Natural Sciences Studio & Solarium

As promised, I want to give readers the opportunity to learn more about the individual studios in the Light Lab.  This post focuses on the Natural Sciences Studio and the attached Solarium.

The Natural Sciences Studio is outfitted with a full kitchen, washer/dryer, basin sinks, beautiful concrete floors and one of our two truth windows.  The Solarium can be accessed directly from the NS Studio and so both spaces are frequently used together.

This studio feels very unique to the Ulmer Family Light Lab.  I've visited my share of makerspaces equipped for all age ranges; I have yet to see a space that has so fully embraced the valuable learning that happens in a kitchen or greenhouse.

Maker Ed curricula sometimes focuses heavily on the higher tech materials like robotics, programming, and expensive fabrication tools.  While fun - and certainly important tools to have in your makerspace - laser cutters, 3D printers, and programmable robots really aren't any more valuable than a big set of measuring cups, mixing bowls, and a well stocked pantry.  Experimenting with food feels approachable to nearly everyone while adding authentic opportunities to explore rich math concepts like measurement and fractions.

Growing and cooking together provides students and teachers with a chance to connect on a highly personal level.  Research continues to point toward the importance of shared family meals. I would argue that I've witnessed those same benefits between school community members who regularly have the opportunity to prepare and enjoy a meal resulting from their combined efforts.

Take a look at a sample of the delicious projects that have taken place this year:

Fourth Grade grew lemons in their room.  When the time came, they juiced and made homemade lemonade to share in the Solarium while they listened to a favorite story.

In a first grade reading group, friends loved when a character made strawberry shortcake in a special story so their teachers decided to visit the Natural Sciences Studio to make shortcake together as an extension. Our huge basin sinks made it easy to get everyone involved in the clean up, too!

Kindergarten learned about Passover while making special candies with their teachers.

Third Grade made yummy Brazilian chocolates before Winter Break. Recently they visited to make a some traditional Native American foods.

Middle schoolers spent an entire week before Spring Break exploring cooking with Ms. Mutchnick. Pictures are coming soon.

If you've not yet visited the Solarium, I encourage you to come when you need a few moments of peace.  The beautiful aeroponic towers are bursting with squash and cucumber blossoms, crisp kale leaves, fragrant basil and tender salad greens.  When the pumps turn on, water rains down inside the towers sending nutrients to the roots growing inside. The Solarium is filled with the sound of gentle rain.  

It's magical.

Fifth graders have been visiting twice weekly to take the pH of each tower and to harvest as needed.  Plants seem to come to harvest twice as fast in our towers as compared to outdoors.  The results continue to surprise us although they really should not; our lucky plants are getting an optimal amount of nutrients, sunlight and a consistent temperature.

Chef Wadiya and Chef Maggie use our harvested veggies to feed fifth grade as well as our other students and teachers at lunch.  It is amazing what our kids will try when they have personally cared for the plants and harvested!  We had some friendly debates on which salad greens are the best. Swiss chard, kale, speckled lettuce or spinach?

What do you do when you don't have bees to pollinate?  Your students get to "tickle" the blossoms with q-tips, doing the important work of our missing insects.  Nursery is looking forward to visiting later in April to germinate beans, dissect a swollen bean, and serve as our pollinators for the day.   

Stay tuned for some time-lapse videos taken in the Solarium.

The Fabrication Studio

As our makerspaces come together, I intend to dedicate a blog post to each of our four unique studios.  This post will focus on the Fabrication Studio which has quickly become my "home" in the Light Lab.

With a clear view to the courtyard through the beautiful glass doors, I can get ordering, scheduling, and anything digital accomplished while keeping my eye out for visiting students and teachers.  I've put the most hours in the organization of this room so far and it is beginning to really show.

This studio includes many unique features that help it work well for our students:

• Pull-down electric cords - particularly useful for tools and glue guns.
• Concrete floors for easy clean up
• Glass panelled closet to store noisy 3D printers when needed
• DIY sound panels
• Whiteboard table tops that flip up to allow work space to become presentation space
• Dynamic furniture that is flexible, moveable, serves multiple purposes
• Double doors for transporting large materials in and out
• Large basin sink

The Fabrication Studio

Large basin sink, cardboard storage and the laser cutter in the corner

Sewing Station

3D printers, Bulk Fabric and Plenty of Tools

Neat & Functional

From the start, I knew Fabrication would be where I would spend the majority of my non-teaching time.  It houses the most equipment of any studio with the laser cutter, 3D printers, sewing machines and woodworking tools.  This range and versatility make it feel like a place where nearly anything could be made and hopefully will be as time progresses.

