Third Grade Engineers: The Great Nest Building Challenge!

Mrs. Moss's students recently put their engineering skills to the test with  fun spring-themed STEM challenge: building the strongest bird's nest!

Equipped with a variety of materials including popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, real sticks, and paper, the students worked diligently to design and construct unique nests. The goal was simple yet challenging: build a nest that could hold the most "eggs" (made from playdough).

The classroom buzzed with collaboration and creative problem-solving. The competitive element was a blast, and everyone learned valuable lessons about balance, structure, and teamwork! Can you tell we have SPRING BREAK and warmer weather on our minds! 

Lego bridge building challenge

Our gifted 3rd-grade students just completed an incredible STEM challenge: constructing Lego bridges that had to span a body of "water," hold weight, and remain completely dry!

The criteria were tough:

• Reach: Bridges had to successfully cross from one side to the other.
• No Touching: Absolutely no part of their creation could touch the water below.
• Strength: Each bridge was tested for how many rocks it could hold.

It was amazing to watch their creativity and problem-solving skills in action. 

We are so proud of their hard work and ingenuity! These young engineers truly built some impressive structures.

Magic Math: THE FINAL SHOW!!!!

For the last 8 weeks, we have been on our MAGIC MATH unit. Our final project was putting on a show! Our gifted 3rd graders put on a dazzling magic show this week, turning mathematical card tricks into pure entertainment! We invited other classrooms to watch, and let’s just say, there were a lot of dropped jaws. Who knew algebraic principles could look like mind-reading? So proud of my students for mastering the tricks and the presentation. The future of math is looking magical! This was truly an amazing experience!

Visual patterns: Is your brain wired to see them?

My gifted 3rd graders just wrapped up an exciting deep dive into the math behind visual patterns! They learned to move beyond just seeing shapes to analyzing the underlying rules. We finished our study by playing visual pattern games, which turned abstract mathematical thinking into a fun, interactive challenge!

Students also learned that everyone's brain is wired differently (although any skill can be mastered with enough practice). Research indicates that some brains are functionally and structurally "wired" to be more adept at identifying visual patterns and utilizing spatial reasoning. Some students were able to identify themselves as wired to see the patterns with ease!