Hi Dragons and Penguins! I miss seeing you all in the media center each week! Please work on the following activities while we are apart and I hope to see you all soon. Parents: Please e-mail with any questions or send me pictures of your students hard at work at LBallistreri@bellmawrschools.org (I will be checking my e-mail multiple times throughout the day).
All Grades: while you are home, think about visiting the following websites (new ones added each week!):
Switch Zoo: Watch, listen, and play games to learn about amazing animals!
National Geographic for Kids: Learn all about geography and fascinating animals!
Seussville: Read, play games, and hang out with Dr. Seuss and his famous characters. Check out the Green Eggs and Ham engineering game!
Fun Brain: Play games while practicing math and reading skills.
PBS Kids: Hang out with your favorite PBS characters while learning.
Storyline Online: Hear stories read by movie stars.
Storytime from Space: Listen to astronauts read some of your favorite stories.
NASA Kids Club: Continue learning about space from NASA.
Make Beliefs Comix: Make your own comic strip!
Shel Silverstein: April is National Poetry Month. Visit the website of Miss B.'s favorite poet: Shel Silverstein.
Bellmawr Public Library: If you have a library card, visit the public library's website for free electronic resources. Click HERE to get a library card on-line.
*Special Activity
Doodle and draw with Miss B.'s favorite author/illustrator each day....Mo Willems! (He does a new video everyday!)
Week 1: For all grade levels, use the STEM at Home document below to see how you can be an engineer at home:
STEM at home.docx
Week 2:
Grade 4: Visit code.org to practice coding skills, build a paper airplane and see how far it goes (test multiple times and improve after each test), design and build a bridge using a variety of building materials found around your house (see the above STEM at home document for suggested materials).
Grade 3: Write an essay about what name you would give to the next Mars Rover and why, visit the NASA Kids Club link above and practice controlling rovers, design and build a tower using a variety of building materials found around your house (see the above STEM at home document for suggested materials).
Grade 2: Using materials found at home, design and create a rocket ship to fly to the moon. If you can't find enough materials, use your imagination and draw a picture of it. Also, visit the NASA Kids Club in the link above to learn more about the organization that sends astronauts into space. Is being an astronaut a job you would want to do? On a piece of notebook paper, complete the following writing prompt:
-Yes I want to be an astronaut because....
-No I do not want to be an astronaut because...
Grade 1: Be a scientist at home! Think of a science experiment you can do at home (ask a question, observe, make a hypothesis, conduct an experiment, form a conclusion) or watch a video of a science experiment HERE. Also, be an engineer! Use materials you find around the house and make something great! Draw a picture of what you make.
Kindergarten: Be an engineer! Use materials you find around the house and make something great! Draw a picture of what you make. Also, take a nature walk around your neighborhood with a grown-up. Be on the look-out for all the ways you know winter is over and spring is beginning.
Week 3:
ALL GRADE LEVELS: Complete the Special Area BINGO!
*(click on Special Area Bingo to download).
Grade 4:
-Continue to visit code.org to practice coding skills. This week, try to code your own dance party by clicking HERE.
-Pick 1 Engineering at Home activity to complete:
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Design a Futuristic Phone
Create a blueprint of a futuristic phone design. What can your phone do?
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Create a Dance
Come up with dance moves to your favorite song. Record your dance.
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Draw a Map of your Home
Label each room in your house. Measure the length and with of each room and add them to your map.
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Grade 3:
-Pick 2 Engineering at Home activities to complete:
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Design a Futuristic Phone
Create a blueprint of a futuristic phone design. What can your phone do?
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Create a Dance
Come up with dance moves to your favorite song. Record your dance.
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Draw a Map of your Home
Label each room in your house. Measure the length and with of each room and add them to your map.
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Read a Book
What was the problem in the story? Build something to help solve the problem.
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Create a Game
Use recyclables to design your own game. Create rules for your game and teach your family how to play.
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Build a Tower
Using index cards, construction paper, and tape, build the tallest tower you can!
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Grade 2: We are going to spend the next few weeks learning about famous women in the world of STEM. The first woman we are going to learn about is Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor. Watch a story about her below:
Now think about a zoo animal you love. Miss B.'s favorite animal is a red panda. Draw a picture of your favorite animal and then use your engineering skills to design and build a home for it using whatever you can find at home (shoeboxes, blocks, legos, construction paper, etc.). If you can't find materials, draw a detailed picture.
Grade 1:
-If you haven't yet, watch a video of a science experiment HERE. See if you can do one at home with the help of a grown-up.
-Watch Mo Willems share how he created his own idea for a game to play at home. Can you make a game as fun as Super Bounce? Create your own game and teach your family the directions and rules.
Kindergarten:
-Spring is Here! On Bookflix (Username: Bellmawr, Password: bookflix), listen to "And Then It's Spring" and read "How Do You Know It's Spring?"
