Maker Mondays in 2019--Forms Coming Home Soon!

I am preparing the flyer to announce Maker Mondays for January and February 2019.

Here is the information that will be coming home soon!

The Enrichment Program at RES is excited to support a winter session of:

MAKER MONDAYS!

When: Monday Afternoons January 14th, 28th , February 4th, 11th, and 18th

Time: Immediately After School until 4PM

Where: The RES Makerspace

The Details:   Mrs. Rankin will work with students to design, create and make in the makerspace.  
During our time together we will have an opportunity to do guided tinkering projects as well as the
freedom to create from our own imaginations! If you are a student who loves to make and take apart
things, or wants to learn something new in a fun and exploratory environment, then this is the after
school program for you!

Cost:  This five week session will be $35 per student (Part 2 students are welcome to attend,
provided they pay this additional fee). Partial and full scholarships are available.

Students: All students in Grades K-4 are invited to attend, but class size is limited to 20.  Slots will be filled on a first come, first serve basis (with a lottery if I receive more than the amount on the same day). *Note last year I had over 75 applicants in the first two days!*

Grade 4 Makerspace Advertisements - Mrs. LeFrancois' Class

Students in fourth grade enrichment had an opportunity to work in small groups to create video advertisements for the RES makerspace and makerspace activities.  Students self selected topics and groups and then designed an advertisement using paper storyboarding.  Once groups had a plan in place they used iPads to record videos (and some included green screen and stop motion applications to add another layer of technology).  Next students imported their videos onto their Chromebooks and used WeVideo to edit and create their final videos (including voice overs, music, text additions, video splicing and more!) It was impressive to watch student creativity shine as they walked through this movie making process.

Here are the finished products from Mrs. LeFrancois' Class!

RES Cougar Cub Inventor's Workshop Success

The Thursday before November break RES families came together for the fourth year in a row to celebrate creativity and engineering at the RES Cougar Cub Inventor's Workshop.
What is an Inventor’s Workshop? The workshop was a family-friendly event to MAKE, create, learn, invent, craft, recycle, think, play and be inspired by celebrating arts, crafts, engineering, science and technology.  Students worked with their families to create. Activities were facilitated by engineers and teachers. Families had an opportunity to learn together as they experienced the fun of making / building / constructing / designing and more.

I am so thankful for all of the school and community volunteers that made this evening possible. Volunteers from the Society of Women Engineers ran stations to build jitterbots, create rockets and lead our youngest makers in building marble mazes and floating objects for the wind tunnel. ECHO brought an amazing 34 foot Lego car racing tack and a 10 foot high wind wall that had students laughing and cheering all evening. Radiate Art Space brought a variety of spin art machines and created amazing art with students. CHMS educator, Quinn Keating brought a 3D printer and taught families how to use software that drives this tool. RES educators were on hand to support learning and challenge students as they learned to code in Scratch and build with various materials. Cardboard Tek donated some PinBox 3000s for the evening so students could get excited by the design possibilities they will get to have later in the school year.

Here is a video that captures some of the fun of the evening:

Grade 4 Makerspace Advertisements - Mrs. Berliner's Class

Students in fourth grade enrichment had an opportunity to work in small groups to create video advertisements for the RES makerspace and makerspace activities.  Students self selected topics and groups and then designed an advertisement using paper storyboarding.  Once groups had a plan in place they used iPads to record videos (and some included green screen and stop motion applications to add another layer of technology).  Next students imported their videos onto their Chromebooks and used WeVideo to edit and create their final videos (including voice overs, music, text additions, video splicing and more!) It was impressive to watch student creativity shine as they walked through this movie making process.

Here are the finished products from Mrs. Berliner's Class!

