Welcome and welcome back!
This year, the Lemur students began the year in science by spending time in our gardens on the very first day of science class. Our returning students recalled planting a variety of vegetables and other flowers last spring. New students appeared excited to have their first class at West Campus. Everyone seemed to take equal delight in seeing what grew during the summer.
Students searched for anything they found interesting in the garden and made an observational sketch of it. The most common discovery was an acorn squash; we also saw sketches of flowers, rocks, and corn, to name a few. As is appropriate for people who are four and five year old, we also saw sketches of jack-o-lanterns and other things that were not there. The similarities and differences between what is observed and what is imagined comprise one of the important and exciting explorations children make in this year.
In our second meeting, the Lemur students began discussing safety in the lab. Students first toured the laboratory in search of dangerous things of which to be aware.
The next step will be co-creating guidelines for themselves in the lab.
Most days, asking questions will be the first thing we do when we meet together. However, questions are often inspired by the things that we encounter when we’re out and about. If your child asks a science question at home, please always feel free to send it my way and we’ll see where it leads.
Some questions will warrant a simple spoken or illustrated answer. Others will be worthy of a full, hands-on investigation. As we continue through the year, I plan to get them all answered one way or another!
As always, if you have any questions about the program or about your child specifically, please feel free to get in touch!
jeff.oremland@questacademy.org