Since November, our students have used it to:

• Construct wooden covered wagons
• Sew costumes for a play
• Create an interactive bulletin board
• 3D design and print Roman coins
• Build cardboard prototype castles using design thinking
• Make light-up paper circuit Valentine's Day cards

Fourth graders are currently working on individualized state projects that may incorporate laser cutting, 3D design or construction.  Fifth graders became so enthralled with their study of our solar system in science, they asked to create solar system models.  Their design plans and material lists are finished.  Each group is beginning to construct this week.

Next up, the Natural Sciences Studio.

Welcome 2017

Welcome January - my absolute favorite teaching month of the year!

The Light Lab was full of a wide variety of students and teachers in December, making the weeks before the winter break just fly.  In my 13 years of teaching, I have always felt that I'm running a race from September to the end of the calendar year.  From Back-to-School events to Halloween to Thanksgiving to the various End-of-the-Year Holidays, I crave the winter break to regroup.

I look forward to January when I can return to students who are already settled into their classes with a quiet month fairly void of distractions from teaching.  It's really the heart of the school year.  I always feel like so much gets accomplished in this long month.  This year won't be an exception!

Our young ones are in the Light Lab in full force this month with both Pre-Kindergarten classes taking on exciting projects.  Pre-K B continues to make progress on their wearable cars.

They added spinning wheels to the car base today with great success.  We're going to problem solve a little together to make the wheels more stable when they are sitting on the floor.  The brads allow great spinning but are hard to secure without impeding their movement.

Our second task taught us about electricity and how to build a simple Little Bits circuit as a car horn.  They did an amazing job with this part!  Not a single student wasn't completely engaged and delighted by their working horn.

They couldn't wait to start thinking about where to place the horn inside their car.  We'll work on installing the circuit onto the car wheel with velcro next week.  Our Little Bits circuits were conveniently secured with little velcro feet so we can easily do this next step.

Pre-K A begins to build rockets this week as they continue studying space.  Each student made the body, cone, and fins of their rocket.  They will add flaming cellophane and lights next week.  I'll post pictures soon.

KB has been learning about the layers of the Rainforest.  Kindergarteners used the Fabrication Studio today to start their interactive rainforest board.  They are working on creatively making the background illustrating the four layers with trees, clouds, leaves, vines, greenery, flowers and a river.  They joyfully used a wide variety of materials from twine to cellophane and fabric to pipecleaners to create their individual contributions to the community board.

As we work through the next weeks, each student will research and create a rainforest animal to add to the board.  Each animal will have a foil touch button that will activate a custom sound recording in the student's voice teaching the viewer about their animal.  Fifth grade book buddies will be working on writing the codes in Scratch and helping to record their buddy's fun facts.  They will also help us wire everything together using the Makey Makey Inventor's Kit.  

Stay tuned for more.

Updates on Current Projects

As I write this post, it is a rare and quiet moment in the Light Lab.  Lower School classes are rehearsing their songs for the upcoming Winter Showcase, preventing them from filling the Light Lab Studios with cheerful voices and busy hands.

Not surprisingly, I haven't had much time to document since my days are full.  I've been facilitating classes, offering workshops for faculty and helping individual students and teachers carry through project ideas. In an effort to update you, I'm offering brief descriptions and pictures of just a few projects that are currently happening.

 1A has measured, sawed, and hammered together the bodies of their covered wagons with the assistance of our very own handymen, Glenn and Jerry.  After the bodies were together I helped them attached two axles.  They loved using the power drill to screw in their wheels.  Some students looked in disbelief when I asked them to pick up the drill and try it. Later today, they will attached the support and cloth covering to complete their model.  The finishing touch will be adding their custom cargo created with Ms. Exeley's guidance in Art.  This project was a part of this class' Journey theme while studying Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Both first grade classes have been exploring Stop Motion Studio in order to create animations of changing trees as a part of their Science curriculum with Ms. B.  Ms. Kirk has also been collaborating as the students begin filming. They chose to animate one action like falling leaves, taking in water, changing colors or growing.  Their animations will be combined with a soundtrack of the children reading a beautiful poem about trees.  

Ms. Parris has been in and out of the Design Studio with many Art classes utilizing the large space and extra functions the room has to offer. The pull down electrical outlets on the ceiling made using glue guns during mask-making a lot easier!  4B made stunning depictions of civil rights leaders pictured below using the open floor space. 

Pre-K B started their Journey project by transforming ordinary cardboard boxes into the wearable bodies of cars.  They've already painted a part of the body and wheels.  Next they will add brads to the wheels to make them spin, paint their windshields and work on building simple circuits to make working headlights and car horns.  