Grade 4 Makerspace Advertisements--Ms. Poncelet's Class

Students in fourth grade enrichment had an opportunity to work in small groups to create video advertisements for the RES makerspace and makerspace activities.  Students self selected topics and groups and then designed an advertisement using paper storyboarding.  Once groups had a plan in place they used iPads to record videos (and some included green screen and stop motion applications to add another layer of technology).  Next students imported their videos onto their Chromebooks and used WeVideo to edit and create their final videos (including voice overs, music, text additions, video splicing and more!) It was impressive to watch student creativity shine as they walked through this movie making process. 

Here are the finished products from Ms. Poncelet's Class!

Maker Mondays

Maker Mondays at Richmond Elementary school is an after school program that gives students an opportunity to design, create and make in our makerspace.  During our time together students do guided tinkering projects, such as lighting up their creations with LEDs (as shown in this video) as well as the freedom to create from their own imaginations!  Students also enjoy using our Take-Apart station to understand how things work as they dismantle and investigate broken keyboards, computers and more!  The makerspace offers an exploratory environment where students can make and learn through hands on discovery. Students of all ages work side by side--learning from each other--supported by their teacher-- and independently driving their own learning through choice.

Grade4 Makerspace Movies-Monday Class

Students in fourth grade enrichment have spent time this fall creating movies that share their favorite things about the RES makerspace.  This project has allowed students to dive into the makerspace, utilize movie making software as well as to use the equipment to teach others what is possible!  I love the diversity of makerspace choices and the way in which the students chose to share their info.  All of the created movies are students designed, filmed and edited.

Here is the fourth grade Monday class movies!

Green Screen

CD People "Come to the Makerspace!"

Take Apart Center

Take Apart Safety

Take Apart a Drone
**Coming Soon**
Make a Puppet

Take Apart a Printer

Grade4 Makerspace Movies-Friday Class

Students in fourth grade enrichment have spent time this fall creating movies that share their favorite things about the RES makerspace.  This project has allowed students to dive into the makerspace, utilize movie making software as well as to use the equipment to teach others what is possible!  I love the diversity of makerspace choices and the way in which the students chose to share their info.  All of the created movies are students designed, filmed and edited.

Here is the fourth grade Friday class movies!

Lego Wall Marble Run

Recycled Dudes

 

Marble Mazes

Green Screen

 

Green Screen Expectations

 

Yogurt Cup Babies

Coming Soon: Lego Stop Motion Video!

Grade4 Makerspace Movies: Wednesday Class

Students in fourth grade enrichment have spent time this fall creating movies that share their favorite things about the RES makerspace.  This project has allowed students to dive into the makerspace, utilize movie making software as well as to use the equipment to teach others what is possible!  I love the diversity of makerspace choices and the way in which the students chose to share their info.  All of the created movies are students designed, filmed and edited.

Here is the fourth grade Wednesday class movies!

Taking Apart a Computer:




Stop Motion Legos and the Green Screen



The RES Makerspace with Harry Potter





Marble Mazes

Rainsticks in the Makerspace

VCR Take Apart


Homemade Fidget Spinners


CD Player Take Apart

Cougar Cub Inventor's Workshop--Save the Date!

Richmond Elementary School , in conjunction with

the Society of Women Engineers, ECHO Science Museum, Radiate Art Space and  MMUSD Educators is proud to present the third annual:

COUGAR CUB INVENTOR’S WORKSHOP

Thursday November 30th, 2017

5:30 – 7:30pm

RES Gym, Library and Art Room

Cost: 2$ per project (to cover cost of disposable resources, scholarships available)

 

Join Us Before for a Farm to School Dinner !

5-6pm, RES Cafeteria

Chili, Mac-n-Cheese, Salad and a Sweet Treat

Donations to benefit RES Farm to School Programming

What is an Inventor’s Workshop?

This workshop is a family-friendly event to MAKE, create, learn, invent, craft, recycle, think, play and be inspired by celebrating arts, crafts, engineering, science and technology.  Students will work with their families to create!  Activities will be facilitated by engineers and teachers, but tasks will be open ended and creative.  Families will have an opportunity to learn together as they experience the fun of making / building / constructing / designing and more! A variety of activities will be available to challenge students from Grades K – 8.

