Hands-on-Learning

When I visited one of our first grade classes last week I was reminded once again why hands-on learning is so important. The class learned about the concept of buoyancy - they had brought items from home and made predictions about which objects would swim and which ones would sink. The previous day they had tried this experiment as a group but this morning it was time to explore the concept further with a partner. Frau Engelberg had prepared a short worksheet that allowed students to draw (or write) their predictions and findings after conducting the experiment. Students learned about how to take a good guess and that it is OK to not always be right. Some students " made the plunge" into brainstorming why some things swim and some don't and some filled a small tin box with rocks until it sunk. All of this might have looked like play, but it required students to practice and expand many of their newly learned skills. They read instructions, practiced to follow them step-by-step, they documented their findings and most of all - engaged in purposeful conversations with their friends and teachers -in German- about the experiment. With spring break around the corner I encourage you to explore with your child. A trip to the park, the local library or just into your own backyard can create ideas for further explorations. Here is a link to some squirrel experiments. I know that we have plenty to explore in our own backyard! Squirrel Science 

Have a wonderful spring break, I can't wait to hear about your adventures!