Crystals

We started with a solution of epsom salts and water.

We observed as the crystals formed. 

We noticed that some of the crystals were pointy and sharp. 

Some looked like glass,

some were soft and squishy looking when we used the
microscope to show them on the Smartboard.

Today we put the crystals under a microscope to see what they looked like up close.

We finished our study of snow and ice today with a good look at crystals.  It was fascinating that the crystals were all different!

Engineering, math and technology

This week's challenge:  build a bridge using cups and tongue depressors,

how many animals can your bridge hold? 

The activity was based this true story about the construction
of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

We had all kinds of designs that could hold a lot of animals.

We're working our way through our coding program.  The kids
are doing a good job!

The math mentors worked on writing equations with us.  We came up
with lots of ways getting a sum of 10.

We love it when the big kids come in to work with us.  This week it was engineering bridges and working on math facts.  It is such a positive experience to watch these kids working together.  When the mentors are not with us, we're learning about polar animals and their habitats.

Swim lessons

Swimming lessons started this week,

we were a little nervous to start,

that didn't last long! 

Big smiles and lots of fun.

How many Ladybugs does it take to dismantle a computer?

As many as can squeeze around!

Following a recipe to make snack, this one turned into a yummy penguin.

The big questions:  How many parts will fit in his backpack and
what will his mom say when he gets home?

Science, Science, Science!

This week our mentors helped us make helicopters.  It was a good opportunity
 to practice cutting and following directions.

It was a little tricky to get those folds just right.

Then we needed a launching pad to see if the helicopter rotors would
really twirl.  (they did)  We tried using different folds and
amounts of weight on the helicopters to see what worked the best.

We love the teamwork involved in building this maze!

Add the contents of cup A to cup B and what happens?

Instant snow! 

It's soft, it's fluffy and it expands! 

Mostly it was an exciting surprise!

Snowflakes and crystals

This winter weather is the perfect opportunity to learn about crystals,

we started our crystal garden using epsom salts.
We're hoping for a bumper crop of crystals!

This week's challenge for our Ladybugs, Bumblebees and their
mentors:  build a structure using a 1 inch cube as a base.

Sometimes you just have to think outside the box,
this mentor wanted to know how much weight could be
balanced on a yard stick without it breaking.  I think he is still
coming up with more variables to test.

Back to school

The Ladybugs are back at work!  We're working with the Sphinx class to refresh our patterning skills.
This week we're learning about snow, symmetrical snowflakes and snowmen.  Thankfully our weather has been helping us out!