The students of Walnut Park Elementary were given the opportunity to explore a variety of activities last week including drama, art and woodworking through the Power of Wonder week.
The idea behind the Power of Wonder week came from discussions amongst the teachers striving to find a way to keep students engaged and excited about what they’re learning, explained Walnut Park teacher Nicole Davey.
“We surveyed kids to learn what they were interested in and we correlated all the results and came up with nine broad categories,” Davey said.
These nine categories, or “camps,” were then each picked up by a teacher who developed a curriculum including events and activities related to the topic.
Mr. Irvine, a teacher at Walnut, pursued the woodworking group and on Friday his students were sanding swords that they cut out of wood and painting them.
Through this process the students in the woodworking camp were able to demonstrate technical skills while refining their eye for detail.
Grade 7 student Grace Blackburn said this Power of Wonder week offers students the opportunity to try things that they normally wouldn’t get to try.
“It’s all a part of us trying to decide what we want to do because everyone is going to be asking us, ‘so what do you want to be when you grow up,’” she said.
Other camps include a photography camp, mountain biking, music, junior lifeguard, science and a trades camp that was hosted at the mill.
Another Grade 7 student, Austin Carroll, said that this week allowed students to examine opportunities that they may have been afraid to look into on their own.
Blackburn and Carroll designated themselves as the documenters of the week and they’re hoping to compile together some photographs to showcase how all the students in the different camps demonstrated their learning.
“This is the first year that we’ve tried this and it’s the first one of its kind this year,” Davey said.
“But, next year we want to build on it and do this at least twice a year.”
Davey explained that one thing that has been suggested is the idea of a Power Hour.
So, instead of having an entire week dedicated to this learning exploration they would have one hour a week.
“Students can investigate their own inquiry on their own subject that they want to learn more about,” she said.
The students of Walnut Elementary School took a strong liking to the project, Davey explained.
“It’s been awesome, the kids are totally psyched and pumped and it’s so great for the teachers to have a group of kids who are so excited about what they’re learning.”
“Power of Wonder has been a really awesome, exciting and successful event and it’s very timely because it’s fun.”
“And right now we all need to have a little fun,” she said.