or not, the admissions team offers these students the opportunity to visit our campus with a current 'Iolani 6th grader as their host for the day. Visitors accompany their host to their classes during the day and spend a period with me in the Design Lab. Visitors designed luggage tags to keep as a souvenir to remember their visit and had the chance to play with littleBits and LEGO sets until their host came to pick them up for their next class. They drew out their design on a sheet of paper, which was later scanned into Inkscape, then laser cut onto wood. I hope they enjoyed their time here on campus and for those that decide that 'Iolani is the right fit, I look forward to working with them in the fall!

Grade 3 Spacecraft 3D

I had so much fun subbing for Mrs. Warner's third grade science classes today. The third graders are learning about space, so what better way to learn than explore with the Spacecraft 3D app! Using a printed AR Target and the camera on their iPads, students got up close with these robotic explorers. They could interact with the many engineering feats that we use to expand our knowledge and understanding of space! Students will be designing and building their own Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV) in the coming weeks. While utilizing the augmented reality and realistic animations, they were inspired to include features of existing vehicles in their own design while thinking about its function and purpose. I can't wait to see how they incorporate some of these features in their design.