Guided Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS)
NEW! Remote GEMS Sessions– Carefully designed so your child can learn when he/she has time (and your household has enough bandwidth)!
GEMS will be offered in a very different format for the time being. Instead of a 6-hour session on Fridays, students will be able to access content during the week that prepares them for the culminating hour-long experiment, activity and discussion session with Ms. Kim and Biggest Classroom peers on Fridays.
What will it be like?
Mondays: Launch!
You can see this week’s Launch here!
The week’s learning topic will be launched via an introductory video. You and your child will be able to find information for the upcoming week right here at www.biggestclassroom.com/gems. Often, a puzzle or question will be presented, or perhaps something to look for. As students find solutions to the launch question, they will have the option to submit their work and have it posted for everyone to see throughout the week! Much of the time, their “solution” might be a simple picture of “something with angles”, for example or “something that floats”. All submissions will be carefully reviewed before being posted.
Wednesdays: Online topic exploration!
Resources will be posted on the GEMS page that walk students through various online resources. These will include things such as story read-alouds, interactive simulations, short video clips and educational resource websites. Students/ families will also gain access to science and math tasks, activities, projects and/or experiments that tie into the week’s topics and help develop their problem solving and mathematical thinking. These experiments and tasks will be discussed during the live Friday session the end of the week.
Fridays: Experiment, Discuss and Share!
Students will meet in the Biggest Classroom’s Zoom Room to participate in a short design challenge, discuss their learning from the week and participate remotely in an experiment. Students will have a chance to share any creations from the week and will further explore the week’s STEM topics in an engaging, supportive learning environment.
My goal is to keep kids curious about science and math while giving them the learning support of a typical GEMS session. I will strive to keep kids engaged by learning about all kinds of exciting topics that will be happening around us in the upcoming weeks, including:
- Women’s History Month (March)
- Harriet Tubman/ Freedom Quilts
- Constellations
- National Poetry Month (April)
- April’s supermoon
- Earth Day
- Gardening
- Meteor showers
- Comets
- Plants
- Galaxies
- Chemistry
What will it cost?
For now, it is free of charge for everyone, so invite your friends and family, and give it a try! See how fun learning remotely about all kinds of things while doing some math and science is with The Biggest Classroom!
Bricks & STEM– Friday, 2/21/20 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM ($60)
Snow has created quite an obstacle, especially for Minifigures who are in way over their heads! Help them get over the snow this Friday by designing, building and testing a zip line!
At this fun, hands-on engineering challenge session, we will explore pulleys and practice measuring angles and mass to see how these variables affect speed.
Students will also get to take/ edit their own photos, create digital scenes and develop their own short stories.
I hope your child is able to join us this week! Please RSVP here.
Schedule of February Friday Sessions:
Friday 2/7 AM/ PM Private Tutoring Sessions
(cancelled due to snow)
Friday 2/14 AM/ PM Private Tutoring Sessions
Friday 2/21 Bricks & STEM 9:30 – 3:30
Friday 2/28 AM/ PM Private Tutoring Sessions
January Learning Goals: Gears, Simple Machines & STEAM!
These are the topics for our January Friday sessions! Join us for one or both sessions for inquiry-based learning experiences that will help kids truly understand how gears work!
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Friday, January 31, 2020: GEMS
- Students will:
- Continue to explore gears through experiments and hands-on tasks
- Use gears to design a working computer (Turing Tumble)
- Compute math facts using gears
- Learn about the binary numeral system, the language of computers
- Learn how to wire a motor to a switch and battery box
- Engineer your own motorized gear creation!
- Students will:
Time: 9:30 – 3:30
Cost: $60
Sign up now!
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Friday, January 24, 2020: Bricks & STEAM
- Students will:
- Construct with Lego, K’Nex and other manipulatives to explore how gears work.
- Build simple and powered machines
- Code machines to operate
- Build a working clock using gears
- Learn about the history of time
- Practice mathematics with time and time zones
- Students will:
Time: 9:30 – 3:30
Cost: $60
Sign up now!
Regular Friday Sessions will resume on January 24, 2020!
But that’s too long for kids to wait to have fun with science! 🙂
January 2 & 3, 2020– Harry Potter Camp!