-Gather legos, linking cubes, play dough, and any other building material you can find (ask a grown-up to help!). Using your materials, try to build a kite, a flower, a rainbow, and a raincloud.
Week 4:
Grade 4:
-Continue to visit code.org to practice coding skills. This week, try to complete all of the levels of either the Frozen, Star Wars, or Grinch games by clicking HERE.
-Pick 1 Engineering at Home activity to complete:
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Build a Catapult
Use popsicle sticks, a spoon, and rubber bands to design a catapult. How far can your catapult launch an object?
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Design an Amusement Park
Use paper, scissors, and tape to design a new amusement park.
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Create an Obstacle Course
Plan out your obstacle course on paper. Time how long it takes you to complete your course.
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Grade 3:
-Pick 2 Engineering at Home activities to complete:
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Build a Catapult
Use popsicle sticks, a spoon, and rubber bands to design a catapult. How far can your catapult launch an object?
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Design an Amusement Park
Use paper, scissors, and tape to design a new amusement park.
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Create an Obstacle Course
Plan out your obstacle course on paper. Time how long it takes to complete your course.
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Design a Pair of Glasses
Use materials you have at home to design a stylish pair of glasses.
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Build a Fort
Use blankets, chairs, and other materials to build a fort. When you finish, read a book inside of your fort.
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Create a Musical Instrument
Use recyclables to design a musical instrument. Test your instrument to see if it makes a sound.
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Grade 2: We are going to spend the next few weeks learning about famous women in the world of STEM. The second woman we are going to learn about is Raye Montague. Watch Miss B. read a story about her below:
Try to make your own submarine with an empty water bottle and marbles/pennies (activity at the end of the video) or learn how to draw a submarine:
Grade 1:
Do you what a boxitect is? Listen to Miss B. read the story "Boxitects" below (be on the lookout for my dog Scout!), see what cool things I made with boxes at the end of the video, and then try to make something great yourself!
Kindergaten:
Listen to Miss B. read aloud one of my favorite Elephant and Piggie books and then try to do my Engineering Challenge of designing and building a bird bath using materials from around your house (look at me example at the end of the video).
Week 5:
Grade 4:
-Continue to visit code.org to practice coding skills. This week, try to complete all of the levels of either the Minecraft or Angry Birds games by clicking HERE.
-Pick 1 Engineering at Home activity to complete:
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Plan a Meal
Use newspaper ads or grocery store websites to plan a meal for your family. Make a grocery list and figure out how much your meal will cost.
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Design a Playground
Use paper, scissors, and tape to design a new playground.
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Invent a New Toy
Use cardboard, tape, and any other materials to design a new toy.
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Grade 3:
-Pick 2 Engineering at Home activities to complete:
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Plan a Meal
Use newspaper ads or grocery store websites to plan a meal for your family. Make a grocery list and figure out how much your meal will cost.
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Design a Playground
Use paper, scissors, and tape to design a new playground.
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Invent a New Toy
Use cardboard, tape, and other materials to design a new toy.
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Design a Marble Run
Use paper plates, toilet paper rolls, scissors, and tape to design a marble run.
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Become a Weather Forecaster
Record the weather each day this week. Use your data to make predictions about next week's weather.
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Create a Flower Pot
Use recyclable materials to design a flower pot.
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Grade 2: We are going to spend the next few weeks learning about famous women in the world of STEM. The third woman we are going to learn about is Dr. Patricia Bath. Watch Miss B. read a story about her below and then try to engineer a pair of silly glasses (look for mine at the end of the video!):
Grade 1:
Let's continue learning about the job of a scientist. Watch Miss B. read "CeCe Loves Science" and then try to do a science experiment at home (with the help of a grown-up) by clicking HERE.
Kindergaten:
Listen to Miss B. read aloud one of her favorite books and then try to do my Engineering Challenge of designing and building a bird's nest using materials from around your house or the backyard (look at my example at the end of the video).
Week 6:
Grades 2-4:
-Go to the NJTV website and view the "Building Bridges" episode presented by Dena Orfanitopoulos by clicking HERE. In the video, you'll find a read aloud of "Iggy Peck, Architect," a review of the Engineering Design Process, and an engineering challenge of building a bridge using materials from around your house (blocks, cardboard boxes, legos, empty food containers, construction paper, and so forth). Be creative! Have your parents send me a picture of your bridge through e-mail or draw a picture of it to show me when we are back in the media center.
Grade 1:
Let's finish up our science unit. Watch Miss B. read "CeCe Loves Science and Adventure" (the sequel to last week's story) and then try to do a science experiment at home (with the help of a grown-up) by clicking HERE.
Kindergaten:
Listen to Miss B. read aloud "Birds" and then try to do my Engineering Challenge of designing and building a bird's house using materials from around your house (look at my example at the end of the video). Have your parent e-mail me a picture of your bird house; I would love to see it!
