Fall Learning Lab - Gifted Resource Council

Fall 2007 Learning Lab Classes

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9:30 - 11:00

Diggin' Dinosaurs - Instructor: Darcy Swanson: Ages: 3-4
Do you have dinosaur-itis? Pack your paleontologist bag and join our dinosaur dig, as we dig, measure, graph, sort, and live dinosaurs! How many children do you think could stand on the back of a dinosaur? Make fossils, dig for dinosaur bones, learn about reptile eggs, check out herbivores and carnivores, and hypothesize about what made the dinosaurs extinct. Would you like to have a dinosaur for a pet?
Patterns + Fun = Math Fun! - Instructor: Susan Schneider: Ages: 4-5
Explore math concepts and discover patterns using geoboards, pattern blocks, and other manipulatives - even M&M's®! Find your way in the world of geometric shapes through great books, fun art projects, and games. Graph the number of green vs. red vs. yellow colors appearing in a bag of M&M's®. We'll play math and logic puzzles, as we deduce that math is everywhere...and fun!
Bees, Bugs, & Butterflies - Instructors: Tammy Davis & Jami Miller: Ages: 4-5
This class is all aflutter! We'll follow bees, bugs, and butterflies as they flit and flutter through our favorite children's literature. Explore their habits, mimic their movements, and celebrate their life cycles and characteristics through hands-on art, drama, math, science, and writing activites.
Good Vibrations: Surfing the Science Waves - Instructors: Dennis & Barbara Grzenczyk: Grades: K-1
Join us as we use hands-on experiments and minds-on science to explore the impact of waves on our daily lives. Examine how electromagnetic waves of light from the sun help us see and help plants produce food, generate oxygen for us to breathe, and fight global warming. Generate sound waves; learn how to bend light and alter sound waves. Construct boats to float on waves in our water tanks. Learn basic scientific concepts such as electricity, magnetism, the nature of the materials that carry waves, and the ways our senses gather information for our brains to interpret. Of course, don't forget to dress for mess because in this class, science isn't always neat and tidy.
Ocean Life & Living: Deep Stuff! - Instructor: Erin Skelly: Grades: K-1
Come sail the oceans of the world and discover the amazing creature they contain! Learn about fish, sea mammals, sea birds, and more! Have you ever seen a sea cucumber? We know whales and octopus live in the ocean, but what about the different animals living in the tide pools or the kelp forests? Look at life in the Galapogos Islands region of Ecuadore, as well as other locations. Hands-on activities help us explore animal adaptations, habitats, and survival techniques. Did you know that, even though an active green sea turtle must come to the surface of the water every few minutes to breathe, when they sleep, they can stay underwater for more than two hours? Come join us for an "ocean-rific" adventure!
Animal Families - Instructor: Jason Adams: Grades: 1-2
Get the scientific story on many of the animal families in the neighborhood (well, maybe not your neighborhood.) Explore mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and insects with us! Create an edible fish habitat, construct a rattlesnake, design your own unique mammal based on other mammals’ characteristics (just like the animals in "Where the Wilds Things Are",) build a take-home bird feeder and more! Each week we’ll target a different animal family.
"Little House on the Prairie" Revisited - Instructor: Phyllis Richter: Grades: 1-2
Take a new look at the life and times of Laura Ingalls Wilder…pioneering on the prairie. ‘Live’ it with Laura and her family, as we explore many of the day-to-day activities in the 1800s Midwest, including candle dipping, soap making and stitchery. Try the games, crafts, and foods of the period. Could you make it as a pioneer? Listen to fiddlin’ like Pa’s. What would it be like to travel in a covered wagon to places unknown, uncharted, and even unlit? We’ll even ‘pack’ a covered wagon and build a mini log cabin!
Checkmate! - Instructor: Stephen E. Randoll: Grades: 1-4
A formal introduction to chess for the novice or the amateur player. Learn how the pieces move and how to record your games, as well as how the pieces work together to produce checkmate. Learn basic principles of the game. More advanced students will be accommodated within the classroom.
Math, Magic & Memory - Instructor: Robert Linnenbom: Grades: 3-4
Take the power of math to the nth degree with your own powers of memory, multiplication and even magic! Harness the force of mental logs and manipulate the abacus, tangrams, and other tools to actively explore patterns in math. Learn to add and even multiply at lightning speed – faster than a calculator! Unleash the muscle of your brain to memorize an astonishing amount of material for magic tricks and for more practical applications, too. Target the binary system, magic squares, place value, base 10 vs. base 2, and much more! After this class, people will think you’re a math genius (if you aren’t already!)
Meeting the 'Real' Native American - Instructor: Dave Lindley: Grades: 3-4
What do you know about Native Americans beyond what’s in the movies? We’ve seen images of Indians as aggressors (older movies) and as victims (newer movies)? What’s the real story? Separate myth from reality as we look at several individual tribes, their many languages and distinct cultures. Who were the Indian heroes of war and peace? How is the Navajo culture like that of ancient Tibetans? Which Native American tribes practice non-violence? Try Indian fry bread, invented by the Navajos 120 years ago. The Lakotas especially like it with wojape, a jelly-like mix of berries. Join someone who actually lived and worked with the Navajos for many years to expand your world!
3-D Art Extravaganza - Instructor: Laura Meyer: Grades: 3-4
