STEM & Blossom: September

Welcome to STEM and Blossom - A monthly newsletter for all things STEM and Innovation related here at Hallinan! Anticipate seeing a Monthly STEM and Blossom Newsletter via Hawk Squawk, but don't forget to follow along on the adventures, creations and curiosities of the iLab by following STEM_and_Blossom on Instagram!

My name is Nickie Doran and I am the K-5 STEM and Innovation Facilitator in our BEAUTIFUL Innovation Lab here at Hallinan! Please click the button below to get to know me a bit better!

The iLab schedule is unique in nature as we see one class for a week at a time. Ask your child if they know what "Cycle" they are so you know their STEM weeks! Remember, when it is their STEM week, their class will come in every day of the week, allowing us more depth and breadth for our grade-specific projects! Having this schedule is a dream for me; this makes STEM and Innovation time that much more precious, student-focused and less "activity" driven! It is so special!

Cycle 1: September 12th-16th

Cycle 2: September 19th-23rd

Cycle 3: September 26th-30th

The cycle continues throughout the year, with the exception of conference weeks where classes have "drop in" STEM times. Please see our regular schedule below!

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• Kinder: Geometric Shape Builders Kinders will explore a building item in the lab called "Geometric Shape Builders" to free build, create their names, build 2D shapes and 3D shapes! We will spend some time reviewing shapes and introducing partner work. We will end our week by logging into Seesaw and sharing our favorite shape builder creation with our families!

• 1st: Empathy Engineering Firsties will be able to define and explain both EMPATHY and ENGINEERING. They will then interview their partner and create an item for their teammate with limited supplies. Students will get to know one another while also practicing the importance of caring and building for another person. A super special week and a great introduction of the importance of crucial life skills and character traits like empathy, flexibility, collaboration and creativity!
• 2nd: Tower Engineering and Storytelling 2nds work in pairs to create blueprints, collaborate and build a tower that meets our criteria and constraints. Their tower must be at least 12 inches tall, it must be freestanding AND it must support a tennis ball! They may ONLY use 20 straws, tape, scissors and an index card! Can they do it?! Yes, yes they can! Following their build, they get the opportunity to practice story elements and tell a journey of their tennis ball and why it needs a tower. If time permits, teams will even get to create costumes for their tennis ball characters! So much fun!
• 3rd: Zipline Design 3rd graders work in trios or quads to explore, design and create a zipline! They must utilize specific materials and their zipline must successfully carry two "people" (ping pong balls) safely to the ground! Students will also create data tables to quantify their tests. This is a great introduction project and I can't wait to begin with this great group of thirds!
• 4th: Shoe Design Challenge A 4th grade favorite! Students will start their week exploring different shoes by creating collages and identifying the purpose for each shoe. They will then brainstorm a shoe they would like create with a purpose in mind. Next, teams will create a blueprint with exact measurements and bring it to life by creating a to-scale shoe prototype! We end the week with a shoe "fashion show" and explore our glows (great moments) and grows (opportunities for improvement) as teams. I LOVE this project!
• 5th: SAM Labs Carnival If you've talked to me about tech, you've probably heard me mention SAM Labs! SAM Labs are small Lego-like blocks that need to be coded by the user and have boundless possibilities! In the lab, we have blocks ranging from DC motors to sliders, servos to LEDs and light sensors! They are so much fun! Students will explore SAM labs and the app needed to use them. As teams, they will then create a Carnival Collage that shares their favorite amusement rides/experiences. For planning day, teams will create a shopping list of items needed as well as create a detailed blueprint that identifies the name of their ride and SAM blocks they intend to use. Then, the real magic happens as they bring their rides to life and make prototypes of their awesome rides! Fridays are always a hoot, with a mini SAM Labs Carnival right here in our own iLab! I can't wait!

Email: dorann@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.instagram.com/stem_and_blossom/
Location: Hallinan Elementary School, Hawthorne Drive, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 534-2353
Twitter: @nickie_doran