As we reflect while using the Light Lab, I continue to make changes to the physical spaces to improve function.  More materials and furniture are being added slowly in response to student and teacher needs.  I spent some time after Thanksgiving assembling DIY acoustic panels to hang in Fabrication and Design Studios to cut down on background noise.  I'll keep you posted on how they work.

A variety of teachers attended one of three workshops offered this past month: 3D Design & Printing, Stop Motion Animation, and Little Bits.  Our teachers love to play as much as the kids.  It's wonderful to see how much enthusiasm and curiosity they are modeling for our students.  

Our new spaces and tools provide students opportunities to do projects in their own ways.  I had several visits from a fifth grader who was working independently to design Roman coins and print them out using the 3D printer.  He chose this way in order to demonstrate his learning for a culminating project.  So much fun!

Best wishes for a happy holiday season.  See you in 2017!

Classes Started in the Ulmer Family Light Lab

Now officially open and ready for business, the studios have been full of enthusiastic kids and collaborating teachers since Friday.

KA bounded in on Friday afternoon to use the Solarium's gorgeous views and natural light to sketch the changing fall foliage.  Their pictures are simply beautiful and entirely unique - a perfect example of how we each can see the same thing so differently.

Yesterday both first grade classes visited the Fabrication Studio with Ms. B. to begin an exciting construction and animation project which will demonstrate their learning about how trees change throughout the seasons.  Using a beautiful poem to evoke imagery of a tree's life cycle, classes brainstormed how trees change and then how they could build a dynamic representation that could be photographed and turned into a simple animation.

KB and 3A came together in the Design Studio to measure, paint and cut out their gigantic 30 ft. boa constrictor in conjunction with their combined study of rainforests for our fall Journeys theme. Having this enormous flexible space allowed them to easily accomplish the fun task with everyone painting at once.

At the same time, 1B and 4A used the Media & Computing Studio to record their Cinderella Puppet Stories which they've been working on as book buddies.  Watching students of different ages pair to share an experience is always so touching.  It really helps build community in the Lower School - just one of the many benefits of having these special spaces for our students.

What a Day!

Friday was a day of celebration from start to finish.

The Lower School community gathered at 1:30 p.m. in front of the new Ulmer Family Light Lab on what seemed the most beautiful fall day possible.  The joy was palpable - little feet swinging in chairs and fingers energetically pointing towards the big blue ribbon stretched in front of the building.

Inspirational words were spoken by our Head of School, Craig Sellers and our LS Director, Kelly Pierre. Check out the video to hear some highlights and the gallery to see the whole event.

We were treated to a moving thank you from Rich Ulmer, Class of 1960, on behalf of his family.  Rich and Bev's extraordinary gift made possible the building of the Ulmer Family Light Lab.  We are so grateful for their generosity and eager to share the amazing work our students will produce.

Tours of the Studios followed along with time for our community members to make their discs together.

The Ulmers had front row seats while watching our little ones bring their personalized discs into the courtyard to add to the collaborative LS sculpture.  They smiled watching children puzzle over what animal it most resembled or to gasp as they added a piece that threw the structure out of balance.

As we hoped, this project gave each student the opportunity to show their individual talent while utilizing the strength of classmates and teachers to build a final unpredictable and interesting piece of art.  More classes added their pieces on Monday.  I will post a final picture in the coming weeks as we keep the structure up for classes to visit in the Light Lab.

As we ready ourselves for the work ahead, I remind myself of Maria Montessori's belief that a child's work is play.  Let the play begin!

14 Days

We're almost there as we prepare to cut the ribbon at the Grand Opening of the Ulmer Family Light Lab on October 21st.  All community members are welcome to join us at 1:30 on the Lower Campus for the festivities, a fun collaborative maker project and refreshments.

Michael Darfler, US Makerspace Director, spent a fun afternoon helping me prototype the building pieces which will be used to construct a collaborative sculpture for display in the Light Lab courtyard.  It never gets old watching the laser cut run.  I cannot wait to have one in the Fabrication Studio!

Each student will take time to personalize a piece.  Classes will make their own structures together before sharing and connecting them all for display in the courtyard.  Eventually the pieces will return back to each child to take home as a reminder of this exciting day.

The Light Lab Committee very intentionally planned this first division-wide maker project.  We wanted it to reflect the importance of process over product - a tenet of Maker Education. While the final structure will hopefully add beauty and intrigue to the courtyard at the opening, the process of creating it alongside our friends will be far more meaningful.

14 days!