Calling all witches and wizards to the Biggest Classroom School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! This Harry Potter themed 2-day camp is lots of hands-on science mixed with magic, imaginative play, and crafts. With a winter setting this time, students will get to learn about various science concepts all within the world of Harry Potter!
Please note: Session fees are slightly higher for this camp due to the large quantity of materials necessary to create a magical Harry Potter experience for kids. In addition, students will get to bring home numerous artifacts and treasures!
Cost: $100 per day or $150 to attend both days.
Time: 9:30 – 3:30 1/2 & 1/3, 2020
** RSVP Now! **
January 6, 2020– STEAM Back to School!
Teachers go back but kids don’t head back until Tuesday. What a perfect opportunity to get together for some STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art & Mathematics)! Students conduct numerous hands-on science experiments, apply their math knowledge to a highly engaging engineering problem, and create a fabulously fun art project!
Since it is a Monday and many parents need to work a full day, this special session will be a full 8 hours, from 8 AM – 4 PM.
Cost: $80
Time: 8 AM – 4 PM 1/6/20
** RSVP Now! **
Join The Biggest Classroom on Facebook to receive updates and be the first to know about the exciting topics kids will get to learn about this Spring!
December Friday Sessions Plus an Extra Special Friday Event!
12/6/19 Bricks & Math: Crystals
Students will build crystals out of Lego bricks, measure out different powders using a triple-beam balance to make saturated solutions, learn different techniques for growing crystals, and see beautiful crystals grow over the next week! In addition, students will use the Lego WeDo 2.0 to design a robot that can sort and group crystals from non-crystals and create their own crystal-themed story using Lego bricks, crystals and minifigures. Lastly, students will create their own quartz crystal necklace to take home!
- When: Friday, 12/6/19 from 9:30 to 3:30
- Cost: $60
12/13/19 GEMS: The Chemistry of Crystals
Students will learn about how crystals are formed from supersaturated solutions and see if they can identify different types of crystals under the microscope.
Students will also:
- learn about the geometric shapes that crystals have
- relate 2-dimensional regular polygons to the 3-dimensional solids they can form
- learn to measure angles
- classify shapes by the number of vertices and sides they possess
- create a crystal lattice using toothpicks and marshmallows
In addition, students will make and take home a special gift for someone they love!
- When: Friday, 12/13/19 from 9:30 to 3:30
- Cost: $60
Special Event!
Friday 12/20/19 Open Classroom!
Stop by any time between 12:30 – 2:30
I hope each and every one of you will come celebrate the fun learning experiences we’ve had this semester by experiencing the kids’ favorite tasks from GEMS, Bricks & Math and Harry Potter Camp this year! Your child will be delighted as you get into the learner’s seat and explore things the way she has gotten to this year– in a hands-on, fun way!
Prepare to have fun, learn in a uniquely awesome way, and feel like a kid all over again for a little while. Whether your child attends regularly, rarely or you’ve been on the fence about sending your child to a Biggest Classroom session, come by and check it out with your kids. I promise– you won’t be disappointed and your kids will LOVE seeing you learn! Stay the full two hours or leave after a little while– it’s come and go as you please.
This fun, Friday event is free of charge! It’s all about these incredible kids, the amazing learning experiences they have gained this semester and the fun we have shared. Please come participate in the learning fun for at least a little while!
November Friday Sessions:
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Bricks & Math: Snow Travel 11/1/19
- Help Lego Minifigures travel in the snow and ice by designing sleds, snowshoes and vehicles to handle it! Use math in a super fun way, and bring your snow gear so you can test out your designs in the snow. Plus, have fun sledding at the end of the session!
- When: Friday, 11/1/19 9:30 – 3:30
- Cost: $60
- Help Lego Minifigures travel in the snow and ice by designing sleds, snowshoes and vehicles to handle it! Use math in a super fun way, and bring your snow gear so you can test out your designs in the snow. Plus, have fun sledding at the end of the session!
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GEMS: Arctic Survival 11/8/19
- Learn about adaptations of living things in the arctic.
- Conduct experiments to see for yourself how different chemicals help ice melt
- Feel chemical reactions that generate heat
- Learn what density has to do with icebergs.
