Teachers and staff at Gribbin cultivate love and respect for nature through various outdoor lessons, and what better way to celebrate Earth than with outdoor education. In keeping with that, first grade classes enjoyed a beautiful day outside on April 16 in celebration of Earth Day.

Classes circulated from station to station, painting rocks for the native garden, creating bug hotels using plastic bottles and sticks found around the school yard. Students created Earth Day murals that featured drawn pictures and words on how they could help the Earth. They also planted seeds, read books and went bird watching using binoculars in their STREAM (science, technology, research, engineering, art and mathematics) classes. 

Students recently researched the solar system, including Earth, with their classroom and STREAM teachers. They learned the vital lesson that the Earth is the only planet where humans can live and that we all need to take care of it. 

Students in Vanessa Broglia and Nicole Henn’s first grade class at Gribbin had a true hands-on, minds-on learning experience about the stars in the night sky. 

As part of the elementary science and technology curriculums, students researched stars using nonfiction books, photographs and internet databases. They learned what stars are and that groups of stars are called constellations. They then took this information back to their classroom and engineered constellations out of toothpicks and marshmallows. Knowledge was gained and fun was had by all!

First-graders in Antoinette Hatzopoulos class at Gribbin School enjoyed listening to a read aloud of “Nanette’s Baguette,” written by Mo Willems, a beloved author and illustrator. Mrs. Iovino, the mother of one of the students, read the book, which was illustrated using cardboard and then photographed. The class recreated the setting of the story, a French village in the style of Mo Willems, and even had a taste of a baguette! The children had a fun-filled afternoon thinking out of the box, creating, working together, and using math, engineering and art skills.

On March 1, Gribbin School students were treated to a cultural arts show at the Tilles Center, thanks to the Gribbin School PTA. The Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium Adventure show incorporated movement, music, puppetry, art, technology and science.

Leading up to the event, special area teachers worked together on activities designed to deepen the meaning of the performance experience, using the Tilles Center Arts-in-Education Aesthetic Model. Art teacher LeeAnn Palazzo had students create art projects that aligned with the creatures presented in the performance. Music teacher JoAnn Criblez and physical education teacher Mark Checola collaborated on a team lesson that had the students moving through space and working cooperatively as big, prehistoric creatures. A great time was had by all!