2B Highlights: 5/8/15

Jackson: My highlight this week was Asher's BOW, dodgeball, and the snow cone sale.

Lachlan: My highlight this week was Asher's BOW and building dominoes for free choice.

Asher: My highlight this week was my BOW.

Jake: My highlight this week was Asher's BOW and the Art Festival.

John: My highlight this week was tech time.

Will: My highlight this week was Asher's BOW and free choice.

Soren: My highlight this week was urban planning and Asher's BOW.

Cyrus: My highlight this week was the snow cone sale.

Adrian: My highlight this week was learning photoshop and library.

Theo: My highlight this week was free choice.

Phil: My highlight this week was urban planning and Music.

Taaran: My highlight this week was free choice.

Jay: My highlight this week was Spelling and free choice.

Alex: My highlight this week was figuring out how many tables could fit in 2B during Math.

Dylan: My highlight this week was urban planning and Asher's BOW.

Mikhail: My highlight this week was Asher's BOW and dodgeball.

James: My highlight this week was free choice and Asher's BOW.

Dyon: My highlight this week was Asher's BOW and Art.

Webb: My highlight this week was Asher's BOW and free choice.

Jarett: My highlight this week was tech time and library.

Cole: My highlight this week was Asher's BOW.

2B Highlights: 3/27/15

Asher:  My highlight this week was Dyon's boy of the week and going to Alta Plaza Park for recess! 

Taaran:  My highlight this week was Dyon's boy of the week and our field trip! 

Phil:  My highlight this week was library and glee club! 

Cyrus:  My highlight this week was Free Choice, Dyon's B.O.W. and the field trip. 

Jackson:  My highlight was Free Choice and Alta Plaza Park. 

Will:  My highlight the field trip, Dyon's boy of the week, and Alta Plaza park! 

John: My highlight was finishing our Cable Cars and the Exhibit and Dyon's B.O,W.

Jay:  My highlight was Alta plaza park, Science and Dyon's BOW

James:  My highlight was Dyon's Boy of the Week, Alta Plaza where we learned the distance of the planets, and the field trip! 

Jarett:  My highlight was the field trip, the planetarium and our podcasts! 

Adrian:  My highlight was the earthquake house at Cal Academy and the lunch on the field trip. 

Soren:  My highlight this week was the field trip and Dyon's Boy of the Week! 

Theo:  My highlight this week was Dyon's B.O.W., Alta Plaza park (measuring the planets), the field trip. 

Dylan:  My highlihgt this week was the field trip and Alta Plaza park 

Webb: My highlight was the field trip, Alta plaza park, and Dyon's B.O.W. 

Ollie:  My highlight this week was the field trip, podcasts and listening to everyone's highlights

Lachlan:  My highlight was the field trip, Dyon's BOW and the Cable Car Exposition. 

Jake:  My highlight was the earthquake house, Alta Plaza Park, and Dyon's BOW. 

Cole: I liked having science at Alta Plaza Park and I also liked seeing my brother and sister at the playground. 

Alex:  My highlight was coming back from the field trip and Dyon's BOW!

Ryder:  My highlight this week was the Academy of Sciences, measuring the planets and how far away they are and, Dyon's BOW. 

Dyon: My highlight was the field trip, art, and learning the solar system song and my BOW. 

Mr. S: My highlight was teaching about the size and distance of the planets. 

Ms. Dionne:  My highlight this week was seeing you all explain your cable car designs to the parents during our Expo! 

2B Highlights 3/20/15

Jarett:  My highlight this week was making the Puzzles at Marin Prep in the Castro and hearing everyone's highlights. 

Phil:  My highlight this week was making our brackets for March Madness. 

Ryder:  My highlight this week was making our brackets, going to the Castro and studying our environment and how to help it. 

Jake: My highlight was Families this week, the party for Ms. Dionne, Reading group and playing knock out at recess. 

Cole:  My highlight was the brackets and drawing still life in art. 

Jackson:  My highlight is hearing all of the highlights and my boy of the week! 

Cyrus: My highlight is all 3 parties this week and march madness brackets 

James: My highlight this week was learning about Space and making our March Madness brackets

Mikhail:  My highlight was making our March Madness brackets and Jackson's boy of the Week. 

Dylan:  My highlight was highlights, March Madness and .... Friday reading group! 

Alex: My highlight was learning more about space. 

