Amazingly Awesome Announcements!

created on our very own HP Sprout using Martha Stewart CraftStudio

The makerspace couldn't be happier to announce our new addition, the HP Sprout! If you aren't familiar with the Sprout, we encourage you to check it out in the quick video below.

 

 

We can't wait for our friends at Sappington to dive into this amazing device, and explore all of its possibilities. We are so fortunate that Mrs. Moehlmann wrote the grant that allows us to explore cutting edge technology like the HP Sprout. Now, our school has the unique opportunity to integrate it into our curriculum giving our friends a leg up on learning.

 

A few of our first grade friends from Mrs. Boughman's class were lucky enough to experience the Sprout for themselves on Tuesday. They used the Crayola Color, Draw, and Sing app, and the Martha Stewart CraftStudio app. Crayola Color, Draw, and Sing combines art and music in a very engaging way.  With the CraftStudio app, they can design their own scrapbook style page layouts to make reports and projects come to life. The large touch pad and touch screen on the HP Sprout make these apps very user friendly, and much more dynamic than a typical desktop. What is even more exciting is that these two apps are just a small fraction of what the Sprout is capable of!

 

 

 

We would also like to announce the St. Louis County Library's "The Write Stuff Contest". We encourage all of our friends age 8 and up at Sappington to consider participating. It's a great way to practice all of the writing skills we learn here at school!

 

If you are interested in entering the contest read the requirements below, or click here.



Finally, we wanted to share a discovery one of our tinkering students found while disassembling a donated DVD player in the take-apart center. He was very pleased to show us the "Return of the King" DVD left behind in the old player. If it belongs to anyone that has kindly donated a DVD player to our makerspace, we are keeping it safe and sound for you. You can email Mrs. Czaicki or myself, or call the library to arrange for it to be sent home with your child.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tinker on!!! 

 



Makerspace Happenings

Last night, Sappington Elementary celebrated the 2015 Makers' Fair! It was such an incredible display of the passion driven learning taking place all over our school! As you may know, in addition to any projects the students may have done in their classrooms, our 3rd-5th grade friends were able to explore a topic of their choice in the Sappington Library Makerspace using the Genius Hour approach. The end results were displayed in the gym. If their final project was digital in its presentation  (Google Slides, iMovie, Lego movie, or a Scratch program), visitors of the Makers' Fair were invited to the library to view them on one of our big sharing screens. They were so proud to share their projects!

Topics covered a range of categories from arts and crafts, sports, animals, occupations, photography, and 3-D printing. Our Sappington friends learned so many new things!

As busy as it has been in the Library Makerspace, we still find time for reading. The students look forward to checking out new books every week, and always manage to squeeze in a few minutes of quiet reading time when their class visits. 

In other Makerspace news, our kindergarten-2nd grade friends have had the chance to explore one of our new items... MagnaTiles. They are awesome! The students have quickly learned that working as a team can yield larger, more detailed designs. 

They have been able to efficiently build some superb structures by delegating jobs, and working together. They have been challenged to figure out what makes an ideal foundation for a tall and narrow structure versus a wide and short structure. They have also discovered through trial and error that two shapes combined can create an entirely new shape, for example, two triangles can become 1 square. Additionally, they have been able to put their knowledge of spatial concepts into practice in this hands-on activity. The MagnaTiles are quickly becoming a Makerspace favorite. 

We look forward to the weeks ahead in the Makerspace as we explore even more new technology and ideas!

5th Graders Sharing Genius Hour Projects