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.

Kindergarten Self-Portraits

I had the opportunity to support the kindergartners of K-Leahi today on wooden self-portraits. Mrs. Hirata started the lesson with having students discuss and share what facial features they think should be included in their self-portrait. After listing the features on the board, students chose a piece of wood they wanted to use as their face and went to work choosing the right pieces to create their facial features. Some students designed fancy eyelashes, while others strategically chose specific shapes to create their eyes and hair. This was such a creative activity for students to express their inner artist and I am so grateful to have been part of it.

6th Grade Math & Minecraft Education

I had the opportunity to work on a 6th grade math lesson using Minecraft Edu alongside Mr. Yanagihara, a knowledgeable and talented educator who has various roles in the Upper School. Since the 6th graders have been learning about surface area and perimeter, the math teachers wanted to implement an extension activity utilizing the popular Minecraft gaming platform. Students designed a zoo enclosure with specific dimensions that they needed to recreate digitally in the Minecraft world. Mr. Y explained the basic tools and features and before we knew it the students were off carefully creating their enclosures. It was incredible to witness their 2D drawings come to life in a 3D digital world.

4th Graders Explore littleBits

Today the fourth graders explored the magic and discovered endless possibilities with littleBits! littleBits are electronic building blocks that snap together magnetically. We watched this video to get an idea of what littleBits are, how they work, and what they can do then quickly got started in our exploration. They were so excited to start playing and it was fun to see them arrange the blocks in various combinations.