Day 2 in DC!
4/30/2019
(Or you could call this post, “When you are tired and can’t think of a good title...”)
Middle schoolers bounce back fast! We got a great start this morning and headed down to the Mall to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. Although some exhibits are under renovation, there were plenty of things to amaze us, including the very first airplane flown by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, space ships, Amelia Earhart’s red Vega that she used for several historic flights, and many others. We touched moon rocks and shopped for souvenirs. We moved on to the Museum of the American Indian, an architectural wonder filled with so many beautiful artifacts and stories from so many cultures We definitely would have enjoyed even more time in this treasure! Our lunch in their highly popular cafe offered a variety of options from many Native cultures, and it was delicious! After some journaling in the shade of the trees, we walked to the Library of Congress. It was a HOT walk, as the temperatures had reached the low 80’s. This was absolutely too hot for these Alaskans! We were very grateful for the air conditioning of the Library of Congress as we marveled at Jefferson’s extensive library that helped revive the national library after it was destroyed in the War of 1812. We missed getting into the Supreme Court, but took some lovely shots of it from the outside. After some more relaxation on the lawn behind the Capitol we had a quick dinner before heading out for our tour of the monuments by moonlight. We were awed by the beauty and moving messages we saw as we stopped at the FDR, Martin Luther King Jr., Lincoln, Vietnam, and Marine Memorials (Iwo Jima). You can be proud of these young people; they approached each memorial with respect and true interest in what they could learn. We made it “home” late, and all are now safely tucked in to rest up for tomorrow! Above are just a few pictures from today; please know that we have many more that we will share with you later!! A LLLOONNGG First Day in DC!
4/29/2019
It’s a Party! A Science Party!
4/14/2019
On Friday, April 19, PNA will host its first Science Party! We will be celebrating all things science! There will be guest scientists, music, activities, and explorations. In preparation for this fun, school-wide event, the Middle School Scientists have been preparing their own science oriented “Escape Rooms” for participants to solve. First, student teams had to decide on their science topic. Next, they had to create a puzzle for multi age groups to be able to solve as well as learn or explore something science related. Then, students had to write out directions clearly, thinking through the steps of their “escape room” puzzle and finalize their work. “Rooms” had to speak for themselves as the creators can not be there to explain the directions. Once students had thought through and gathered all the elements, they set up their “escape room” puzzles for a trial run. The “dress rehearsal” run through also required the participating teams to evaluate and critique other “rooms”. Students had to time the escape, describe any confusing elements, suggest improvements, and provide an overall evaluation for the “room” team creators. From these critiques will come the final improvements for the Escape Rooms, which will debut at the Science Party this Friday! Can you Escape the Room? Scenes from ERB WeekLast week we did not send out a blog since it is really hard to write about testing week and keep it interesting… However, we did manage to find some fun with multi age games to get the blood flowing before the tests, smoothies and smart food, auction choir, and helping the EKers discover the fun in recycling! Enjoy the photos! |
Sarah Mariner
Ms. Mariner earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science from Colorado State University, and was awarded a teaching certificate through the University of Alaska, Southeast. Her varied background includes being an environmental education field instructor in Massachusetts, Colorado, and Baja, Mexico. She also served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Archives
April 2021
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