- This is the last GEMS Session before Gilpin STEM projects are due, so we will be devoting a significant portion of the session to creating data tables, graphs and/or typing up information so that students can go home and assemble their display boards. In order to do this, students need to come to this session with the testing portion of their project already complete!
- Learn about adaptations of living things in the arctic.
- When: Friday, 11/8/19 9:30 – 3:30
- Cost: $60
Individual Friday Help Sessions: 11/15/19 or 11/22/19
- Get one-on-one help with exactly what you need! Math enrichment, tutoring and/or science fair help are all perfect for these sessions, which can be anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours in length– you decide!
- When: Friday, 11/15/19 8:00 – 4:00 (schedule ahead!)
- Cost: $30/ half hour or $45/ hour. 1 hour minimum strongly recommended!
Opportunity October!
In October, students are invited to participate all three types of Friday math sessions!
- Bricks & Math: Lunar Rovers — Friday, October 4th
- Use Lego bricks to explore rovers and how people first explored the moon.
- GEMS: Apollo Missions, 50th Anniversary Celebration — Friday, October 11th
- Learn about the history of the Apollo missions and space travel by humans. Also, students will receive individual help with their science fair projects. My goal is that students complete the experimentation/ data collection portion of Science Fair before Halloween.
- Music & Math: Friday, October 18th
- Learn more notes on the recorder and two new songs.
- Experiment with volume and decibels, and learn about the ear and how we and other creatures hear.
I hope your child will be able to come learn about cool topics and do some hands-on, engaging math with us!
September is the perfect time for your child to explore, experiment, have fun learning and expand his/her knowledge with The Biggest Classroom!
There are two great opportunities for mathematics enrichment this month:
Friday, September 6: Music & Math
- Learn how to play a recorder and try out several other instruments.
- Practice rhythm and reading music.
- Learn about sound and sound waves by exploring with tuning forks.
- Compose your own song(s).
- For experienced students, learn how to tune instruments
Friday, September 20th (*repeat session Sunday, September 15th): GEMS– Ecosystems & Adaptations
- Students will select their science fair topics and have help setting up their actual experiment so that the testing phase can happen way in advance of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the due date on Dec. 5th!
- Students will also explore ecosystems and the adaptations that living things undergo to survive in various conditions.
RSVP now!
Let your child experience for herself/ himself why things fly. Let her/ him practice timing, measuring and graphing the data she/ he collects from flying a paper airplane (or three!) she/ he builds! And do it all with friends, smiles and delight!
Join us Friday, 8/30 for an exceptionally fun, hands-on Guided Exploration in Math & Science (GEMS) all about flight. We will also dig into Science Fair, exploring topics this week and helping each student find her/ his passion that will make the science fair project a fun experience.
Hope to see your kiddo this week!
You can RSVP here.
Please think about joining us for some math fun this August! There are two fun-filled Friday sessions designed to complement the start of the school year with extra fun, extra hands-on tasks and math enrichment where your child needs it!
August Session #1: Bricks & Math
Date: Friday, August 23rd from 9:30 to 3:30
What is it?
The goal of this session is for students to have fun learning and practicing some math while they build, design and construct all kinds of different things. Mathematics will be woven into this fun setting, carefully designed to meet each student at exactly the level he/she needs. If your child enjoys Lego bricks and being creative and can use any kind of math enrichment at all, this session is perfect!
Cost: $60
August Session #2: GEMS- First Flight– Airplanes & Hot Air Balloons
Date: Friday, August 30th from 9:30 to 3:30
What is it?
The goal of this session is for students to learn about the history of flight and experiment with how and why things can fly. We will conduct experiments, measure and explore as many flying things as we can within our 6-hour timeframe. Let your child feel how fun math, science and physics in an outrageously fun GEMS session!
We will also start thinking about and researching possible science fair topics. It’s just never too soon for science fair! The best science fair projects are the ones students take plenty of time with and have fun doing!
Cost: $60
Sign me up!
Fall 2019 Friday Sessions:
In response to feedback from parents and students, I am mixing things up a little this fall. In addition to offering GEMS on Fridays, kids now have even more opportunities for fun-filled, hands-on Friday math learning! Friday sessions will rotate between GEMS, Bricks & Math and Music & Math sessions. Also, GEMS in the fall will now include time for Science Fair preparation.
