Inspiration From Many Sources

While it is always true we take inspiration from many places, it seems especially true when talking about our latest theme of invention/innovation. Just this morning, for instance, we read from our current read-aloud:

We read Charlie and The Chocolate Factory earlier this year, so the children all remember fondly the main characters of Mr. Wonka, Charlie, and his parents and grandparents. No longer in the chocolate factory, they are now hurtling through space in one of Mr. Wonka's wild inventions. Imagine, an elevator that can fly (thanks to "sky hooks") and can even go into orbit!

We also watched a section of Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention DVD. This is a wonderful series first shown on BBC. Of course, the students LOVE the adorable claymation characters that introduce the segments, but the DVD is loaded with scientific information presented in a very accessible way. The segment we watched this morning was all about flight, from jetpacks to homemade rockets.



Finally, it was time to put some work into our own Invention Idea books. A couple time a week, we will be learning about various inventions and then imagining a way to invent or innovate a new version. So far, we designed our own hats and robots. Today, we designed a way to take us to space! Our inspiration for this project comes from this book:

Children make sketches, but also have to think of a purpose, name their invention, and to label the various parts. Here is just one example from today.

The students are really enjoying this theme, and this project - a great mix of scientific learning and creativity.