Winter Learning Lab - Gifted Resource Council

Winter 2008 Learning Lab Classes

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9:30 - 11:00

Good Clean Fun - Instructor: Shalawn Grabner: Ages: 3-4
Explore the science of soap and water (in all their forms)! Can a drop of soap make a boat zoom across the water? Can you blow a square bubble? Explore the properties of water and the water cycle, make cool art, and experiment with soap, shaving cream, ice and more. Games, graphs, songs, stories, bubbles, boats... Join us and have some good clean fun!
Around the World with Cinderella/fella - Instructor: Becky Abernathy: Ages: 4-5
What cultural traditions surround the universal Cinderella story? Almost every country has a Cinderella story, but does every Cinderella have a glass slipper? Compare and contrast versions of the story, while exploring the geography, foods, games and languages of the different countries. Does Chinye (West African tale) have evil stepsisters? How did Natasha (Russian) or Rhodopis (Egyptian) survive? And what about the Cinderella fellas in folklore? How did they fare? We’ll act out some of our favorite traditions as we enjoy tales from far and wide.
Creative Concoctions - Instructor: Suzanne Huffman: Ages: 4-5
Stir a big pot of fun, add several scientific principles, and throw in common kitchen ingredients. Then dig your hands in: Knead, shape, form, color, and create in this tactile adventure of chemical reactions and art, including homemade sidewalk chalk, paint, clay, bubbles, and slime. Don't forget to dress for mess!
¡Hola! ¡Hablamas Español! - Instructor: Angie Bauman: Grades: K-1
Maracas, serapes, and piñatas abound in our fun-filled Spanish class. Slip on your sombrero and soak up Spanish conversation and culture through crafts, games, music, stories and other activities. Bienvenidos Amigos!
Penguins, Puffins and Polar Bears - Instructors: Erin Skelly / Sylvie Delannay: Grades: K-1
How do our furry friends in the Arctic survive? If you had blubber like the polar bear, would the icy temperatures bother you? Find out as we create a layer of blubber for our hands and experiment with ice. Why don't penguins fly? Dress up like a penguin father and learn how they protect their penguin eggs. Make an arctic diorama and model of a penguin. We'll do experiments and activities to explore the habitats and adaptations of these northern neighbors!
American Girls: Addy, Samantha & Kit - Instructor: Phyllis Richter: Grades: 1-2
Experience life during the times of Addy (who escaped slavery in 1864), Samantha (an orphan being raised by her grandmother in 1904), and Kit (living during the Great Depression in 1934). Make your own spool puppet, Addy's favorite toy. At Samantha's tea party, learn proper Victorian etiquette and sample Jam Tart Cookies. Design a jigsaw puzzle, one of Kit's favorite pastimes, and decorate your own treasure box. Be inspired to be the best you can be by studying these girls from the past.
Animal Physics - Instructors: Dennis and Barbara Grzenczyk: Grades: 1-2
Join us on an expedition through the animal kingdom as we use the laws of physics and hands-on experiments to learn about the animals we encounter. Newton's study of force and motion will help us understand how cheetahs manage to run so fast. To understand how hawks manage to soar on air currents, we'll learn about Bernoulli’s law, the strength of air, and some basics of thermodynamics. A study of optics and electromagnetic light waves will enable us to better understand why some animals are cloaked in camouflage and others are arrayed in bright colors. Bring questions about your favorite animals that we can try to answer. Of course, don't forget to dress for mess because in this class, science isn't always neat and tidy.
Simple Machines and the Scientific Method - Instructor: Robert Linnenbom: Grades: 1-2
Do you have chores at home? What machines can make your chores easier? Learn about the six simple machines – lever, pulley, wheel and axle, inclined plane, screw and wedge – that are the basis of all machines we use. Then apply the scientific method, the tool scientists use for finding out how things work. Create your own hypothesis, make observations and take on some of our controlled experiments. Make your own simple machines. Can you figure out how to make a machine empty the trash or feed the dog?
Be a Bridge Builder - Instructor: Kathleen Greenwald: Grades: 2-3
Explore the fascinating world of bridges, as scientist, architect, environmentalist, innovator and historian, all in one! Will you build a graceful arch, a sturdy beam or a soaring suspension bridge over a rushing river? How will you put up piers in the middle of the water and what materials will you use – concrete, steel or wood? Every decision is important. One mistake and your bridge could come tumbling down! Today's bridges don't look like the ones of the past, but if you look closely, the parts are the same; we'll discover why that is. Let your inventive mind and spirit spark new ideas that will bridge our world from today to tomorrow.
Microscope Madness - Instructor: Elizabeth Brisch: Grades: 2-3
How many organisms can you find in a sample of pond water? How do you 'see' them? If you are used to seeing the big picture when you look at a bug, you're missing a lot of details. We'll change our views of observation and see like a scientist, as we investigate different ways to magnify objects. Explore some of the scientific tools that helped scientists over time: droplets, water bottles, hand lenses and microscopes. Is there an element of construction to particles of dust, pollens or hair? Expand your powers of examination as you dig into the details of discovery.