All Friday session are from 9:30 – 3:30 and cost $60 per student and are intended for students ages 5 – 9. Dates and details below!
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GEMS (Guided Explorations in Math & Science):
GEMS will continue to be primarily focused on students conducting hands-on experiments and explorations.
Math practice and conceptual understanding is developed as students use relevant mathematics to conduct the explorations. In addition, we will work all the way through the science fair project process so that students who attend every GEMS session this fall will have help every step of the way as they produce their own, complete project well in advance of the Gilpin Science Fair deadline.
GEMS Session Dates and Topics:
Friday, August 30th Flight– Airplanes & Hot Air Balloons
Friday, September 20th Ecosystems & Adaptations
Friday, October 11th Lunar Landing: 50th Anniversary
Friday, November 8th Science Fair!
Friday, December 13th Fun with Science!
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Bricks & Math Fridays:
These Friday sessions are for any child who enjoys playing with Lego bricks or other hands-on manipulatives. Students will get to build various things using all kinds of building toys. Examples include simple and powered machines, robots using the Lego WeDo 2.0, and countless design challenges that incorporate various components to accomplish a task. Students will also sometimes have an opportunity to apply technology and create their own story scenes.
At every session, students will think through some relevant, meaningful math topics, do calculations and solidify their math skills. By doing these small mathematical tasks, students will increase their mathematical fluency and grow their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The math will be adapted to meet the needs of every learner so that their growth is huge and frustration is low. This is an excellent way to learn for every child, whether they can benefit from some reinforcement or extended grown opportunities.
Bricks & Math Friday Dates:
Friday, August 23rd
Friday, October 4th
Friday, November 1st
Friday, December 6th
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Music & Math Fridays:
At these Friday sessions, students will learn a little more about how music is written and played and will investigate science concepts that are relevant to music. Students will work on playing instruments that may include ukelele, guitar, lap harp, piano and the recorder. They will also learn basic music theory and music history surrounding some of the most famous composers. Mathematics will be worked in where applicable, often as patterns and counting the number of beats indicated by different notes and rests. In addition, students will also have a chance to compose their very own music.
Music & Math Friday Dates:
Friday, September 6th
Friday, October 18th
Friday, November 15th
Friday, December 20th
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Join us for the last GEMS of the summer– All About Insects!
This Friday, 7/26, students will study insects and learn some chemistry basics and brush up on their math skills along the way.
RSVP here to reserve your child’s space in Friday’s fun-filled, hands-on session!
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Join GEMS this Friday from 9:30 – 3:30* to learn all about plants and trees!
Students at this week’s Plants & Trees GEMS will:
- Learn about photosynthesis
- Observe plants giving off oxygen
- Study transpiration and view its effects
- Practice tallying and graphing data
- Experiment to see how different types of light affect photosynthesis
- Learn to prepare their own microscope slide
- See plant cells and chloroplasts for themselves using a microscope
- Learn about tree rings and their significance
- Measure circumference multiple ways
- Find a pattern that relates circumference to the number of tree rings
- Produce “tree rings” of their own to take home
- Plant and take home a plant after making sure it has everything it needs to survive
Please RSVP by Wednesday, 6/26/19 if your child would like to attend.
*GEMS sessions will increase in duration as of June 2019 to accommodate longer attention spans, growing interests & more individualized mathematical needs. Sessions will now include a morning and afternoon math intensive (still fun, I promise!) and one recess break in addition to all of the experimenting and mess-making we have always done! GEMS session fees will consequently increase from $40 to $60, since the session has increased from 4 hours to 6 hours in length.
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NEW! Summer 2019 Sessions:
Now that the GEMS kids are older with greater attention spans, each session duration will increase from 4 hrs to 6 hrs. This will allow for morning and afternoon math intensives as well as a recess break. The GEMS fee will consequently increase from $40 to $60 as of June 2019.
Session #1:
Plants & Trees — 6/28/19, 9:30 – 3:30
Session #2:
Microscopic Water Life — 7/12/19 9:30 – 3:30
Session #3:
Insects — 7/26/19 9:30 – 3:30
Session #4:
2-day Math Jump Start– 8/8/19 – 8/9/19, 9/30 – 3:30
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Water and Erosion: Friday, May 24th, 2019 10AM – 2PM
Last GEMS session for Spring 2019!