Week 7:
Grades 3-4:
-Pick 2 Engineering at Home activities to complete:
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Build Something With Blocks or Legos
When you finish, write out the steps that someone would need to follow in order to recreate your design.
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Create a Birdhouse
Use recyclables and tape or glue to design and build a birdhouse.
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Read a Book
Draw pictures to create the sequence of events in the story.
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Build a Raft
Build a raft out of straws and tape. Set your raft in a tub of water and see how much weight it can hold.
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Design a Pair of Shoes
Use paper, scissors, and tape to design a new pair of shoes.
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Build a House
Use cardboard, paper, scissors, and tape to build a house. Can you design furniture for your house?
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Grade 2:
Listen to "Mae Among the Stars" below (there are 2 videos because my dog Scout tried to take over Storytime STEM). After you hear the story, try to make your own constellations using construction paper and white/silver crayons or get creative and use materials from around your house!
Big Dipper Constellation:
Grade 1:
Let's do some engineering with the Pigeon! Listen to the read aloud below and then try to do one of the bird-themed engineering activities: make a bird house, a bird bath, or a bird nest using materials from around your house.
Kindergaten:
The weather is getting warmer which is making Miss B. think about the beach. Listen to one of my favorite beach stories below and try to create your own sandcastle masterpiece by using materials around the house (cardboard boxes, Legos, blocks, etc.). If you can't find materials, draw a picture of it instead!
Week 8:
Grades 2-4:
-Go to the NJTV website and view the "Build a Boat" episode presented by Dena Orfanitopoulos by clicking HERE. In the video, you'll find a read aloud of "What Do You Do With an Idea?," a review of the Engineering Design Process, and an engineering challenge of building a boat using materials from around your house (aluminum foil, construction paper, plastic wrap and straws, and so forth). Be creative! Have your parents send me a picture of your boat through e-mail or draw a picture of it to show me when we are back in the media center.
Grade K-1:
This past Sunday was Mother's Day! Listen to my favorite story about a mother below and then try the activity of making your own bird's nest using a paper plate (colored brown and cut in half), construction paper, markers, string, and other craft materials.
Week 9:
Grades 3-4:
-Pick 2 Engineering at Home activities to complete:
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Upcycle a Plastic Bag
What can you make out of a plastic bag and other materials you have at home?
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Make a Tower
Build a tower using plastic cups, cans, or other materials at home. How tall is your tower?
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Build a Paper Airplane
Test your airplane and measure how far it flies.
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Design a Basketball Goal
Use materials you have at home to design and build a basketball goal.
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Do an Experiment
Mix baking soda and vinegar together to see what happens (ask a grown-up first!).
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Create a New Type of Technology
Design a blueprint for a new type of technology. What does your technology do?
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Grade 2:
Listen to "A Place for Pluto" below and then visit the NASA STEM at Home for Kids website. Play some of the games, try to build one of the engineering activities (I made an edible spacecraft!), print out some of the coloring pages if you have a printer at home, and have fun!
Grade K-1:
One of Miss B.'s favorite things to do in the spring is to garden! Below, listen to "We Are the Gardeners" and then design & draw a picture of a garden you would like to plant one day (look at my example at the end of the video).
Week 10:
Special Announcement: On Wednesday at 4:30, two NASA astronauts will blast off from the Kennedy Space Center on the Falcon 9 Rocket headed to the International Space Station. Try to watch this event live or look for coverage of it on the news.
Grades 3-4:
Listen to the story "Trombone Shorty" and test your engineering skills and design/build a musical instrument using materials from around the house (cardboard, rubber bands, plastic spoons, empty cans, duct tape, etc.).
Grade 2:
-Watch Mo Willems share how he created his own idea for a game to play at home. Can you make a game as fun as Super Bounce? Create your own game and teach your family the directions and rules.
Grades K-1:
Listen to "Kite Day." Like the characters in the book, can you design and build a kite? Use materials from around the house like construction paper, tissue paper, string. straws, sticks, etc. Have your parents send me a picture of your creation! If you can't find the materials you need, draw a picture of a kite you would like to design.
Week 11:
Grades 3-4:
-Listen to the story "One Plastic Bag" below. Isatou identified the problem of too many plastic bags in her African village and the problems they were causing. What can you do to re-purpose a plastic bag? Find a plastic bag at home and make something with it (examples include a parachute for a toy figurine, a bracelet, and so forth). Put on your engineering cap and get creative!
Grades K-2:
-Listen to Miss B. read one of my favorite stories from when I was a kid: "The Knight and the Dragon" and try the activity at the end of the video. You'll need a cup, construction paper, scissors, and tape. Have your parent send me a picture of you looking like a dragon!
Have a great summer!