By Dawn Butler
Starting this school year at Keokuk Catholic Schools all children in grades K-5 have enrichment and an expanded thinking class called “Thinkers.” A great way to start the new class was to study Neuroscience for Kids. Students are learning about the human brain, how it works and the parts of the brain. Students are conducting experiments and learning to record data.
Fifth-graders dissected a creative Jello brain filled with surprises. The younger children are learning about the parts of the brain that affect the five senses. They made models of an eardrum and conducted experiments with musical instruments and other sounds to learn how people hear. They will also be doing experiments about the other four senses of sight, smell, touch and taste.
A family of 20 Mexican jumping beans has joined our Thinkers Class. Children are discovering what they are and how to take care of their new “pets.” Students are choosing Spanish names for each bean. The students are designing playgrounds and game boards for their bean family. Children are definitely learning to “think outside the bean” by learning how to research, question and hypothesize!
Through expanded thinking and enrichment activities students hope to learn more about themselves and how they learn. Through hard work, concentration, laughter and smiles children are learning to look at the world in a new and different way!
