For 11 years I taught at a school with a science center "attached" to the campus.
Can you imagine what that would be like?
And it was that and more!
Today, I got to take my ETK class back to my old stomping grounds, thanks to Google and friends that alert you to grant opportunities! I took along 7 other classes for the ride. Even though the California Science Center is less than 10 miles away from our school, most of the students have never been there before. Los Angeles is rich in resources, but you have to leave your neighborhood sometimes to experience it.
I said it before and I'll say it again and again...
Experiences Matter!
Why?
Because it builds background knowledge through actually experiencing learning first hand.
Bryce could have read about San Antonio de Padua mission, but he will NEVER forget what it was like to go there and spend time at the mission. Things he saw and learned are now etched into his memories because he experienced it first hand.
Today my students made new memories...
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| Taking care of sick animals in the Discovery Rooms |
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| Touching the tires of Endeavour |
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| Visiting mission control! |
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| Going to the desert in a dome! |
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| Being introduced to your teacher's happy space! #BESTVIEW |
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| Touching sea stars! |
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| Yesterday we read about shuttles and rockets. We constructed a shuttle and it's parts. |
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| Today we got to see the parts of the shuttle and the kids recognized some of the parts. Y, my little engineer, examined each piece carefully. He saw an actual external fuel tank and orbiter today. I wonder what he will do with that information tomorrow?... and beyond! |
Experiences matter! Yes. Thank you for being the source of so many of my arts-related experiences as a child. I've never forgotten. These are things I now hold dear to my heart and am passing down to my own kids. <3
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