Men at Work! Learning with Legos at Dolby Elementary was a fun way to help dads understand and support their children’s math learning at home. The school’s Garden Club promotes science and health learning and healthy eating.
Lake Charles, LA
Men at Work! Learning with Legos!
Men at Work! Learning with Legos was a fun way to help dads understand and support their children’s math learning at home. When dads and their students came to school, they found Lego stations focused on different math skills. Activities were selected for two grade ranges: Pre-K to 2nd grade and 3rd to 5th. Students and fathers (or father figures) rotated through the activities, iPad apps, and game stations to learn about parts, part totals, building square numbers, fractions, and addition and subtraction.
Dads came in curious about linking Legos and math. They had Lego sets at home, but did not realize that they could make math connections while they played with their children. Math teachers modeled how to combine playtime with Legos at home with time to ask their children questions that will help them build reasoning and math skills. At each Lego station, dads and students received a packet of activities and ideas to take home.
Men at Work! Learning with Legos! is featured in Promising Partnership Practices 2015.
Garden Club and Healthy Eating
At Dolby, the school garden continued to promote science and health learning and healthy eating. The school’s Garden Club met each Thursday after school. It was open to 2nd through 5th graders, with membership growing from 30 students in the first year to 77 students, with 4-6 parent volunteers attending each meeting. A volunteer gardener taught children the importance of recycling plants to help put nutrients back in the soil and one of the dads built a composter for the club. It is clear that the Garden Club is blooming at Dolby.
In the popular club, students are divided into four groups to complete different tasks. Some planted sustainable blueberries and herbs for the spring garden. A local chef, gardener, and other community and parent volunteers planned a garden celebration. With the garden’s crops, they made smoothies, vegetable soup, fresh fruit and vegetables, and yogurt parfaits. Students reported that, based on what they are learning, they are eating more fruits and vegetables at home.
