Dove Hill Newsroom

Shannon Simpson and Lori Lim

What happens when you add STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and Dr. Seuss together? A fabulous, fun learning activity in Transitional Kindergarten (TK)!

Dr. Seuss Day is celebrated across the country on March 2nd every year. This year, Mrs. Simpson's TK class celebrated by collaboratively working on STEM activities. Students were challenged to stack cups and paper squares to build a tower as tall as they could just like the Cat in the Hat's hat! Then they were asked to transfer those skills and make themselves a Cat in the Hat "hat treat" using an apple slice, bananas, and strawberries.

During the Stack the Cat's Hat Seuss STEM activity, students worked in groups to build towers using paper squares and cups of varying sizes and materials. They were asked these questions to think critically about what they were building: How do the paper squares help? Can you build a tower with just cups? How tall is your tower? What measuring tool should you use to measure your tower? How many cups and paper squares did you use? What could you do to make a taller stack? Does it matter if you use the small cups and squares or the larger cups and squares? Does it matter if you use the styrofoam cups versus the plastic cups? Which works better? How does gravity affect the tower?

After making their cup tower, students were given the opportunity to make a Cat in the Hat "hat treat." Students sliced bananas and strawberries in whatever height they felt would make a sturdy tower. They stacked their bananas and strawberries on an apple slice to make their "hat treat" and then enjoyed the fruits of their labor.

If you have a child who will turn 5 between September 2, 2017 and December 2, 2017, please come register him/her for TK in the Evergreen School District. Registration is now open. The Evergreen School District is offering full day transitional kindergarten for the 2017-2018 school year at Cedar Grove Elementary, Evergreen Elementary, Holly Oak Elementary, Katherine Smith Elementary, and Matsumoto Elementary. Registration packets and more information are available at your neighborhood school and also online at www.eesd.org.