Taaran: My highlight was Friday's reading group and hearing highlights! 

Webb:  My highlight this week was doing the march madness brackets, Friday's reading group and Jackson's boy of the week. 

Theo:  My highlight is the wedding party for Ms. Dionne and learning about space

Ollie: My highlight was both parties and finishing up our Lego cable cars with the 8th graders

Soren: My highlight was Ms. Dionne's party and Reading group party and learning about space! 

Will:  My highlight was Ms. Dionne's party and finishing up our cable car project! 

Lachlan:  My highlight this week is finishing our cable car and Jackson's boy of the week. 

John: My highlight was the wedding party for Ms. Dionne and finishing up cable cars. 

Asher:  My highlight was Jackson's boy of the week and learning about space.

Adrian:  My highlight was Ms. Colgate and teaching us about sportsmanship and the sandwich on the field trip to the Castro. 

2B Highlights: 3/13/15

Jay: My highlight was the Mosaic assembly and Art - making the simple machine heads and Jake's boy of the week.

Dylan: My highlight was Jake's boy of the week and Art.

Alex: I liked earning quite time today :) 

James: I liked Art and Jake's boy of the week. 

Will:  I liked Art and Jake's boy of the week. 

Jackson: I liked the mosaic assembly and Jake's boy of week

Jarett:  My highlight was tech time and designing our cable car with the 8th graders.

Adrian:  My highlight this week was listening to everyone's highlights and learning about area in Math. 

Dyon: My highlight was Jake's boy of the week because of the card game and reading group. 

Ryder: My highlight this week was doing the lego cable cars with our 8th graders and studying Jim Thorpe, my changemaker. 

Mikhail:  My highlight was making the cable car with our 8th grade buddies and Jake's boy of the week. 

Asher:  My highlight was probably studying the changemakers, mine was Gandhi and how close we are to winning the 30 seconds or less treat! 

Phil: My highlight was doing my report on Abel Lincoln and Harvey Milk 

Cole: My highlight this week was designing the cable cars

Ollie:  My highlight was the 8th grade lego cable cars. 

John:  My highlight this week was redesigning our cable cars with 8th graders and highlights! 

Webb:  My highlight this week was Jake's boy of the week and making the simple machine heads in art!

Cyrus: My highlight of the week is getting to go to Alta Plaza park and DEAR 

Lachlan: My highlight this week was lego cable cars and the Mosaic assembly 

Soren: My highlight was redesigning the cable car and playing knock-out on the field with my friends.

Taaran:  My highlight was art and making Simple machine heads and we are so close to getting our special treat for 30 seconds or less

Theo:  My highlight of the week is Simple Machine heads in Art, 30 seconds or less 

Jake: My highlight this week was my boy of the week and Art and making our simple machine heads.  That was so fun! 

You Light Up My Life!

For Valentine's Day, the second graders made simple electric circuits to light up a red LED bulb for cards for their families.  They decorated their cards with punny messages, like "You light up my life!", "You're electric!", and "You're the light of my eye!"  Pretty sweet, and sugar free!

If you want to try making your own circuits at home, here are the directions.  We took the project from TapeTricity at Maker Fair.

2A Highlights 2/6

Owen: I liked weaving in art, PE and the obstacle course, learning about screws, playing football with friends, and staying warm during the rain with inside recess!
Clyde: I liked Families, the PE rope climb, weaving, and playing football with friends. I also liked finishing my weaving and Image of the Day.
Asher: I liked indoor recess, rope climbing in PE, the obstacle course in PE, and everything else in PE.
Van: I liked rope climb, PE, recess, and weaving in art because I finished mine.
Finn: I liked finishing weaving in art, Image of the Day (today’s especially, the wheel suit in China), PE, and I will like learning choice. I want to add making screws and watching the video about screws.
Tanish: I liked weaving, PE, and recess.
Henry: I liked writing, art, PE, recess, and Families. We made cards for faculty.
Connor M.: I liked finishing my weaving, Image of the Day, Families because we played capture the flag, and PE.
Will: I liked families with Ms. Der Yuen, recess inside, seeing Rohan’s Boy of the Week, and will like learning choice.
Kenzo: I liked everything especially weaving!
Axel: I liked everything and, like Kenzo, I liked seeing my weaving not on the loom because it was finished!
Kekoa: I liked weaving, science, and getting the ball for selling Fair tickets.
Alex: I liked weaving in art, playing with my friends at recess, and I’m pretty sure I will like learning choice.
Conrad: I liked finishing my weaving, getting my new seat for February, watching the Image of the Day when the guy climbed Niagara Falls, and Jedi training in PE.
William: I liked art, recess, PE, and writing. I am making a map of California for my writing.
Caspar: I liked art, recess, PE, Image of the Day, and writing. My book is about soccer.
Trey: I liked art when I finished weaving, Image of the Day yesterday, recess playing kickball, and making the screw with Mr. D. I also liked writing.
Boden: I liked finishing my weaving in art, families, Jedi training in rope climbing in PE, and the guy climbing frozen Niagara Falls and the scooter board suit in the Chinese Mountain in Image of the Day!
Elliot: I liked math, and especially having recess when it’s not raining (not like today).
Rohan: I liked being Boy of the Week! I will like learning choice, I liked recess, PE and the rope climbing, and music! I also liked the recent Image of the Day pictures.
Frederick: I liked PE when we did training and recess.

