Learning Festival brings St. Louis School community together
Students at St. Louis School had an opportunity to try their hand at a number of different activities that centred around arts, nature, sports, science and more. The school held its annual Learning Festival on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.
"Today we made fires with a whole bunch of fluff and sticks and magnesium firelighters," said Grade 3 student Keinan Teahan. "This morning I did STEM 101, and we did the egg drop challenge. We had to make a container out of cardboard and other stuff and we put an egg inside it and then we saw if the egg could survive the drop. Mine survived."
Children were given the opportunity to sign up for different classes that were arranged in mini-sessions over the three days. The classes were run by teachers as well as community members who shared their talents and passions with the children. There was a trip to the Mather Walls House for tea, cheerleading, a nature scavenger hunt, return to kindergarten, air band, wilderness and survival skills, nail and string art, and many more sessions offered.
Teacher Leanne Chisholm brought in her mother, Julie Szajewski and her aunt, Sharon Rimstad, to help her lead her nature crafts session.
"It's wonderful because my mother always wanted to be a teacher and she certainly has that passion for working with kids, and my Auntie was a teacher with this board so it's great for her to come back and revisit. Leading up to it my mother called me three times a day, she was so excited," said Chisholm.
The three women were joined by their friend Julie Hammel and together worked with students to make concrete stepping stones for the garden, birdhouses, fairy houses and bowls made from old records that are heated and then shaped.
"My favourite part was making the fairy garden houses because we got to paint it. I painted mine green and blue" said Grade 1 student Leah Bissonnette.
The Learning Festival is a favourite of St. Louis School students and is something they look forward to every year.
"It's really fun because there are so many different activities you can do," said Teahan.