Friday, April 18, 2014

Mento vs Soda!

Watch as some of our 21C students learn first hand what happens when Mento's and Soda mix!
Check out these excited faces!

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Games Galore!

On Tuesday, the Games Galore participants became the teachers. Prior to heading to the RASY after school program, we reviewed some of our favorite games and practiced how to teach the rules and procedures. Each child picked 2 games that he/she wanted to teach and then gathered the necessary materials. Once in the gym, RASY kids traveled around the tables and played the games that our kids were teaching. Examples of games being taught were " Capture Four," a math game in which participants identify missing addends in math equations, "Homophone Memory," and "Dinosaur Ladders," a game for kindergartners in which they compare number values. Other favorites were " Bump," "Parts of Speech Cupcakes," "Bananagrams," and "Roll a Word."  On Thursday, our last day of Games Galore, we played a group game of jeopardy. Correct answers allowed kids to "shop" for games. Each participant went home with a shopping bag full of games they could play at home with their families.

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory

Our fabulous 5th and 6th graders at Bristol Elementary recently put on a great musical for students, parents, and administrators. Students have been working hard since February to rehearse and practice for their big debut. Here are some fun videos of our favorite musical numbers:





A very big thank you to Elizabeth Maher, Grace Freeman, Jen Allred, and San Gordon for all of your hard work and great leadership! Bravo!

Hovercrafts!

Our awesome learners in the Scholars Club at BES are always doing fantastic science experiments. Here is a video of our students making their own hovercrafts using a balloon, a cd, and a soap bottle top. How cool are these junior scientists??


Tuesday, April 15, 2014

American Sign Language Assembly Prep!  
Our American Sign Language class has run for three sessions now and had an incredible amount of student interest.  Students have learned numbers, letters, days of the week, and months of the year.  They have also learned many new greetings and signs for basic communication.  The highlight of the workshops has been the songs that they have learned and then performed at our monthly Celebration of Learning Assemblies.  If you aren't busy, come on over to Bristol Elementary School and see their skills in action at Friday's assembly!!  You will absolutely be wowed!!!


Can ketchup clean a penny?!

Look what happens to the penny when its immersed in ketchup! WOW!

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Learning can be sweet!

The "Sap to Syrup" group at Robinson has been hard at work!  Our afternoon time flies by as we collect sap, boil it, learn more information about maple sugaring on the internet, and just recently conduct a science experiment.  Our question is, "Do all liquids evaporate at the same rate?"  The group's hypothesis is that no, they don't all evaporate at the same rate.  They believe that thicker liquids (like maple syrup) will evaporate slower than liquids that aren't as thick (like sap).  Below are a couple pictures of our first day of data collection.  So far their hypothesis seems to be true!

A highlight of our time together was a trip to a neighbor's maple sugaring operation.  What a treat!  The students were given a detailed explanation of how syrup is made and were allowed samples of syrup and sugar on snow for tasting (by far the best part!).  They showed their appreciation by refilling the woodpile--an important job when you're making maple syrup! 


Tuesday, April 8, 2014



Girls on the Run.....or should we call it Girls in the Mud?  Despite muddy roads, dodging rain showers and snow that is seeming to stick around forever, Girls on the Run at Robinson is off to a roaring start!  We have enjoyed our first 5 lessons on topics ranging from positive self talk, to what it means to be a Girl on the Run, to nutrition and other healthy habits, etc. etc.  The girls are loving getting outside to enjoy the sun (when it is out) and they are learning all about stretching, strengthening, pacing, perseverance and everything else that goes along with not only training for a 5k run but life itself.


Dancing Spaghetti!



Students did a science experiment in Scholars today where they learned what happens when you combine baking soda and vinegar!  You will see the the spaghetti "dance!!!"

How it All Adds Up!

Have you ever wondered how a fraction compares to another? Today one Scholar builds his fractions to find out which is greater!

Scientists at work!

It's finally Spring!!!!  Today our Scholars Club Got to enjoy the lovely spring weather while doing a neat science experiment!  Students put Alka Seltzer drops into a film canister with water.  They were able to see the chemical reaction between the water and the Alka Seltzer which resulted in the pressure blowing the top off the canister!