Wrap your hands around several art forms to design, mold, shape, paint, and finally display a three-dimensional work of art. Create a metal armature (skeleton) for your papier mache object. When dry, apply principles of setting and background to form an art piece out of your wildest imagination. Discover the secrets of famous 3-D artists. Explore principles of color and how to use the color wheel. Immerse yourself in a totally mind-bending art extravaganza!
Scratch Your Itch with a Computer - Instructor: Bob Coulter: Grades: 3-5
If you enjoy making your own creations on a computer, or want to start, learn how to program with Scratch. This new language from MIT is geared for kids but has a lot of power to get you started with graphic design and computer programming. Whether you want to create a virtual pet or a simple video game, this is the course for you. Final projects can be shared on MIT’s Web sites for the world to see.
Chemistry for Kicks - Instructor: Ruth Birch: Grades: 3-5
Every day your world is shaped by chemical reactions. If you think slime is fun, you can thank the wonders of polymer chemistry. Lightning bugs glow because of chemical luminescence. You owe the food you eat to the chemical harvesting of the energy of the sun. We will explore this chemistry and more too. We will build an atom; study natural acid/base reactions; play chemical detective; make things glow and investigate much more, from crystals to the enzymatic activity of the potato.
Become a Marine Biologist - Instructor: Tim Schmalz: Grades: 4-5
Examine the wonders of the deep with an actual marine biologist! Explore the characteristics of the ocean, and see how it shapes the life in its depths. What is plankton and how does it survive without ever touching the ground? Design your own sea creatures and test them in different aquatic habitats. Can you design a creature that will avoid predation and survive the difficulties of the deep? How does sound work underwater? Find out how marine mammals live. How do whales use sounds to locate objects (such as prey) and to orient themselves in the vast ocean realm? You won’t get water logged, but you may get wet. Learn octopus wrestling from a marine biologist that has actually wrestled with a few. Join us to examine the amazing creatures and adaptations of the organisms that call the ocean home.
Movin’ and Groovin’ - Instructor: Erin Dell: Grades: 4-5
Can you feel movement? How does movement portray ideas and feelings? Discover how energy, rhythm and your own motivation can help you express everyday experiences. Consider how you take fundamental human movements (jumping, turning, and sliding) and combine them with locomotive movements (running, walking and rolling), elevating movements (hopping, skipping and jumping) and gesturing movements. Then learn to put these together to express your experiences, thoughts and emotions. Look at the world around you, from animal movements (aka "The Lion King") to movements in nature. Join us, and put some moves into your groove.
The Art of Creative Writing - Instructor: Carol Haukap: Grades: 4-5
What are the qualities of excellent writing? What makes some stories just "good" and others outstanding? In this class students will work with the tools that turn ordinary writing into pieces with impact! Explore the differences between fiction and nonfiction as you read examples from great literature such as "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Refuge," and "The Color Purple" as well as excerpts from other famous authors (John Steinbeck, J.K. Rowling, Madeline L’Engle, Rudyard Kipling, Jack London and others.) Young authors will strengthen their voice and develop skills as creative writers.
Totally Grossed Out Chemicals, Creations and Investigations! - Instructor: John Armstead: Grades: 5-6
Is pseudo snot as germy as real snot? How many super-absorbing polymers (SAP) did you use as an infant? How much water do they hold? Dissect a diaper (SAP) to understand its water-absorbing properties; then use that knowledge in a magic trick. Analyze the ink on a 'ransom note' using chromatography, and identify the mystery pen used to write the note. Investigate enzymes, acids, bases and indicators in common household products like soda, spit, cabbage and antacid. Chemistry, forensic science and creativity originating here!
Harry Potter: Full Circle - Instructor: Art Koenig: Grades: 6-8
If you read book seven and are ready to dissaparate to the time before the first book and start over, join us to relive the adventure of the "Boy that Lived." From accio (a summoning charm) to Zonko’s (the joke shop,) from Animagus to the Whomping Willow, we’ll eat the foods, play the games and debate the characters that make up Harry’s world. Keep us spellbound by your expertise in book trivia games. If your interests lie in the battle between good and evil, the mythological connections to the Wizarding world, or even literary trivia, this is the Learning Lab class for you!
Learn Cryptology – The Art of Codes - Instructor: Kathleen Gardner: Grades: 6-8
Decipher, decode, disguise, design. It’s all about codes! How easy was it to crack the ancient Greek scytale (rhymes with "Italy") code? How well did the Caesar (yes, that Caesar) cipher protect secret codes in battle? Why were the Navajo (our very own Native American) code talkers more successful than the enigma machine used most famously by Nazi Germany? Unravel the role of codes from ancient times to now. Use frequency analysis and other means to decipher codes. Then design, create and analyze your own codes, and engage in fun games of espionage based on codes.
Off Campus Class Moving & Shaking – An Introduction to Engineering - Instructors: Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert & Amy Shen: Grades: 6-8
Are engineers movers and shakers? Work alongside real professors in their scientific laboratories and learn basic engineering principles: everything from roving robots to satellite design to neural tissue engineering! Class meets each week on the campus of Washington University in Jolley Hall. (Class size limited to 10, with priority registration for girls before September 21, 2007.)

