Hamilton Schoolkids Get Eggy With It
This Thursday, after a rain delay on Wednesday, Hamilton Elementary held their Humpty Dumpty Day. Kindergarten students at the newly expanded elementary school got to show off their engineering skills, while the entire school watched, as contraptions they made at home containing a raw egg were dropped from the thirty-foot building. The final goal of an intact egg was not as easy to obtain as they initially thought.
Some students wrapped their eggs in bubble wrap, cotton, string, foam and other materials. Some used boxes while others used bags. There was even a stuffed teddy bear protecting an egg. Parachutes were utilized on some. The kids found many materials to attempt energy diffusion such as popcorn, plastic eggs and rubber bands. One thing was found in every project, however. Hard work, perseverance and pride.
Smiling and cheering students, teachers and family members watched as the students retrieved their eggs after the drop. The biggest smiles on the playground though, came from the two women who began this tradition decades ago. Cindy Murphy and Lorri Larsen have been kindergarten teachers alongside each other for over twenty years. They started out at Garfield Elementary in Moline. When the new Hamilton Elementary building was expanded in 2015, the two forward-thinking teachers brought their expertise and experience to a whole new group of students.
Mrs. Murphy, Mrs. Larsen, Ms. Rumler and Mrs. Henderson are all kindergarten teachers at Hamilton Elementary and assigned this project to their students to wrap up their current Egg Unit. The kindergarten students at Hamilton have been working on their Egg Unit since the beginning of Spring. They have been keeping a close eye on the Arconic Eagle Cam, while documenting their observations in daily journals. If you are curious as to whether an animal is oviparous or not, feel free to ask one of the kindergarten students, as they have become quite the professionals in that area. Incorporating literature into the ‘egg unit’ was not difficult, considering one of the most known nursery rhymes provides us with a very clumsy and entertaining Humpty Dumpty.
The Egg Drop project seemed to be a perfect follow-up to the unit, while incorporating STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. STEM pervades every part of our lives and science is everywhere in the world around us. Technology is continuously expanding into every aspect of our lives, and these children are being introduced to these concepts from the beginning.
Humpty Dumpty Day is something that the students all look forward to. Whether they were the ones working on the project, an older sibling helping at home, or a former student of Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Larsen, many of the onlookers felt a strong pride in watching the spectacle on Thursday.
Todd Williams, Principal of Hamilton Elementary, stated that this project was “Definitely a STEM related activity, but maybe even more important a family engagement activity”. It was obvious that a lot of the projects received some sort of outside assistance. Whether from parents, grandparents, siblings or friends, this project brought together those closest to the young engineers. And possibly, in some situations, may have caused a little friendly sibling rivalry. Lauren and Dustin Bailey are parents of twins, in which both participated in the project. The creative process and execution of their endeavors brought out their competitiveness while creating a strong family bonding experience.
While a playground full of smiles and happiness watched on, one of the most positive and educational experiences was unfolding in front of them all.
