At the start of the year, we focused on Digital Citizenship to ensure students are safe, respectful, and responsible online. We use Common Sense Media to guide us through these important lessons, and you can explore their resources too! Check it out at: Common Sense Education.
Once students are comfortable online, we jump into block coding using Scratch. This free site helps students learn the basics of coding through fun projects:
Kindergarten & 1st Grade: Get started with the basics by making a sprite dance!
2nd Grade: Animate their name.
3rd Grade: Create the classic Pong game.
4th Grade: Build a virtual pet.
5th Grade: Design a maze for a sprite to navigate.
Coding is foundational for many of the projects we work on throughout the year, so it’s important that students learn these basic skills early on. Scratch and Common Sense Media are both free and packed with resources—feel free to explore them with your child!
This month, we are excited to begin exploring engineering. Each grade level is introduced to the Engineering Design Process, where students:
Identify a problem to solve.
Imagine past solutions.
Plan a blueprint to solve the problem.
Create and build using materials.
Test and improve the project to meet criteria.
Here’s what each grade level is working on this year:
Kindergarten: Build sturdy bridges.
1st Grade: Design skyscrapers and learn about balance.
2nd Grade: Construct dinosaurs with makedo tools.
3rd Grade: Create Earth Dwelling habitats, focusing on resources and clean water.
4th Grade: Build a Propeller powered car to learn about thrust and inertia.
5th Grade: Design a helicopter to explore potential energy.
When students work with LEGO® and K’NEX, they explore simple machines, engineering, and problem‑solving through hands‑on building and creativity.
Using LEGO®, students are introduced to basic coding and robotics as they design and program projects such as science rovers, satellites, spy robots, and cooling fans. These activities encourage logical thinking, creativity, and collaboration.
With K’NEX, students focus on mechanical engineering concepts by constructing real‑world simple machines, including:
Wells
Paddle boats
Inclined planes
Steering wheels
Helicopters
Airplanes
Motorcycles
Through building, testing, and improving their designs, students gain a deeper understanding of how machines work in everyday life.
During our Circuits unit, students learn how electricity flows and how circuits power the world around them. We begin with the basics—simple circuits, series circuits, and parallel circuits—using hands‑on materials and interactive tools.
A key component of this unit is the Makey Makey, a simple circuit board that allows students to turn everyday conductive materials—such as Play‑Doh, bananas, paper clips, and aluminum foil—into interactive inputs. With Makey Makey, students:
Play games
Create music
Complete creative engineering challenges
Kindergarten–2nd Grade:
Students explore simple circuits using the Makey Makey and a variety of conductive materials.
3rd Grade:
Students begin building their own simple circuits using batteries, alligator clips, and flashlight bulbs.
4th–5th Grade:
Students deepen their understanding by using Snap Circuits to design and build more advanced series, parallel, and complex circuits.
This progression helps students build confidence and understanding as they move from exploration to independent circuit design.
Our students recently wrapped up an exciting STEM mini‑unit using Clixo, a flexible, magnetic building system designed to spark creativity, problem‑solving, and hands‑on learning. Clixo’s unique pieces bend, snap, twist, and connect using embedded magnets, giving students endless possibilities for imaginative builds. Clixo is recognized as a powerful STEAM learning tool because its magnetic connections allow children to explore magnetism, balance, and design through play. The flexible, durable shapes also allow students to experiment freely as they create both simple and complex structures—from animals to wearable creations—while learning foundational STEAM concepts. [clixo.com] [amazon.com]
As part of our science focus, students learned about magnetic north and south poles, and how magnets can attract or repel depending on their orientation. Through building, testing, and adjusting their designs, they experienced magnetism firsthand, applying what they learned as their structures clicked together—or pushed apart!
During the unit, we also completed teacher-guided builds, where students practiced collaboration, spatial reasoning, and engineering thinking. Clixo’s design encourages experimentation and iteration, making it an ideal tool for problem‑solving and creativity in the classroom.
We ended the unit with two favorite student challenges:
Wearable Build Challenge – Students designed and created their own necklaces, bracelets, crowns, and other wearable art using flexible Clixo pieces.
Free‑Standing Robot Challenge – Students engineered upright robot structures, testing how to stabilize their builds using magnetic attraction, balance, and creative shaping.
Clixo’s engaging, screen‑free design allows children to bend, snap, and sculpt imaginative builds while strengthening engineering, art, and science skills—making it a perfect addition to hands‑on STEM learning in our classroom.
If you’d like to learn more about Clixo and its educational benefits, you can explore their official site here: https://clixo.com.
Dream it. Build it. Play it. Adventure Coders
Ever wanted to design your very own video game? Now’s your chance! In this club, we’ll meet twice a month to bring your ideas to life using Bloxels. You’ll create characters, worlds, and challenges—then watch your game come alive! Best part? You can keep building and tweaking your game from home between sessions.
Note: Students should already feel comfortable with basic programming and game setup.We will meet:
March 12th, 26th,
April 2nd, 16th
***3rd-5th grade Walnut Hills students only
Please sign up on this google form: https://forms.gle/kMEDwk5YDn3zx3jL8
If you have any questions or want to learn more about what your child is working on, please don’t hesitate to reach out:
Email: jhager2@cherrycreekschools.org
We look forward to a great month of learning and discovery!