Got Game? Or...The Strategy of Success - Instructor: Nancy Brennan: Grades: 3-4
Do you sail through (the game of) Sorry? Are you primo at Uno? Maybe you've figured out the strategy behind Tic-Tac-Toe, but what about its 'relatives' Quarto and Gobblet? Analyze the strategy of Nine Men's Morris and compare it to strategies for Pentagonia and Square-Off. Prevail over games from around the world. Join us for a look at logic, patterns, prediction, decision-making, problem-solving...all while playing games! And you'll learn something about winning and losing. Is it a class? Is it a game? Is it fun? You decide!
Ingenious Inventor or Creative Problem-solver? - Instructor: Christi Parker: Grades: 3-4
Join the Creation Crew! Investigate the problems of the world as viewed by some of the big inventors in history. Why did Edison need more light around the house? How were airbags conceived to help in crashes? How did the inventor create his/her product, and what effects did the invention have on the world? Become a part of history as you create your own invention using items provided to you. Take a problem, and use the items to create a model of an invention that would help solve the problem. Let your imagination wander as you become an ingenious inventor!
Tastes Out of This World! - Instructors: Tim Brennan / Susan Knecht: Grades: 3-5
From sauces to soups to stir fry – and sampling everything too – explore the distinct cuisines of the world on a succulent culinary 'trip' around the world. Weekly 'destinations' to different continents underscore how geography, climate and terrain influence the food that defines a culture. Why does rice rather than cheese dominate Asian foods? What triggers more pleasure than something baking with ginger and cinnamon? Pack your appetite and your adventurous spirit and join us. It makes great scents! (Class size limited to 10.)
Special Fee: $10
I Want to be a Fashion Designer! - Instructor: Chandria Howard: Grades: 4-5
Focus on fashion! As you develop your portfolio of fashion designs for today, we'll look at how fashions originated. What brought on the bustle? Who first made the mini-skirt? Flash: Were they originals? How do fashion trends repeat themselves? What historical events influenced trends? Use fabric swatches and learn to create front and back views of your designs. Use top stitching, pockets, accessories and other fashion details to bring your own voice to your fashion statement.
NXT Generation Robotics - Instructor: Sean Fears: Grades: 4-5
NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers have put robots in the limelight through their exploration of Mars; lasting long beyond their design lifetime, they've carried out geological investigations under harsh environmental conditions for almost four years. Learn what it takes to make robots work as we design and build our own rovers using the LEGO® Mindstorms NXT robotics kit, then program our rovers to navigate, respond to their environment, and pick up objects!
Special Fee: $5
Totally Grossed Out Chemicals - Instructor: John Armstead: Grades: 4-5
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!
Color: The Element of Design - Instructor: Erin Dell: Grades: 5-6
How do you transfer from gray scale to color? Does light create color? Use this color study to achieve depth and manipulate color in your artistic images. Explore color mixture, relationships among colors, and combine colors to create art in a different light. How does color affect design elements? Can you portray these elements in a design of your own? Put your paintbrush to paper and apply color to your canvas as we go color-wild!
Checkmate! - Instructor: Stephen E. Randoll: Grades: 5-8
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.
Gee, It’s Good to be King! - Instructor: Tom Knecht: Grades: 6-8
Or being President will do, if that's what's available. This is a "How To" class. This is a road map to power...a guide to camping on the campaign trail. It includes everything you need to know about becoming the President. Learn to be argumentative. Learn to debate. Learn to make promises. Learn to campaign. Learn to exercise ultimate power over our valuable resources. Who wouldn't want to be King, er, uhm, I mean, President! (Note: The ultimate distribution of real resources will be determined here.)
Geometric Construction - Instructor: Denice Smith: Grades: 6-8
Geometry and spatial sense are fundamental components of mathematical learning...And provide the basis for many, many art forms! Explore symmetry and asymmetry, how to figure perimeter, area, and volume, measure lines, angles, and polygons and use the tools of geometry (protractors, compasses, straight edges.) How does geometry enhance paper cutting and folding techniques, like origami and kirigami? Use your geometric skills to create tessellation art in the image of M.C. Escher.
TREES (Tropical Rainforest Exploration and Expedition Society) - Instructor: Tim Schmalz: Grades: 6-8
Where can you find 1,500 species of flowering plants, 125 types of mammals, 400 species of birds, 100 of reptiles, 60 of amphibians, and over 150 butterfly types? In about four square miles of tropical rainforests. Did you know more species of fish are found in the Amazon River system than in the entire Atlantic Ocean? Precious resources? Yes! Yet how is it that the size of two football fields is destroyed every second? Join leader Schmalz's TREES "expedition" and explore the beauty of and current dangers threatening this amazing habitat!

