Volume 39
The Playscape Project: Becoming Designers, Engineers, and Scientists By Uchenna Ogu and Katie Malone, Kindergarten Teachers At The College School students are immersed in curricula that is designed to cover depth over breadth at every stage of learning. For our youngest students in our Reggio Emilia Program, teachers specifically create themes that introduce a range of learning styles that explore the many possibilities for creating, expressing ideas, and working together. This year, as part of our Reggio Emilia Approach, Kindergarten students completed a yearlong experiential learning program where they became young designers, engineers, and scientists. Known as the Playscape Project, students were introduced to skills-based thinking in the environmental sciences and architectural design while learning to explore their creative imaginations. Students began the project by learning how engineers research and create blueprints. Every month during the first semester of school, the entire class traveled to our school’s LaBarque Campus to brainstorm ideas for the Playscape and draw their designs. After initial ideas began to flourish, students sought inspiration from natural play areas around St. Louis when they visited example sites such as Shaw Nature Reserve and The Principia School. Each of these example sites had unique structures, which enticed the children to explore, climb, discover, and connect with nature. After the trips, teachers
Through their Playscape Project, Kindergarten students were introduced to skills-based thinking and architectural design. helped facilitate a conversation among students to share their discoveries, collaborate on similar ideas, and discuss next steps. Additionally, children created models to test out their ideas on a smaller scale.
Issue 2
Summer 2018
What’s Inside? Welcoming Interim Head of School Carl Pelofsky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 New Team Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Faculty/Staff Milestones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Congratulations Class of 2018. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Every Contact Leaves a Trace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Why We Chose The College School. . . . . . . . . . . 5 New Technology Enhances Project Work in Middle School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Learning By Doing: The Maple Syrup Process. . . 6 Middle School Students, Alumni and Teachers Explore Costa Rica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Auction Gives Nod to Former Educator While Boosting Diversity Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 ALUMNI EXPERIENCE Alumni Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Cultivating Dedication and Patience through Dance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Alumni News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Sustainability Coordinator Tim Wood encouraged students to incorporate some of the fallen trees at our LaBarque Campus into their ideas. As students became more familiar with their natural surroundings and the environment of their workspace, students were supported to use their imagination and see the continued on page 3