Next stop in our CREATE Stations....T is for THINKING LAB!

 We have had an exciting start to the month of May with the hatching of our chicks! Now we are continuing on with our CREATE Stations. What does CREATE stand for? It is the framework for our library stations. Students visit one of the stations below once a week and rotate to the next station the following week. Throughout the year, they will visit each station 3-4 times. Our stations are a fun way to cover the standards, keep students engaged, and complete different challenges. 

C - Computer (3-5) or Construction (K-2)
R - Robots 
E - Engineering
A - Art 
T - Thinking Lab 
E - Explore

The letter 'T' can stand for a couple of different activities in the library. T in our create acronym can stand for tablet, technology, Thinking Lab...there are several possibilities. 
We have used this station for both our tablets and our strategy games. Click on the letter T to view our inventory of Thinking Lab games, and the books with which we pair them: 

We have done our Thinking Lab several different ways. A great way is to have your class complete the same game while students work in pairs and see which pair of students can complete the most challenges. Another way is to have the Thinking Lab strategy games set up in stations where each small group completes a different strategy game. 

In our library, the Thinking Lab takes place at our GREEN table. In the past, we have rotated the games throughout the months we used them. These games are a great way to end the school year because it keeps the students' minds engaged and THINKING right up until the end! 

Our chicks hatched!

 

HERE THEY ARE! We have 9 healthy chicks! We had a great experience in library and STEAM watching our chicks in the incubator and then witnessing them hatch. 

Now that they hatched, our chicks have been moved into a sandbox with a warming plate, chick starter food, water, and shredded paper. They will stay with us for a couple of days before we return them to the farm. Returning them to the farm allows us to continue our program from year to year. The eggs we received this year to incubate may even be from chicks we hatched last year! Truly the circle of life! (Can't you hear the song?!)

If you are interested in hatching your own chicks, take a look at our earlier post HERE. We love teaching life cycles with our chick unit, virtual classroom, and google presentation. It has been a great month. 

Update on the HEN HOUSE

It is almost time! Sunday was DAY 18 for our eggs in the incubator, so we went into LOCKDOWN MODE! 

What does this mean? 

Step ONE: To get the eggs ready for hatching, we have to take out the egg turner, so the chicks have enough room to start zipping, pipping, moving and getting themselves out of their shells. 

Step TWO: Remove the red plug on side B of the water reservoir and fill up both sides (A and B), so the humidity increases to 80%. 

Step THREE: Open the vent on the front of the incubator lid ALL the way, so there is proper ventilation. 

Now we wait and see what happens over the next couple of days. Hopefully we will hear the chicks chirping in the next 24-48 hours, and then they will start using their egg tooth to zip and pip their way out of their shell. 

We will keep everyone posted! 

Here is a great presentation my colleague updated with pictures and information from different sources. We have been sharing this with our students: 

If you are looking for stories and videos, you can view the Hen House Bitmoji classroom HERE. If you would like to make copy and edit the links you can do so HERE. 

May Choice Board and an update on the HEN HOUSE!

I am not sure how it can be May already, but here we are! April and May in the library have been really exciting as we follow the development of our chicks. I created a simple interactive classroom for students to access while we are studying the life cycle of a chick.  Today is DAY 13, and our chicks are growing their down feathers. Their projected hatch date is May 10th. If you click on the image, it will take you to the website, and you can view the interactive hen house. 

You can make a copy HERE if you would like to use it and make changes. 

I have also updated the choice board for May. Some of the activities are repeats from previous months, but I did include the Star Wars board from Shannon McClintock Miller with links that should work with our firewall. 

The May choice board can be viewed on the website when you click the image: 

Feel free to make a copy HERE, so you can make changes!

Part of the choice board includes the Gordon Library research HUB. I started this to highlight different research topics I have curated for students over the years. Click on the image below to view it. 

You can make a copy HERE and make changes. 

I hope there are some resources here that you can use with your students to close out the school year. Happy May!