11:10 - 12:40

Creative Concoctions - Instructor: Suzanne Huffman: Ages: 3-4
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Good Clean Fun - Instructor: Shalawn Grabner: Ages: 4-5
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
¡Hola! ¡Hablamas Español! - Instructor: Angie Bauman: Ages: 4-5
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Animal Physics - Instructors: Dennis & Barbara Grzenczyk: Grades: K-1
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Around the World with Cinderella/fella - Instructor: Becky Abernathy: Grades: K-1
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Microscope Madness - Instructor: Elizabeth Brisch: Grades: 1-2
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Penguins, Puffins and Polar Bears - Instructors: Erin Skelly / Sylvie Delannay: Grades: 1-2
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Checkmate! - Instructor: Stephen Randoll: Grades: 1-4
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Got Game? Or...The Strategy of Success - Instructor: Nancy Brennan: Grades: 2-3
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Simple Machines and the Scientific Method - Instructor: Robert Linnenbom: Grades: 2-3
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
American Girls: Addy, Samantha & Kit - Instructor: Phyllis Richter: Grades: 3-4
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Color: The Element of Design - Instructor: Erin Dell: Grades: 3-4
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Gee, It’s Good to be King! - Instructor: Tom Knecht: Grades: 4-5
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Geometric Construction - Instructor: Denice Smith: Grades: 4-5
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
TREES (Tropical Rainforest Exploration and Expedition Society) - Instructor: Tim Schmalz: Grades: 4-5
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Ingenious Inventor or Creative Problem-solver? - Instructor: Christi Parker: Grades: 5-6
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
I Want to be a Fashion Designer! - Instructor: Chandria Howard: Grades: 6-8
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
NXT Generation Robotics - Instructor: Sean Fears: Grades: 6-8
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Special Fee: $5
Tastes Out of This World! - Instructor: Tim Brennan: Grades: 6-8
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description
Special Fee: $10
Totally Grossed Out Chemicals - Instructor: John Armstead: Grades: 6-8
See 9:30 - 11:00 for description

For more information regarding any of these events, please call the GRC office at 314-962-5920.