Oct 25-29

This week in Quest, Eagles had the chance to test out their company's lemonade stand! They began the week by surveying their fellow Eagles, asking what lemonade they would prefer and the price they were willing to pay.  Half of their company surveyed the studio based on their favorite flavor, while the others surveyed Eagles with a blind taste test, keeping the flavor hidden and asking which of the lemonades they preferred.

   

Wednesday, Eagles prepared for the Lemonade Standoff; a chance to put their company decisions to the test.  They finalized the lemonade they would sell and the price for each cup.  Eagles also worked together to set up their booth, decorate with their name and logo, as well as buy any needed supplies. 

  

Friday, Eagles had the opportunity to test out their product in a studio-wide Standoff! The teams competed against one-another to sell the most lemonade and make the most profit. 

   

After the Standoff, many companies realized they made ZERO profit.  After paying back the loan from their invenstors, all but one company made less money than they spent. The profitable company made one dollar!  Eagles shared some tips, mistakes and changes they would make to improve their earnings at the next Showdown.   

 

In our Poetry Unit, Eagles explored and challenged themselves with writing Odes; a poem that pays tribute to a person, thing, or event.  We evaluated Odes about pizza, ice cream, potatos and Dr. Suess, then set out to write our own.  Eagles wrote Odes about people they love, minecraft, their favorite foods like hot dogs and macaroni, sponges, and Halloween.  Many Eagles wanted their Ode to rhyme and utilized an online rhyme-finder to incorporate rhyming words into their poems. 

   

Friday, the Eagles were finally able to put their planning and hard work into action at the Halloween Party.  The Eagles were super excited for the schedule they created, talking all week about the games they would play, candy they would eat, and costume competition they were have. They got a little excited about their pizza and forgot about the rest of their schedule, spending 50 minutes instead of their planned 25  outside.  They came inside and celebrated with goody bags, a dance party, a game of Among Us, and a costume contest.  Congratulations to Miche, August, and Grae!  

 

Happy Halloween! 

Oct 18-22

Last week the Eagles began Civilization, a deep-dive into history through the reading of Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer.  Our goal during this time is to develop Eagles' curiosity about history, practice the art of storytelling, and put themselves in the shoes of historical figures facing difficult dilemmas.  Eagles love being able to grab a yoga mat, get comfortable and hear strories from the past. 

As part of our Business Quest, Eagles had the opportunity to hear from the owners of Leaf and Bubble Tea Shop.  The women shared their Hero's Journey as they began and ran their business over the last few years.  They shared achievements, challenges, mentors, and critical questions that led them to where they are today.  The Eagles then asked some great questions; such as "How do you make a profit? Do you have any employees? How did you figure out how to make Boba?"   They also learned that when selling drinks, the price you charge should be 4 times higher than what it costs you to make it.  Great, applicable information as the Eagles decide the cost of their lemonade next week.  

 

On Wednesday, Eagles made decisions about their company's booth design.  As a team, they evaluated and voted on their favorite aspects of various booths- including letter choice, booth organization, and decorations.  Then determined how their booth would look.  It was interesting to hear some teams decided they would handwrite their signs to show off their hard work, while others felt a printed sign would look more professional.   

   

Eagles were then challenged to create their own booth design in a studio-wide challenge on Friday.  They used the decisions made on Wednesday to draw up their booth, then created company t-shirts displaying their name and logo.  The studio then voted on their favorite booth and company shirts, awarding the winning team with 5 Quest Bucks!

     

This week in Writer's Workshop, our poets were challenged to write their own Haikus and Free Verse poems.  We learned that Haikus follow very strict rules of 3 lines, with the first and last lines including 5 syllables and the middle line including 7.  Eagles rose to the challenge and wrote some funny, engaging Haikus.  After writing both types, many Eagles decided they enjoyed the freedom of the Free Verse poems.  We can't wait for you to read our finished pieces at the Exhibition! 

 

Every Tuesday and Thursday during PE, Eagles are challenged with a warm up and workout, then finish with a game. This week, Eagles were given the opportunity to sign up with a fellow learner to create a warmup and workout to lead the group through.  We love seeing Eagles step out of their shell and bravely lead their peers! 

The Eagles put the final touches on their Halloween Party planning.  Here is the schedule they came up with....  We can't wait to see their creative costumes and games! 

Session 2, Oct 11-15

Welcome to Session 2!

This 6 weeks, Eagles are getting the hands-on experience of creating and running their own business.  Learners are split into groups of 4-5 to work through challenges to create their own lemonade stand.  All their hardwork this session will end with a final showdown of their business skills at the Exhibition.  Eagles will compete against one another to see who can earn the most money by using effective customer communication, designing an eye-catching booth, choosing a desired product and keeping their expenses low.  

Monday, the Eagles took the first steps in their new business by creating a duct tape wallet to store their company's Quest Bucks.  Companies will work together to complete various challenges to excellence to earn bucks.  These bucks can then be used to purchase materials needed throughout Quest; such as lemonade, cups, markers, cardstock, ice, and booth decorations.   

On Wednesday, Eagles created their team roles and made business decisions.  They started by determining their own personal skill sets they could contribute to the company.  Based on that information, the companies then assigned roles (or jobs) to each member.  These roles include Bookkeeper, Accountant, Customer Support and Lawyer.  Companies also decided how they would make difficult decisions when they arise, the words they would use to describe their company, and their company's name. 

  

Friday, Eagles explored branding.  Does the name, colors, logo, or slogan of a company play a role in what customers choose to buy?  The Eagles will find out at their Exhibtion when family and friends have to make the tough choice of who's lemonade to purchase.  

  

Our focus this Writer's Workshop is poetry.  The Eagles began by exploring the question, "What is poetry?" with their squads.  One group decided poetry is "a piece of writing that rhymes and inspires people," while others groups found that not all poems rhyme.  We will be spending the next 6 weeks exploring the answer to this question. 

 

Eagles also discovered the power of metaphors to describe people, places, things, and animals.  We began our time together on Thursday by noticing the power of words.  Eagles were partnered up and challenged to explain to their partner how to draw a specific dog and frog.  Many found it very challenging to express their thoughts and reflected they would be more specific in their details and instructions next time.  

 

We then broke off and worked with our squads to create metaphors describing various colors.  Can you guess what "is the color of a glowing light?"  Eagles were then ready to create their own metaphors for a topic of their choice to be used in their poems next week. 

   

Our Excellence Committee (the group of Eagles in charge of approving work for excellence) has spent MANY hours this session checking over 20 submitted Badges!  They have upheld the high standard of excellence we expect here at Acton by assuring all standards are met, Eagles' work is truly their best effort, and each piece is better than the last one.  To encourage hardwork and high standards, the entire studio chose to reward the Committee with a $5 giftcard of their choice if all submitted work was completed by Friday. We cannot wait to celebrate all of the Badges our Eagles have earned at the Exhibition!! 

In art, Eagles are exploring watercolors.  They learned how to properly take care of the paint and brushes, how to make colors lighter or darker, then practiced using watercolors by creating a self-portrait.

One of our favorite times of the week is Town Hall! This is a chance for Eagles to bring up concerns, ideas, and celebrations they wish to share with the studio.  This week, Eagles shared concerns about the noise level before lunch, an idea to limit the number of visits an Eagle has to the rest each day, and a plan to celebrate Halloween with a party.  After sharing their thoughts and voting, Eagles chose to plan a Halloween party on their own, without the help of the Guides.  

Together, with a few standards (the time, budget, and space) the Eagles planned their party.  They chose friends to help lead the planning, dicussed the important activities they wanted to include, created a schedule, and filled out request forms for needed supplies.