At this week’s GEMS session, students will get to explore how different river paths and rates of water flow impact the effects of erosion. In this hands-on session, students will get to manipulate sand, rock, buildings and the river’s flow rate to see firsthand how erosion happens. Students will calculate flow rates and create data representations that convey their findings. They will practice being civil engineers by developing a plan and making changes to the design/ setup to make improvements and keep a flooding river from destroying a makeshift town.
Space is limited. Please RSVP by Wednesday, 5/22/19.
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Rocks, Gems & Crystals!
This Friday at GEMS, we will be learning about different types of rocks and how they are made. We will make our own “samples” to take home, and compare these to real rock of all different types. We will also study crystals under the microscope and learn about what it takes to grow crystals. Finally, after starting our own crystals, we will learn what makes crystals valuable gems, and why some are just pretty crystals.
Sign up by 5/8 to reserve your child’s space!
NEW! TinkerMath Friday, 5/3/19 10 AM – 2 PM
Use stacking weights, cubes and a balance to participate in a hands-on introduction to equations.
Build with Lego to explore various math concepts, eliminate misconceptions, and gain a deeper understanding of mathematics.
At TinkerMath, individualized, hands-on tasks are be paired with each student’s next steps in his/her mathematics learning journey. For the biggest gains, provide your child’s most recent mathematics assessment data so that the lessons your child will participate in are perfectly aligned with what he/ she needs most.
Sign up now!
Space is limited. Registration deadline: May 1st
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What: Birds and Mammals, Migration & Hibernation
When: Friday, April 26th from 10 AM – 2 PM
Who: Children ages 5 – 9 who like to explore and learn by doing cool things!
RSVP now to reserve your child’s place in this fun, springtime session!
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Explore the fun of math and science by learning about volcanoes and earthquakes?
I think YES!
RSVP by Wednesday to reserve your child’s place! Space is limited.
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Leave it to GEMS to explore the coolest aspects of any topic!
On Friday, March 8th, kids at the Weather Session of GEMS will explore snowflakes like never before and engineer clothing to shield against the elements.
In addition, students will:
- Design multiple experiments
- Make predictions
- Expand their knowledge and experience with solids, liquids and gases
- Collect samples of snow and organize data
- Practice measuring volume
- Find out just how much water one snowball produces
- Learn about what happens to air that is heated or cooled
- Experiment with different pressures of gas
- Learn about the benefits and dangers of UV light
- Safely participate in a collaborative experiment where UV light is used (by Ms. Kim only, in a self-contained space) to fluoresce particles
- Students will devise protective layers and test hypotheses about which materials provide the best protection to cold, heat, wind and UV radiation
- Look at snowflakes under the microscope
- Learn about fractals
- Create their own Koch Snowflake
- Measure and record temperatures
- Create a snowflake to take home and watch “grow”
Don’t be fooled by the title: Weather has never been as fascinating as it will be at GEMS!
Reserve your child’s space now!
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This Friday, 2/22/19– 10 AM – 2 PM
The Circulatory System & Blood
At this session of GEMS, students will: 
- Learn how to use a compound microscope
- Look at a prepared sample of blood 1,000 times closer than the eye can see
- See cells for themselves under the microscope
- Learn about the basic parts of a cell
- Compare and contrast plant and animal cells
- Listen to and measure their own heart rate using a stethoscope
- Measure their own blood pressure
- Learn how to calculate averages
- Play an interactive game to discover the jobs of the circulatory system
- Use multiplication and division to figure out how many times his/her heart beats in a given amount of time
- Figure out how many drops of blood are in his/her body
- Make his/her own cell to take home!
For a complete overview, please click here.
RSVP now!
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Get ready to make the electrons flow at the Electricity Session of GEMS! 
At this session, students will:
- learn about electricity and how to safely work with it
- wire their own circuits
- explore how circuits work
- learn about parallel and series circuits
- test different materials to see whether they are conductors or insulators
- learn to measure voltage and resistance
- practice graphing
- organize data from least to greatest or greatest to least
- use experiment findings and data to create a conjecture
- create an electromagnet
- make a circuit Valentine for someone very special!
RSVP now reserve your child’s place at this exciting GEMS session!
