The Gr8ts Learning Pod

Bringing in Fall, we enjoyed a chemical reaction science experiment- exploding pumpkins! It took a little time to get the reaction going, but with a little shaking we got our pumpkins to ooze. 🎃 Then we ended with a house tradition- tossing pumpkins into the ravine below.

Monday we enjoyed a great hike led by our naturist, Melanie, and our pod mascot, Peek. We did a loop on the West Orange side of the reservation and took in some fun facts. To name a few, we identified poison ivy, and learned our fabulous reservation was created by Frederick Olmstead (creator of Central Park).

This week we introduced “Inquiry Cubes” to the group to earn a few Pod Bucks. Inquiry cubes introduce the scientific process of identifying patters to solve a missing side of the cube. A little frustrating, but a lot of fun when they work with a partner.

Pod Bucks are earned by completing fun activities and competitions in the learning pod. At the end of the month, P Bucks can be used to purchase fun treats, usable items, and gift cards.

The group enjoyed a fun lunch of pizza and assorted drinks, snacks, and fruit. The new schedule has provided two 10 min breaks that seem to be very helpful. We’re moving in the right direction.

Last week, the Gr8ts discussed and chose belief statements instead of creating “class rules” for the pod. They had the opportunity to pick a statement that was important to them, but also choose a statement that had the qualities they wanted in their pod mates.

Bright smiles for so early in the morning. Welcome back to school.

It's the first day of our learning pod school. Everyone was off to a great start getting signed in and ready to go. Some of us had minor issues getting into classrooms. Some teachers use Canvas, Webex, or Google Meet. Just so you know, special links and codes are in the child's email. A little tricky? Yes! I'm sure it will take a few more days to get this down.