Activities planned for our workshop include:

Cardboard Challenge:  Create with cardboard! The possibilities are endless!

Making a keyboard with bananas!  MaKey MaKey Boards are electronic devices that convert many regular objects into keys on your computer to control programs like Scratch or videos games.  Objects that are conductive, even slightly, like fruit or people, can be used with the MaKey. 

*New this year*Build and Launch a Rocket!  Using makerspaces materials we will build rockets that reach for the stars as they travel several stories into the night sky.

Creating lighted artwork with throwies!  LED Throwies are LEDs connected to coin batteries to create artwork with light.  They can be added to greeting cards or origami, or used to create nightlights or glowing badges. We will have a station to add LEDs to our rockets

Creating interactive circuits with littleBits!  littleBits are electronic modules that snap together with magnets to make circuits.  Each bit has a specific function (light, sound, sensors, buttons, motors, etc), and modules snap together to make larger circuits. We will have a teacher on hand to use synthesizer Little Bits to create awesome sounds.

Checking out a 3D printer in action!  CHMS and RES students have been using a 3D printer during technology/enrichment classes. Come and watch a 3D printer in action and explore the Tinkercad software we use to make our designs.

Make it Fly!: Create objects to fly in the wind tunnel and fly gliders with BRMS middle schoolers and staff.

Creating abstract art with a digital microscope!  DinoXcope Art is artwork created using a digital microscope to photograph intentional arrangements of materials.  

Programming interactive games with Scratch!  Scratch is a visual programming language.  Use colorful interlocking building blocks of code like legos to build interactive games and programs.

Green Screen! Green screen technology is used to create background scenes for pictures in films and photographs.  Come and create your own awesome photo.

JitterBots!  Back due to popularity, you can create your very own jittery robot!

      SNAP Circuits, Art Creation with Radiate Art Space, ECHO Engineering Challenge, Keva Planks, Robots…and more!!!!

Please contact Darcie Rankin, RES Enrichment Teacher at darcie.rankin@cesuvt.org with questions.

We hope to see you there!

Open House 2017

It was so great to see so many families at the RES Open Houses this week.  I got a chance to see old and new members of our school community, and am so excited to work with all of you to make enrichment programming at RES awesome! If you did not get a chance to stop by the enrichment classroom....here are a few images of what visitors saw:

 Welcome to Room 32.

Save the Date!

 Flynn Performance dates can be found here:  https://enrichmentatres.blogspot.com/2017/09/flynn-trips-for-2017-2018-school-year.html
AND the Cougar Cub Inventor's Workshop Thursday November 30th and Science Fair Thursday March 15th dates are scheduled!

We explored some of the robotics that we will be adding to the enrichment curriculum this year, in particular in Grade 3.

 Families interested in after school robotics club had a chance to try out the tools and sign up for more information!

 Spanish information and curriculum was available.

 The classroom library is ready for readers and writers.

 We welcome all of the newest school members by learning their names and interests on this bulletin board.

 The kitchen is ready for exploratory play.

 Art easels, sand bins and light tables--ready to go!

 Puppet theater and building materials in abundance.

 You can sign up for the enrichment blog to get updates!

 The makerspace was open for exploration.

 Handouts were available to learn about materials we are collecting to make the makerspace great.

Families created spinning tops in the makerspace!

A video of kindergarten and first grade students showed some of the great building and teamwork that has been happening over the last few weeks.

Questions about enrichment programming or the makerspace can be directed to Darcie Rankin at darcie.rankin@cesuvt.org.

RES Ambassadors of STEM

A few months ago I blogged about an opportunity that Richmond Elementary School was part of through a grant from the Vermont After School Program and Montshire Science Museum. That Tinkering Grant award allowed us to have some awesome materials for engineering exploration both in school and in an after school class that I hosted.  The relationship that RES established with the Vermont After School program has led to excellent learning for students as well as professional development for myself as the RES enrichment teacher. It also led us to an opportunity to visit the Vermont State House in Montpelier last week and talk to state representatives about all of the great engineering activities, and the amazing makers and scientists that we have at RES.