This session will be offered twice to accommodate busy schedules. Think about inviting a friend, since there will be a few extra spaces at each session!
Electricity, Session #1 is on Friday, 2/7/19 from 10 AM – 2 PM
Electricity, Session #2 is on Friday, 2/15/19 from 10 AM – 2 PM
See the complete Electricity Session Overview here.
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Save the date for these upcoming GEMS sessions!
Date: GEMS Sessions, Friday, 10AM – 2PM, $40/ session:
2/8/19 #3: Electricity, Session #1
2/15/19 Electricity, Session #2
2/22/19 #4: The Circulatory System & Blood
3/8/19 #5: Weather
3/25/19 (Mon) – 3/28/19 (Thurs) Special : Spring Break Camp: BRIC Lab! (Building, Rigging, Innovating & Creating) Students will use building toys including Lego and K’Nex to create simple machines and explore physics concepts while putting their math skills to use.
4/5/19 #6: Volcanoes & Earthquakes
4/26/19 #7: Mammals, Migration & Hibernation
5/10/19 #8: Rocks, Gems & Crystals
5/24/19 #9: Water & Erosion
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Join us this Friday, 1/25 for a super fun GEMS session about Magnetism!
At Magnetism, GEMS participants will:
- explore magnets and how they work
- discover which types of materials are magnetic
- practice adding, subtracting and multiplying with money
- use a microscope to study dirt samples and make observations
- conduct an experiment to find “magnetic dirt”
- create a “flying creature” to bring home and dazzle you with its magnetic personality! 🙂
As with every GEMS session, students will build upon their mathematics foundations, work on eliminating misconceptions and further develop their problem-solving and critical thinking skills– all while having fun!
Don’t miss out! Sign up now!
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It’s time to RSVP for the rest of January!
**Make-up GEMS Session** Friday, January 18, 2019, 10AM – 2PM: Constellations, Optics & The Upcoming Lunar Eclipse ($40)
Your child will explore and learn about:
- stars
- constellations
- optics
- eclipses
While learning about these exciting concepts, your child will further develop his/her:
- mathematics foundation
- problem solving and reasoning skills
- critical thinking ability
- ability to collaborate and work with peers
See a complete overview of the session here.
Space is limited and is on a first come first served basis! To reserve your child’s spot, RSVP now!
Check out these exciting sessions!
Date: GEMS Sessions, Friday, 10AM – 2PM, $40/ session:
1/11/19 #1: Constellations, Optics and The Upcoming Lunar Eclipse
1/25/19 #2: Magnetism
2/8/19 #3: Electricity
2/22/19 #4: The Cardiovascular System & Blood
3/8/19 #5: Weather
**Mon. 3/25 – Thurs. 3/28 Spring Break Camp: BRIC (Building, Rigging, Innovating & Creating) Lab! (Special times TBA)**
4/5/19 #6: Volcanoes & Earthquakes
4/26/19 #7: Mammals, Migration & Hibernation
5/10/19 #8: Rocks, Gems & Crystals
5/24/19 #9: Water & Erosion
Join us for a special extra GEMS session about Fire!
At this session, students will
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safely conduct experiments with flames
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measure
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estimate and calculate volume
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practice graphing
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make predictions
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learn about basic fire safety.
To see a complete overview of what this special GEMS session will cover, please click here.
If you would like to reserve a space in this session, please email Ms. Kim! Please be reminded that as of January 2019, the GEMS fee has increased to $40/ session.
Spring 2019 GEMS dates and topics have been selected!
Date: GEMS Sessions, Friday, 10AM – 2PM, $40/ session:
1/4/19 *Extra Session* Fire!
1/11/19 #1: Constellations, Optics and The Upcoming Lunar Eclipse
1/25/19 #2: Magnetism
2/8/19 #3: Electricity
2/22/19 #4: The Cardiovascular System & Blood
3/8/19 #5: Weather
**Mon. 3/25 – Thurs. 3/28 Spring Break Camp: Chemistry! (Special times TBA)**
4/5/19 #6: Volcanoes & Earthquakes
4/26/19 #7: Mammals, Migration & Hibernation
5/10/19 #8: Rocks, Gems & Crystals
5/24/19 #9: Water & Erosion
What an exciting Spring semester of GEMS to look forward to!