We missed you, Liam and Connor B.!

2A Highlights 1/30

Henry: I liked art, PE, and recess. I liked weaving. I want to add going to Alta Plaza.
Connor M.: I liked recess, free choice in PE, and I missed a lot of other stuff being sick.
Connor B.: I liked art and watching Bill Nye! I also liked recess and PE.
Caspar: I liked recess, PE, art, and Tim and Alice. I liked playing basketball at Alta Plaza!
Conrad: I liked holding Alice’s leash at the park, making our sheep, weaving, watching Bill Nye, and the pulley experiment.
William: I liked art, recess, PE, and Tim and Alice to play basketball.
Van: I didn’t do much since I was sick. I liked music, PE, recess, and weaving.
Kenzo: I was only here today, but I liked Morning Meeting, math, and recess.
Finn: I liked Tim and Alice, art, and science with the iPads.
Elliot: I liked being Boy of the Week, learning choice, and all our recesses.
Will: I liked PE, recess, music, and math.
Liam: I liked Tim and Alice, art, science, and Bill Nye.
Alex: I liked recess with my friends, art, Bill Nye, and missing school yesterday. I also liked meeting Tim and Alice. It was really silly when Alice kept jumping at me.
Tanish: I liked Tim and Alice coming to the park, recess, and most of all art!
Asher: I liked art, Bill Nye, and recess!
Rohan: I liked coming back! I liked recess, pulleys with Mr. D., music, PE, math, snack, and everything. I want to add playing basketball at recess and making the zodiac sheep!
Clyde: I liked making the sheep and most of all the park with Tim and Alice!
Kekoa: I liked science, Alice and Tim, recess, Bill Nye, and art. I also liked making sheep!
Axel: I liked everything! I really liked the party at Alta Plaza.
Owen: I liked playing basketball with Tim, meeting Alice, weaving in art, recess, and making the sheep for the zodiac!
Boden: I liked recess! I liked football.
Trey: I liked PE, recess and playing kickball, art, Bill Nye, making the zodiac sheep, and weaving in art.

We missed you Frederick!

Spark Truck Visits Town

Today, we had the thrill of spending the day with Stanford d.school's Spark Truck. Second graders toured the Spark Truck in the morning, learning about the high and low tech tinkering tools on board: 3D printers, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, hand tools, craft materials, and more. They were particularly impressed with the freshly laser cut cardboard Spark Trucks they took back to class as a souvenir. As Jackson noted, "They even smelled burned!" observing the connection to their laser production. The visit certainly sparked their imagination and curiosity before embarking on their afternoon challenge.

Did you know we have our own 3D printer in the Upper School STEM lab?

Bipartisan tinkerer

Laser cut Spark Truck!

In the afternoon, they rolled up their sleeves to tackle their own design challenge. They created Vibrobots, a signature Spark Truck activity that's been done with hundreds of kids of all ages across the country. It follows a design sequence of brainstorm, prototype, test, share, and storytell with a strong tinkering element. This iteration had a Town-specific tilt: teachers crafted it to connect to our curriculum. In the midst of studying Chinatown and simple machines, the boys brainstormed zodiac animals and machines to mashup together as zodiac transformers. Their creatures ran the gamut: a monkey wrecking ball, pig dumptruck, snake laser cutter, ox tank, dragon airplane, and even a bouncing bunny bicycle. They got technical tinkering with circuits to build a battery operated motor to make their creature vibrate. Not only did they have to learn how to make them function, but they had to control them and connect them to their creature. Then, using a range of low tech craft materials, they created their creatures. Upon creation, they shared names, stories, and traits about their vibrobots. Who knew the tiger rocket is actually quite shy and that's why he likes to blast off? The activity was capped off in classic 8 year old boy fashion: battle bots! They pitted their vibrobots against each other to see which one would "push" the other off the table. You can imagine the squeals!

