You may have heard your second grader talking about ACE in the last couple of weeks.  Chances are you heard who was in their ACE group and the fun things that they did.  You might have even seen some of their ACE projects make their way home.  But I wonder if you’ve heard about the reason behind ACE and what it really means…

A.C.E. stands for Academic and Character enrichment.  It is an elective program in the Lower School at PNA that involves groups of multi-age students learning and growing alongside each other, while enjoying a personal interest.  In real life, people interact with others of all ages and ability levels everyday and research indicates that multi-age groupings actually improve social emotional learning and class bonding.  While our model is not multi-age classrooms at PNA, we can reap the benefits of these learning environments through things like A.C.E.

Every three weeks or so, students are given the opportunity to hear a new round of ACE offerings, and choose their top three favorites.  They are then placed into groups based on these surveys and the fun ensues…

…because the students are having fun.   They are also practicing very important 21st century skills such as collaboration, cooperation and creativity.  They are using their critical thinking skills and expanding their content knowledge with the use of hands-on materials and technology.

Some of this sessions A.C.E. classes include:

Super Science: There is more to science than lab coats and clipboards! Come make things go whoosh, splop, bang and fizz! Learn about chemical reactions and the cool things you can do with stuff you may have around your house.

Origami: Students will have the opportunity to create a lot of origami, and in the process, experiment with different types of paper and techniques.

Space Week Art Decor: Make decorations that are out of this world!  Come join us as we make all sorts of fun things to decorate our school for Space Week!  Bring your cool ideas and an art smock.

Stopmotion: Have you ever wondered how they make movies like Boxtrolls or The Night Before Christmas?  Come find out how and even make your own (short!) movie as we explore stop motion animation.  You will learn basic techniques if you’re new to stop motion or more advanced techniques if you’ve done stop motion before!

Bead Making: Students will work with magazines, glue, and Fimo clay to create beads and string their creations to make personalized crafts (jewelry, bookmark, etc).

As you can see from the pictures above, the second graders are thoroughly enjoying their A.C.E. time.  Who knows what the next A.C.E. round  will bring?