"All Full of Air" at the Family Learning Event.
Fall 2001
Look What's Up In the Air
ACEE is preparing to host the 4th annual Family Learning Event in the program's five elementary schools. This evening is an informal, high-energy gathering which follows a theme to incorporate science and math activities through a literacy approach.
Hands-on activities are integrated into these areas of learning in an exploratory rather than lesson-oriented way. These Family Learning Events stem from the EQUALS project generated years ago in Berkeley, California. Marilyn Fowler, Ph.D., and Maggie Meyers, Ph.D., both of whom work at the Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas at Austin, adapted the events.
The multi-generational events engage the entire family and allow the parents to be involved in their children's education. The Family Learning Event is also an opportunity for parents to become more familiar with current math, science, and literacy guidelines found in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
This year's theme is "All Full of Air" and will offer opportunities to learn about air taking up space, air pressure, and how air pressure changes when it is moving. The event is organized in about 14 different activity stations, each of which has instructions in Spanish and English.
Many of the stations, such as Dancing Balloons and Cone Tricks, reinforce the TEKS guidelines. For example, when families investigate wind and its effects, the children are learning skills pertaining to the natural world. After completing a station, participants get an ink stamp or sticker to put in their Explorer's Notebook. Not just a souvenir for the night, the notebook is a passport to learning. At the conclusion of the night, families come together in a group activity to share results and celebrate the end of their educationally fun evening.
All teachers and school faculty are welcome to attend. Look on your school's calendar for when this event is scheduled to be at your school. For more information, please contact ACEE program director Bryan Murdock at 232-2286.
—Sara Skilling, ACEE member 2001