Normal Park Lower School VW e Lab

This quarter our 1st Grade Makers came to the eLab for 2 impressive projects that required them to develop new skills as well as testing their persistence.

In their first week, they learned how to digitally design inside the ToyCAD app and were able to 3D print their original designs of birds and plants.

During their second week, students learned multiple formatting skills as they used Book Creator to make a class informational text to teach our visitors on Exhibit Night about a variety of plants.

This week our Third Grade Emerging Designers learned to use our new Ozobot Ari robots. They turned Ari into a pollinator and analyzed the data collected while Ari pollinated a variety of flowers. Students also used Ari to go bowling and compared fractions created by the number of pins Ari knocked down. To close out our week, and enter into TCAP with a positive mindset, students coached Ari through a TCAP maze writing ways Ari could stay positive and calm while taking the TCAP over the next two weeks.

Our 2nd grade Developing Fabricators are learning how to digitally design inside the ToyCAD app. This week they are completing tutorials so they will be ready to design and 3D print a piece of coral when they return to our VW eLab in May. Each 2nd grader's coral will piece together to create a coral reef on exhibit.

To kick off Quarter 3 our First Grade Makers came to our VW eLab to learn how to use our cardboard cutting tools. In order to learn how to safely use each tool, each student created a cardboard cat. After completing their cats students also created cat beds! The skills they gained this week will help them with their next project when they return for their second week in the eLab.

Before winter break, we loved welcoming Kindergarten families into our VW eLab. Our young programmers enjoyed showing their families how to code our Sphero Indi robots. We love sharing our programming excitement with our families!!

During their second week in our VW eLab this quarter, Pre-K performed experiments and engaged in activities that allowed them to make observations using their senses.

Students rotated through the room engaging in STEM centers that allowed them to use their senses of sight, touch, hearing, and smell. They were all very excited to use our Glowforge laser cutter to create keepsakes for their families and to **attempt** to create their own bouncy balls. (This experiment led to a wonderful discussion about failed experiments and the importance of trying again.)

Our 2nd Graders returned for their second week in our VW eLab this quarter to create digital maps of the islands they created during their first week in the eLab. Our students learned how to digitally design their physical and political maps in Scratch Jr. Next our developing programmers created algorithms that made their landforms appear, say their name and/or location on the physical map, switch to the political map, and have each region the political map say its name.

Throughout this week our 2nd Graders focused on productive struggle, positive self-talk, the importance of asking for help, and how to work through frustration.

During their second week in our VW eLab this quarter, our 3rd Graders used their newly acquired knowledge of TinkerCAD to design Maglev Trains. First students learned about how Maglev Trains work and why they are used in certain parts of the world. Then they worked as a team to design a Maglev Trains in TinkerCAD. While we 3D printed their trains, each team built a prototype of their Maglev Train's tracks and railings. Finally they were given their trains and began finalizing the placement of their railings and magnetic tracks.

Due to time constraints, some of our groups weren't able to get their trains to levitate, but every team agreed that with more time they would have been able to make improvements to their designs and make their trains levitate. We also discussed the important skills they gained through the project that were more important than a levitating Maglev Train.

This quarter Kindergarten learned how to be prepared for severe weather in Tennessee. Students came to our VW eLab and worked their way through the Normal Park Design Process as they worked in teams to create Emergency Preparedness Kits. Each student chose an object they wanted to create that would be helpful in the event of severe weather.

Students made a plan for their object by sketching a picture, then they digitally designed their object by drawing it on our iPads. We used their digital drawings to create files we could 3D print. After printing the items students colored them, glued them into their severe weather kits, and labeled them using the sounds they heard in the words.

When they were not creating, our kindergartners were learning how to code our Sphero Indi robots and tackling challenges to complete algorithms (instructions for the robots to follow) with missing pieces.

During their first week in the VW eLab, 3rd Grade learned how to use TinkerCAD to digitally design. They spend their week completing tutorials and on Friday, they completed an Architect Challenge. Our students created an original digital design of a house with at least 4 walls, a front door, 2 windows, and a roof. Students enjoyed learning about the potential uses of digital design.