If you want to make your own vibrobots at home, check out the lesson in the Spark Truck collection on Instructables.

Vibrobots

Vibrobots

Telling stories about their creatures

Tinkering

2A Highlights 1/23

Clyde- I liked writing to President Obama, art and visiting the Spark truck.
Will S – I liked Ms. Colgate, STEM lab, visiting the Spark truck and recess. I also liked weaving in art.
Caspar – I liked art and science and recess.
Alex – I liked the Spark truck.
Tanish – I liked building the cars with the wheel and axle and recess.
Axel – I liked everything – mostly the wheel and axle lab with Mr. D.
Van – I liked finishing A Bear Called Paddington, recess, and free choice in PE. I also liked weaving in art class.
Boden – I liked looking at the Spark truck, free choice at PE, and recess.
Elliot – I liked when we got to see the laser cutter on the Spark truck.
Frederick – I liked art, lunch, recess and snack.
Liam – I liked art, music, and the Spark truck and PE. I also liked finishing A Bear Called Paddington.
Owen – I liked free choice in PE, seeing the Spark truck, lunch, art and weaving and recess.
Asher – I liked the Spark truck and the laser cutter inside of it, and I liked recess playing paper football with my friends and I liked free choice in PE.
Trey – I liked seeing the Spark truck and all the things inside and recess, lunch and art and I liked doing more of the writing about our informational books. I also liked PE.
Henry – I liked writing, recess, free choice at PE and art.
Connor M – I liked weaving in art, the spark, truck, recess, image of the day, finishing A Bear Called Paddington and everything else!
William – I liked art, recess, PE, and the Spark truck.
Conrad – I liked the Spark truck, finishing my weaving in art and I liked free choice in PE. I also liked finishing A Bear Called Paddington and reading group.
Kenzo – I liked everything, especially the Spark truck and playing with my friends at recess.

We missed you Rohan, Finn, Kekoa and Connor B.!

2A Highlights, 1/9

Caspar: I liked science, recess, and art.
Will: I liked science, recess, and art. I liked the OK Go simple machines video.
Clyde: I liked the OK Go simple machines video and weaving in art.
Liam: I liked art and Image of the Day.
Axel: I liked everything, especially the Ok Go simple machines video.
Connor B.: I liked art, building simple machines and the video! I also liked recess.
Elliot: I liked the simple machines video.
Connor M.: I liked the tech lab! We did the tinkering game. I especially liked the Ok Go simple machines video. I want to add my 3 page long Winter Break News and the assembly and learning about Destiny Quest in library. I liked science, art, and recess!
Conrad: I liked the simple machines video, hearing the a capella concert, music, and the game on the computers at tech lab. I liked Chinatown too!
Trey: I liked art, recess, and tech lab when we did the fun game. I liked the simple machines music video today. I also liked learning about simple machines and Chinatown and drawing for the mailbox. I want to add the assembly.
Tanish: I liked the video about simple machines and learning about Chinatown.
William: I liked art, recess, tech lab, and writing my book about San Francisco.
Finn: I liked art, assembly, tech lab, PE, and spelling. I will like learning choice.
Alex: I liked the video this morning (the simple machine thingamadoo), the assembly, math, and playing with my friends.
Boden: I liked the simple machines music video with the paintball, music, and weaving in art!
Owen: I liked the OK Go simple machines video, tech lab, recess, weaving in art, PE, and assembly for Shades of Yale.
Asher: I liked the Shades of Yale assembly, simple machines in tech lab, and I loved the video this morning!
Henry: I liked recess, PE, and art.
Kekoa: I liked the Image of the Day, tech lab, recess, and the assembly and art.
Van: I liked recess, the video this morning, and PE.
Kenzo: I liked everything and especially our video this morning!
Frederick: I liked the simple machines video, art, and science.

We missed you Rohan!