Organic Farming

Growing Ladybug Video Organic Farming and Grass Fed Cattle Scotty Stem: Frank the Farmer Grain: Supply and Demand

Earth Hour 2015

Global Cardboard Challenge

Pictures from last year's projects.

More picture on my facebook page.

Our first Challenge project is the Global Cardboard Challenge. It is a worldwide celebration of child creativity. If you are interested, here is a link (http://cainesarcade.com/cardboardchallenge/) with an amazing video explaining the origin of this event. Your child has homework for this project. He/she needs to have a plan and gather cardboard and recycled materials for the project they select. They may work on this at home and bring it to school to complete, or they can bring supplies and work on it at school.

Project Ideas:

• Design and build an arcade game
• Design/build a diorama of a book scene
• Build a cardboard city (It can be a city in a favorite book or any city.)
• Make a cardboard Alamo or some other famous event in history.
• make an anti gravity machine or anti climate change machine, etc.
• Design any machine with a creative purpose
• Build cars, castles, haunted house, maze
• Design a robots with a creative job to do for the Earth
• Design a theme park ride
• Design a structure to improve our city or school

Powerful Video for Improving Math Skills

This video is for anyone who says, "I just can't do math", or for anyone who says, "I just can't do _________". Produced by Stanford University.

Growth Mindset Videos

Scoreboard by Apollos Hester

Great Resource

Hi Students and Parents,
Welcome back to another year of learning in 2015! Here is a wonderful resource:  20 Educational Websites for Kids!  Check it out soon.

I just had to post one picture from last year to remind all of you how passion, inventing and creativity motivate our kids.

Also you will be hearing lots more from me again on this topic:

See you soon!

Mrs. Hektoen

3rd Grade Passion Projects

The purpose of The Passion Project is to empower kids to connect with their best ideas.  I have encouraged risk-taking, learning from mistakes, and creativity!  Projects this year do not disappoint! Students chose to design their own websites, create a comic, or write their own story with illustrations. Below are pictures of completed presentations.

Happy Birthday to Me!

We returned to school after Christmas break on my birthday this year.  Of course it was a Monday when I am at Washington School.  The 3rd and 4th grade students celebrated with me while we ate chocolates and graham crackers.  The day disappeared in fun and celebration of learning!  Students shared their passion projects with the class.  Wonderful first day back in 2015.

4th Grade Washington - Passion Project

The purpose of The Passion Project is to empower kids to connect with their best ideas.  I have encouraged risk-taking, learning from mistakes, and creativity!  Projects this year do not disappoint!  Students created their own websites, slideshows and cookbooks, designed and built models and games, and wrote stories and poems.  Below are pictures of completed presentations.  More pictures will be added next week.

3rd Grade Washington and Libertyville: Passion Projects

The purpose of The Passion Project is to empower kids to connect with their best ideas.  I have encouraged risk-taking, understanding failure is learning, and creativity!  Projects this year do not disappoint!  Students created their own websites, slideshows and cookbooks, designed and built models and games, and wrote stories and poems.  Below are pictures of completed presentations.  More pictures will be added next week.