Category Archives: Elementary

Third and Fourth grade went on a great learning adventure September 25th called Animals Inside and Out. The Nebraska Extension graciously invited third and fourth graders from surrounding towns. The kids learned a vast amount of information about animals. Nutrition was a big topic, the students even got to see the reproductive tract of a cow and a sow. The students were able to play a very fun knowledgeable game of bingo about animals, and their by-products. There were many other learning stations that we attended as well. A big thank you to all the people from the Extension office who helped educate our students about the agricultural way of life!

The 4th graders found out what it was like to come up with their own prototype and to test it. The goal was to keep their egg from cracking in a crash. They could only use materials that would fit into a gallon sized freezer bag. We had a diverse bunch of materials that came to the classroom. Some very clever ideas were tried. Sadly several students forgot their supplies at home so their classmates donated them materials in a gesture of kindness to others. Many of the eggs took a fatal crash. Some were only a little cracked, but one group…oddly enough the ones who forgot their supplies and took others donations, well their egg came out unscathed. Part of the purpose of this experiment is to show how important air bags are in a car cash. Fun and learning was had by all!!!

Mrs. Matthews is doing STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education with the elementary kids and currently they are learning about robots.  To control the robots they use phones and/or tablets.  However, we currently have more robots than controllers!  Please help get these robots under control by donating an old phone or an old tablet.  Click here for a list of devices that work with the robots.  Thank you!

In September elementary HAL(High Ability Learners) students were challenged to discover or investigate one of their passions and then reflect and share their learning with others. This idea, adapted from the search-engine, Google, promotes the thinking that if you allow people to work on something that interests them, productivity will increase. Students needed to make their project “Product Focused”, meaning at the end of the semester, they had to have made something that was a completed product. Throughout the first semester, students diligently worked on their Passion Projects. The students all did an amazing job, and I am so proud of each of them. On January 20th, students presented their finished products to their families.

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Hay Springs Elementary collaborated with Chadron State College to host the first annual Family Science Night on November 20^th.   This fun-filled evening featured a structured environment for families to explore, experiment, and talk about science.  Hands-on educational, activities were planned and organized by Chadron State pre-service elementary students for families to investigate different science concepts.  Elementary students got their hands dirty making an edible soil profile, observed a chemical reaction while making elephant toothpaste, created a model of the different levels of the ocean, and constructed a marshmallow, straw, and toothpick structure that would survive an earthquake.

Thank you to everyone who helped with and participated in Family Science Night as it takes everyone to make these events a success!  It was exciting to see such a great turnout!  We hope you all had a great night and that we can make Family Science Night an annual event.