Youngsters have fun while learning about science, math at Saegert Elementary School Posted On: Saturday, Mar. 24 2012 09:36 PM
By Todd Martin
Special to the Daily HeraldSaegert Elementary School took on the feel of a science museum March 8, with students getting a look at exotic animals, a simulated emergency victim and rolling models of the earth and moon.
It was SMART Kids Day, which is Science and Math Activities that Require Thinking.
Learning was so cleverly disguised that students could only see the fun.
In the gym, fifth-graders watched Jim Parry of Trinity Science Solutions roll around a wheeled model of the moon so it cast shadows from a spotlight onto a proportionally correct model of the earth.
Pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students moved among stations scattered through the school. Each class attended presentations that addressed objectives they covered in class and in some cases, will test on in coming weeks.
"We're making the learning come alive," said Gwen James, assistant principal. She described how one of the teachers told her she felt affirmed as her students answered questions correctly during presentations.
"They respond differently when teaching comes from someone else," James said, mentioning several visiting educators brought experiments and displays, as well as college nursing students and instructors and a meteorologist.
"The teachers are participating with their students. They get to take a step back," James said, describing the day as one of instruction for students and observation and assessment for teachers.
"It helps them to see it," said Saegert science teacher Kathy Millner, as Parry rolled around his large model of the moon and talked about refraction with the use of a prism and a laser.
"When we walked in, the students said, 'Wow.' We use the small blowups (of planets)," she said, noting the difference with the large models in the gym.
Two Ellison High School science teachers brought physics and chemistry to the elementary school, giving the younger students a taste of high school science.
Ellison chemistry teacher Mandy Morris showed Saegert students a variety of chemical reactions, including a foamy ooze she called elephant toothpaste and a gaseous poof that sparked in the dark.
"It peaks their curiosity," Morris said. "They start to ask why did it do that? In high school they will be calculating the whys and the hows. They are very curious at this age.
"I think seeing the curiosity and excitement makes you a better teacher," Morris said. "You can get excited about chemistry again."
"We did a lot of experiments and most of them had explosions," said fourth-grader Erica Holland. "It's an awesome day. We're going to stations and learning a lot."
"We get to see a lot and do hands-on projects," said fifth-grader Jeff Curb. "We're learning about people's jobs. We learned about physics and we learned how to strap someone down (on an ambulance backboard)."
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