Inside the Rainforest: Diorama Project (Class 3)

Our gifted 3rd graders just finished their incredible rainforest diorama projects, mapping out every single layer of the rainforest and the animals that call them home!

Inside the Oasis: Layer by Layer

From top to bottom, our young scientists brought the tropical rainforest to life:

• Emergent Layer: Towering high above the rest, complete with bright-beaked Toucans and soaring birds such as the Harpy Eagle.
• Canopy: The dense, leafy green roof buzzing with life and colorful tree-dwellers such as sloths and monkeys.
• Understory: The dark, humid middle zone where stealthy cats and climbing creatures hide such as the apex predator, the Jaguar!
• Forest Floor: The quiet, shadowy ground level packed with roots, insects, and forest-floor animals such as the toxic Poison Dart Frog and Green Boa Constrictor.

The creativity, research, and hard work that went into these shadowboxes are truly next-level. So proud of these brilliant thinkers! They are so proud of their final projects!! And I am too!! :)🌿🐵✨

Rainforest Round-up!

Over the last month or so, our gifted 3rd graders are taking their learning deep into the jungle!

Here is a quick look at what our young explorers are working on:

Digital Slide Shows: Students are researching unique creature adaptations and compiling their findings into interactive presentations.
Rainforest Art: From vibrant macaws to hidden chameleons, our room is bursting with color and creativity.
Ecosystem Studies: We are diving deep into the distinct layers of the rainforest and learning why preserving these environments matters.
Diorama Boxes: Hands-on engineering is in full swing as students construct 3D miniature habitats.

The final adventure awaits! Stay tuned, parents—I have a special final surprise up my sleeve to wrap up our rainforest journey very soon.

Look how awesome this student did on our tree frog drawing tutorial!

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins!

STEM Challenge #1 - Clear the Pumpkin Patch

Recently, our gifted 3rd graders took on a fall-themed engineering challenge that put their critical thinking and creativity to the test.

The mission? Design and build a device capable of clearing a pumpkin patch in the fewest tries possible. The catch? They had to rely on a strictly limited set of supplies and collaborate under pressure.

STEM Challenge #2 - Pumpkin Catapults

Students recently took on a thrilling, fall-themed engineering feat! Armed with nothing but popsicle sticks, rubber bands, 1 plastic spoon, and a lot of imagination, our young innovators stepped up to the ultimate Pumpkin Launching STEM Challenge.

The mission? Design and build a fully functional catapult capable of launching candy pumpkins across the room. But there was a twist—this wasn't just about distance. Students had to calculate their trajectories and adjust their launch force to strategically land their pumpkins onto the assigned "pumpkin patch" in order to rack up points.

I've learned that these students are VERY competitive when it comes to these STEM challenges! We had SO much fun!

An update on our crystals...

Our big crystals are done growing! They turned out beautiful! We experimented with differing amounts of added alum (which is supposed to make spikier crystals). The base crystal growing mixture is made from hot water and monoammonium phosphate. The students love looking at them when they come to class each day. It's a beautiful reminder of their learning and accomplishment!

A Rock's Life...Reimagined!

Students recently got the chance to become authors. We kicked off our lesson by watching the beautiful, award-winning animated short film An Object at Rest. The story follows a single rock facing the relentless forces of nature and human civilization over millions of years.

Inspired by the story, our students became authors and animators themselves. They put a modern twist on the classic rock cycle by creating their own digital rock stories. Using Google Slides (and its many tools), students imagined their rock on a journey through the ages. From dramatic volcanic eruptions to millions of years spent under deep ocean pressure, their digital projects brought a simple rock to life with incredible imagination!

Spreading Joy, One Rock at a Time!

Recently, our gifted 3rd graders wrapped up a heart-warming project inspired by the global #KindnessRocksProject.

After exploring how small actions can create big ripples of positivity, the students rolled up their sleeves and got creative. They transformed ordinary stones into beautiful, vibrant masterpieces featuring uplifting messages, bright colors, and motivational words.

Today, our students went outside to hide their kindness rocks on the playground.  Their goal? To bring an unexpected smile to anyone lucky enough to find one! 

***The pictures are organized by class #.

Class 3

Class 4

Class 5

Class 6