As a component of Carolina Day's Buddies program, the 6th-grade students regularly get together with their 1st-grade buddies to share quality time during the school day. Sometimes we share a meal or curricular activities, but we sometimes just "hang out."
Last week, we met to collaborate on a "Simple Machines" unit our 1st-grade buddies were completing. The 1st graders recently finished studying three of the most useful, basic human inventions: the lever, the pulley, and the wheel and axle. The task was to design and build a complex or compound working example of a simple machine, using a variety of materials. Many of our 6th graders remembered warmly their own experiences five years ago, when they participated in the activity as 1st graders!
The hour we experienced together was enriching and fun, certainly. Just as important, however, was the feeling of camaraderie, the warm and genuine connections among these students. They were sharing a sense of adventure and curiosity while applying basic knowledge and skills they are acquiring as members of a learning community.
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