Galaxy in a Bottle

Galaxy in a Bottle 

Anti-Gravity S.T.E.M. Experiment

2nd grade Quest students made galaxies in a bottle and experienced the awesomeness of what it looks like in our galaxy called, "The Milky Way." This S.T.E.M. experiment took students on a journey that allowed them to see the forces of gravity and how they work with certain liquids. The materials used to make our galaxies in a bottle are the following…..

* Clear bottle with ¼ filled with water

* Baby oil or cooking oil - fill bottle ⅔ full (leave space at top)

* Food coloring (We used dark blue)

* Glitter (That was our favorite part)

Then you are ready to cap your bottle and shake it around to see what happens to the different liquids and glitter inside. We had a blast!!

Quest Star Party

We had such a wonderful time at our Quest Star Party tonight. Thank you to everyone who came out to get an up close look at Saturn and Jupiter!! A big thank you to Dr. John Grant and Bill Nix for setting up their amazing telescopes and sharing their wealth of knowledge with us. What a memorable experience.  

Mission Space Projects 

Our Quest students are having a blast as they learn about our solar system and everything that is in it. 

Look at all of these amazing projects that our students have been working on and bringing into class to share with everyone. We would like to also give a big shout out to the wonderful families that help make these projects possible. 

Dash and Dot Robotics 

We are so excited to work with Dash and Dot from Wonder Workshop. Dash and Dot are robots that connect with blockly and java script on the tablet. Students were amazed at how Dash and Dot worked and couldn't wait to give them a try. Students have learned how to code and use computer programming to send the robots to their destination. Here are a few pictures from our first run with Dash and Dot. We look forward to many more missions. 

Quest Brain Stations

Brain Stations are a time for us to think outside the box and ignite our minds. Students are finding ways to become amazing problem solvers and didn't even realize it could be so much fun!! Here are some pictures of the cool things our students are working on. 

The titles of these brain station activities are: Hoppers, Rush Hour, Square Up, Pattern Play, OSMO, & Crankity. 

Saving Sam {S.T.E.M. Activity}

Today Quest students participated in a S.T.E.M. experience that required them to use critical thinking skills to solve a problem. The students worked together with teammates to save Sam. 

This S.T.E.M. challenge requires students to work together to formulate a plan on how to rescue Sam and get him into his life preserve without falling into the water. The hardest part, was that students couldn't touch Sam with their fingers. They could only use paper clips to maneuver him around and free the life preserve from underneath the boat. The students loved this project and all agreed that several failed attempts made them stronger, and realized the importance of task commitment and communication.

"A Day at the Wax Museum"

Quest students have been learning all about inventions, and Influential People of the Past. Throughout this Unit of study, each student chose a person from the past that they wanted to learn more about. Upon choosing their person, the students researched many facts about them. They even learned how to create a Google Slide that told about their person of interest. The students dressed up like their character and the Quest class put on a show called, 

"A Day at the Wax Museum". It was a huge success and the students did an outstanding job!!! 

Morse Code

Morse Code 

Students in Quest learned about Samuel F.B. Morse. They learned that Morse was a great inventor that helped to create the telegraph. With the telegraph came Morse code that would later become an international way of communication. Morse's creation would change the world and advance technology. Students were very interested in learning Morse code. They were intrigued that the form of communication is comprised of dashes and dots. While learning about Samuel Morse, we created Morse code bracelets with each students' first name. They absolutely loved this experience and couldn't wait to share them with family and friends. 

Influential Person of the Past - Helen Keller

Helen Keller 

As our Quest classes are beginning to study "Influential People of the Past" we had a guest speaker, Haley Blanchet, come in and tell us about Helen Keller, and teach us sign language. The students learned that life for Helen Keller must have been very difficult because she was left deaf and blind from childhood. They also learned that with perseverance and determination, a person can excel and be successful in life. We want to thank Mrs. Haley for coming to our class to teach us more about this very important person in history. We now know several signs in sign language along with the alphabet.  

Google Earth - Geography

Google Earth Exploration 

Quest students had a blast as they found the latitude and longitude coordinates for various well-known landmarks around the world. This experience was one that students loved so much because they were able to tour the world and see real places as they look today. Students walked the Great Wall of China, saw the peaks of Mt. Everest, toured the perimeters of the Roman Colosseum, looked up at the statue of Liberty and so much more.  As students explored the world around them, they were in awe of the many different places they can travel to one day.