With Space Week approaching, this past week our middle schoolers did a lot of ground work for their mission to Mars. Each time we do a creative, “big picture” project like this one, our kids impress us with their creativity and sense of wonder. We received questions like, “Would NASA listen to our ideas?”, “Why are we focusing on going to Mars when the Earth needs our help?”, and “Can we do ___?”(insert some seemingly far-fetched, but super imaginative idea). Our students have been insightful, inventive, and fired with enthusiasm.

They’ve been put in teams of 3, 4, or 5. Their overall mission is to create a colony (for 20 “colonists”) that could be sustainable on Mars. Before their specific ideas started flowing, we did a lot of research about the differences between Earth and Mars. We discussed how we meet our basic needs of survival here on Earth and what characteristics on Mars would cause challenges to arise. They brainstormed solutions as they did their research. We played a planning game (with some similar features to Monopoly) in which students had a specific budget to work with. They had many choices for each component of life: should the colonists have private bedrooms or dorm-style? Should they eat dehydrated food or have greenhouses? The students discussed and made critical decisions for their colonists’ well-being. However, it wasn’t just about survival. We took their mental-health into strong consideration. What would they use for entertainment, exercise, or communication with people on Earth? Some groups have plans for trampoline parks, cat sanctuaries, and high-tech antennas for FaceTiming.

They spent most of the week doing this detailed planning. Finally yesterday, after each team finished their labeled sketches, we set them loose. The building stage is the most fun to watch. When students do hands-on learning, the whole 2nd floor starts to buzz. Our students become engineers, architects, and teachers themselves. Our classrooms become their workshops. They are collaborating, testing their ideas, trying and failing, and trying some more. They are laughing, compromising, and up and moving for most of the day.

One student built a vehicle out of a bunch of scrap pieces of material. She called me over, showed it to me and said, “I have never been so proud of myself”. I smiled at her and my eyes started to water. These are the reasons I became a teacher and am proud to be a teacher at PNA. To be able to take a pause from our regular social studies and science curriculums to focus on a comprehensive project, such as this one, is such a privilege.

Friday was only their first day building; I cannot wait to see what next week has in store. Please join us for our community event on Thursday, October 17 from 6-8. All of our finished colony models will be on display and I know we will have some proud students who’d love for you to see their work.