Thank you to everyone for voting and for making GEMS such an exciting opportunity for kids!
What is GEMS?
Students had a blast learning about their brains!
And let me tell you– GEMS students are AWESOME already at graphing, even at ages 5, 6 & 7!
GEMS students ROCK!
At The Nervous System session, students will: 
- Learn about how our brains learn and grow
- Take a learning style inventory and find out what type of learner they are
- Graph their learning style traits
- Learn about fight, flight or freeze
- Learn strategies to help disconnect from the “reptilian brain” that engages in fight, flight or freeze
- Learn what parts of our bodies comprise the nervous system
- Play an interactive game to find out whether they are right or left-brain dominant
- Learn how to strengthen the less dominant tendencies
- Conduct experiments to explore optical illusions
- Share in the delight of tricking our eyes and brains with optical illusions!
For a complete overview of The Nervous System session of GEMS, click here.
GEMS Friday, 11/30/18– Bridges!
In the Bridges Session of GEMS, students will:
- Experiment with hands-on bridge building
- Collect and record data
- Find patterns in data
- Learn about different types of bridges and how to make them
- Practice making a table and graphing
- Use patterns in data to make predictions
- Explore the strength of different shapes
- Apply knowledge of bridges, shapes and building techniques to design and build a bridge
- Learn how to measure mass using a triple beam balance
- Get real-world practice measuring and applying mathematics
- Explore a visual, hands-on, kinesthetic real-life example of hundreds,tens and units
- Build fluency with addition and place value
To see a detailed overview of the agenda for the Bridges! session of GEMS, please click here.
Fall 2018 GEMS Session Dates, Topics and Learning Goals:
| Session # | Day/ Date | Unit Title | Learning Goals | Possible Extension Trip |
| 1 | Friday, August 24th | Power It Up! | Solar, Electrical, Wind, & Water Power: Newton’s Laws of Motion, Laws of Conservation of Energy. How can we change energy from water, wind, the sun and electricity into other forms of energy? Create a simple Rube Goldberg Machine. Make connections between these creations and rides at theme parks. What examples of energy can we find? How does a roller coaster illustrate conservation of energy? | Elitch Gardens, Denver, CO |
| 2 | Friday, September 7th | Reptiles & Amphibians | What characteristics distinguish reptiles? What makes amphibians special? How are reptiles and amphibians similar to and different from one another? How are they similar to and different from mammals like us? | My Nature Lab, Louisville, CO |
| 3 | Friday, September 21st | Fall in the Air | Why do leaves change color? Why don’t pine trees lose all their needles? What causes the seasons? | Mud Lake, Nederland, CO |
| 4 | Friday, October 5th | Egyptian Pyramids & Mummies | What is volume? How can we form a pyramid using cubes as starting blocks? Explore to determine the formula for volume of a cube and volume of a pyramid. What is preservation? How do we preserve things in the modern day? Why are mummies so incredible? What are the similarities and differences between mummies and fossils? Learn about the culture of ancient Egyptians and the role mummies played in their time. | Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, CO |
| 5 | Friday, October 19th (*Gilpin Parent Teacher Conference Day) | My Body: The Skeletal System | What is bone? How does it look under the microcsope? Learn to us a stereo microscope to study different objects closely. Learn about exoskeletons vs. endoskeletons, living vs. nonliving, and special bones that help different animals be successful. | Wild Bear? |
| 6 | Friday, November 2nd | Me & My Family Tree | Learn about our families and how we are related. Introduce genetics and use Punnett Squares to discuss dominant vs. recessive genes. Test our own hereditary traits and learn about DNA and how genes are passed down from parents to offspring. | |
| 7 | Friday, November 30th | Bridges! | What shapes are the strongest bridges made out of? How much mass can different types of bridges hold? Learn how to use a triple beam balance to measure mass. Explore bridges by constructing various types and then testing to see which are the strongest. Find mathematical patterns in how much weight simple bridges can hold, and graph these patterns. | |
| 8 | Friday, December 14th | My Body: The Nervous System | The Brain: Nerves & Electrical Signals, The Five Senses, Fight or Flight Response, Reflexes, Right & Left Sides of the Brain, Learning Styles & Optical Illusions |