I was proud to bring six students to Montpelier to participate in a day that included engineering design challenges, a visit to floor of the State House (where our Richmond representative called out our students by name!) and time to engage representatives in making through our RES marble maze display (Students designed elements and created on the spot).

It was great to share about the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)---and to see RES students SHINE!  At RES this year we are on a journey to bring making, creating and engineering to all students through the creation of a Makerspace.  It is a journey as we figure out how this work fits into our curriculum as well as our after school programming.  Connecting to the Vermont After School program has been an excellent way to engage in dialog about how we can provide multiple avenues for all students to access these skills and opportunities.




If you have ideas about this topic--I would love to hear from you. This journey is a collaborative one that invites all of us to think about how to provide awesome opportunities for our kids!

Maker Mondays Coming Soon!

Flyers are being sent home this week (Wednesday) for a program I am working on called Maker Mondays!  I think this after school class will be popular so get your forms back quickly! Here is the information:

The Enrichment Program at RES is excited to introduce:

MAKER MONDAYS!

When: Monday Afternoons January 23, 30, February 6,13,20

Time: Immediately After School until 4pm

Where: The RES Makerspace

The Details:  Mrs. Rankin will work with students to design, create and make in the makerspace. During our time together we will have an opportunity to do guided tinkering projects (Creating our own spinning tops, jitterbots, and sewable circuits) as well as freedom to create from our own imaginations! If you are a student who loves to make things…or wants to learn something new in a fun and exploratory environment, then this is the after school program for you!

Cost:  This five week session will be $25 per student (Part 2 students are welcome to attend, provided they pay this additional fee). Partial and full scholarships are available.

Students:   All students in Grades K-4 are invited to attend, but class size is limited to 20.  Slots will be filled on a first come, first served basis.

Questions? Contact darcie.rankin@cesuvt.org

Cougar Cub Inventor's Workshop

On Thursday evening RES hosted the third annual Cougar Cub Inventor's Workshop.  Three years ago this event began as a conversation between myself and a representative of the Vermont State Science Fair who had recently acquired materials via a grant to do engineering outreach at schools.  Each year I have been thrilled to add a diversity of learning experiences to our event that engage students and families in the creative process of making.  This event, attended by over one hundred students is made possible by a great number of people. I would like to thank RES teachers Beth Redford, Tonya Darby, Diane Kane, Katie LeFrancois and Illeen Gilbar for their amazing particpatory support.  I would also like to thank other MMUSD educators who gave their evening to support learning opportunities for our kids, including: Quinn Keating, CHMS TechnologyEducator  who brought a 3D printer and exposed students to Tinkercad design; Willie Lee BRMS Technology Educator who brought gliders to fly with students and Dave Bouchard JES Enrichment Teacher for bringing materials and teaching us about green screens and drones!  We also had members from outside our community....the Vermont Society of Women Engineers hosted centers as well as Mater Christi educator and friend Tricia Finkle.  And new this year ECHO STEM educator Chris Whitaker wowed students with a zip line! In addition we have an amazing 'behind the scenes' staff in Toby Beane, Jen West and Jeanne Adams that all help to make RES events successful!

As an educator I believe in the value of engaging students in learning through hands on exploration and learning.  I also believe that there is strength in education when we can build a community of learners in families and other amazing community members.  I feel lucky to have witnessed this type of learning on Thursday and I hope that everyone had a great time making and creating! I saw low tech creations as students built a massive house structure and space needle out of cardboard, high tech engagement as students coded and designed and everything in between.

I will continue to work to support making at RES and I welcome all feedback and comments about this evening and/or ideas for future projects.

Thanks to all who attended this event!