11:10 - 12:40

Patterns + Fun = Math Fun! - Instructor: Susan Schneider: Ages: 3-4
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Diggin' Dinosaurs - Instructor: Darcy Swanson: Ages: 4-5
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Bees, Bugs, & Butterflies - Instructors: Tammy Davis & Jami Miller: Ages: 5-6
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Animal Families - Instructor: Jason Adams: Grades: K-1
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Good Vibrations: Surfing the Science Waves - Instructors: Dennis & Barbara Grzenczyk: Grades: 1-2
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Math, Magic, & Memory - Instructor: Robert Linnenbom: Grades: 1-2
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Movin' and Groovin' - Instructor: Erin Dell: Grades: 2-3
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
"Little House on the Prairie" Revisited - Instructor: Phyllis Richter: Grades: 3-4
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Totally Grossed Out Chemicals, Creations, and Investigations! - Instructor: John Armstead: Grades: 3-4
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Mr. Bones - Instructor: Ruth Birch: Grades: 3-5
Without your best friend, Mr. Bones, you would be a blob of jello – well, skin and guts – on the floor! How would you pull yourself together? We’ll figure out how you do pull together as we construct a life-sized (laminated paper) skeleton bone by bone. And how do all the guts and insides fit? Your integumentary system, the largest organ in the body, comes in different colors and is very sensitive to the sun. Why should you keep your cardiac system in Cadillac condition? If you pulled the pieces of the gastrointestinal system apart, how far would they extend? (about 25 feet) Discover the full scoop on your guts… and the hard facts about your bones!
Harry Potter: Full Circle - Instructor: Art Koenig: Grades: 3-5
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Learn Cryptology - The Art of Codes - Instructor: Kathleen Gardner: Grades: 4-5
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Meeting the 'Real' Native American - Instructor: Dave Lindley: Grades: 5-6
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
3-D Art Extravaganza - Instructor: Laura Meyer: Grades: 5-6
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Checkmate! - Instructor: Stephen E. Randoll: Grades: 5-8
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Become a Marine Biologist - Instructor: Stephen E. Randoll: Grades: 6-8
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Scratch Your Itch with a Computer - Instructor: Bob Coulter: Grades: 6-8
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
The Art of Creative Writing - Instructor: Carol Haukap: Grades: 6-8
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Moving & Shaking – An Introduction to Engineering - Instructors: Ruth Okamoto & Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert: Grades: 6-8
Are engineers movers and shakers? Work alongside real professors in their scientific laboratories and learn basic engineering principles: everything from roving robots to satellite design or neural tissue engineering! Class meets each week on the campus of Washington University in Jolley Hall. (Class size limited to 10, with priority registration for girls before September 21, 2007.)

For more information regarding any of these events, please call 314-962-5920 or e-mail us at: info@giftedresourcecouncil.org.