What's going on in the library?
February 2025 Building, Creating, and Problem-Solving in the Library!
February was a month of hands-on learning in the library as our K-3 students explored engineering and design through tower-building challenges!
Kindergarten & 1st Grade: After reading The Three Little Pigs, students became architects, designing and constructing houses strong enough to withstand the "Big Bad Wolf's" huff and puff.
Kindergarten-3rd Grade: Inspired by Too Tall Houses and Someone Builds the Dream, students built their own towering structures using Kapla blocks, testing balance, height, and stability.
1st - 3rd Grade: As a follow up to building with wooden blocks, students worked cooperatively for the Index Card & Tape Tower Challenge, problem-solving to create the tallest freestanding structure.
These activities encourage creativity, critical thinking, and teamwork—all while having fun! We love seeing our young engineers at work in the library!
November 2024 Unplugged Coding and Bee-Bots
This month in the library, K-3 students have been having a blast exploring coding concepts inspired by the book The Golden Acorn. After reading about the squirrel's adventure to retrieve the golden prize with her team, students practiced unplugged coding by playing a directions game—helping a squirrel navigate through obstacles to reach the treasure on a paper grid.
This week, we leveled up our coding skills by programming Bee-Bots! Students worked together to guide these fun little robots around a grid, navigating twists and turns to find the golden prize. It's been an engaging way to introduce problem-solving, sequencing, and teamwork.
October 2024 STEM Week Creepy Carrots and Monster Houses
This week in the library, our students combined stories with STEM--
First through third graders enjoyed Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and then put their engineering skills to the test by designing and building fences to keep those mischievous carrots in the garden.
Kindergarteners read Monsters Love Cupcakes! by Mike Austin and built houses tall enough to fit their own friendly monster.
It’s been an exciting week of creativity and problem-solving in the library!
October 2024 Engineering Sails
We're excited to share that our students have been working on a hands-on K-3 Engineering Sails Project during library time! This project integrates both literacy and STEM, giving students the opportunity to build, test, and improve their own sail designs.
We began by reading some inspiring books during our library read-aloud sessions:
Rosie Revere, Engineer
The Most Magnificent Thing
Louise Builds a House
Big Friends
The Wind Blew
Students worked with materials like tissue paper, foil, wax paper, index cards, plastic bags, popsicle sticks, and masking tape to construct their sails. We tested them in front of a fan to see how well they worked, and students got to make adjustments to improve their designs.
This project has been a great way for students to explore problem-solving, creativity, and engineering. Ask your child about their sail design and what changes they made to make it work even better!