LA Unified School District’s Hands-on Science + Engineering Initiative
Initiated at the district level, science specialists and teachers are collaborating with T4T to design engaging new ways to energize classroom experiences with hands-on discovery and engineering. Pilot projects are currently underway in about 25 LAUSD high schools, and multiple elementary & middle schools. Thanks to a new partnership with LAUSD School Improvement Grant Office, our collaboration will be expanding to SIG middle & high schools with a 3 day Summer Institute in August.
see photos, video, and read more
PUSD Pilot Project: Washington Accelerated Elementary School Explores S.T.E.M.
Interdisciplinary Design Based Learning = Science + Technology + Engineering + Math + Language Arts
How do we facilitate next generation thinking? We are proposing a model that integrates science, math, and language arts through in-depth projects, where technology, engineering, art and even social studies can be additional layers of investigation and interconnected learning.
Bud Carson S.T.E.M. Academy: Pioneering Hands-on Learning
Teachers from BCMS STEM Academy (Hawthorne School District) are collaborating with T4T to create a variety of hands-on STEM infused experiences, ranging from Science & Engineering to History, from classroom scale to school wide events .
Thank you for your vision: Superintendent Dr. Morgan, Principal Jordan, Mr. Lanzer, Miss Hadley, Mrs. Dobyns, Ms. Ruvalcaba and the team of other teachers behind the scenes. Special thanks to Republic Services and their dedicated support for T4T in Hawthorne School District.
Green S.T.E.A.M. Lab
May 5th was an awesome day of collaboration & hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math at the MUSE School in Malibu. 8 students, ranging from Kindergarten through 5th grade worked with T4T to build the “bones” of their new S.T.E.A.M. Lab. Students, you blew us all away with your thoughtful drawings, your tenacious work with the drills & screw drivers, and your generosity & collaboration as witnessed each time you taught each other what you discovered. I want to be a MUSE student!
Compton Unified Launches with NASA + T4T
Teachers, Principals & Students from Compton Unified tested their engineering skills with NASA’s B.E.S.T. (Beginning Engineering Science and Technology) curriculum and T4T materials. These PD workshops kick-off a district wide NASA initiative that will span from Elementary School to High School.
LA County Science Fair 2013: The Ultimate Recycling Invention
T4T and Tinker’s Corner anchored the Mini-Maker Faire for the second year in a row. Thank you to all the young engineers, teachers, families, and volunteers that made this event possible. The challenge was to design and build a machine that transported a bottle into a blue recycling bin. Such incredible innovation and collaboration that unfolded in front of our eyes: tube structures, zip lines, pendulums, catapults and combinations of them all!
Engineering and Invention with El Rincon Elementary
T4T and El Rincon Elementary Teachers are partnering up to bring hands-on S.T.E.M. infused experiences to their students. January 28th kicked off with Principal Brunson and Teachers making a field trip down to T4T to build their own Recycling Inventions. March 15th and the 21st brought this collaboration back to the school with two days of engineering challenges with the students.
see photos, video, and read more
UCLA LAB School: Weaving Science, Engineering, and Social Studies
Calling all future urban planners, engineers, and architects! 1st and 2nd graders from the Lab School have been studying in-depth how cities work, some focusing specially on LA. Each of the classes approached the project a little differently, but here is an overview of the process. Starting with a foundation of science content, students explored simple machines and basic forces (pulleys, inclined planes, wheel axle, etc.) and then built their own working prototypes with T4T materials.
Roosevelt High School Math & Science Night
Academy of Medical and Health Sciences @ Roosevelt HS hosted Math and Science Night on Jan 30th. 8 teams, 32 high school student engineers, 120 feet of invention, 2 hours of collaboration & competition! A round of applause to everyone that participated, and special thanks Yuri Lopez, Principal Crossin, all of our judges and everyone who helped with set-up and clean-up.
Raytheon Family Day
“Bring Your Daughters/Sons to Work Day” was filled with so much enthusiasm, creativity and tenacity. In the name of engineering the “ ultimate recycling machines,” we saw zip lines, pulley/elevators, tube structures, and various types of launchers. Thank you so much Delisha Stanley & Jacquelene Peters for all the behind the scenes coordination.
Billy Mitchell Elementary
Thanks to Republic Services, students at Billy Mitchell Elementary School spent the day building their passion for recycling. Working in teams, they constructed their own “Ultimate Recycling Inventions.” Thank you principal McCray, teachers and students for your 100% support & engagement! Thank you Sam Pena, Debbie Morris, Gerda Schmidt, April Hilario, and Betsy Hamilton for all your work to get the ball rolling.
Compton Earth Day
Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle,Re-Imagine! Earth Day in Compton was an inspiring community celebration thanks to Principal Marcos at Jefferson Elementary School, Micah Ali,Compton School Board, Compton Creek Mosquito Abatement District, Republic Services & the Water Replenishment District. An additional special thanks to DeMenno/Kerdoon, Jessica Torres & Jose Solorio for their generous sponsorship of NASA B.E.S.T. (Beginning Engineering Science & Technology) at Jefferson. To kick-off this hands-on science initiative with a sustainable flair, students and their families designed, built and tested their own Mars Rovers with T4T’s re-imagined resources.
STEM in Education Conference
What an inspiring Saturday of presentations, breakout sessions and meeting new friends! “Inspiring a sySTEMic Future” was a hands-on workshop hosted by Washington Prep’s Craig Sipes and T4T’s Shiva Mandell. Working in teams, participating teachers engineered their concepts of a recycling invention. Thank you to all the organizers & volunteers from CSU Dominguez Hills.
see photos, video, and read more
Science Symposium: The Brain and Learning
“The Brain and Learning” was a 2 day Science Symposium for Pre-K through 8th Grade educators April 12th: T4T & NASA’s Beginning Engineering Science and Technology. April 13th: T4T & the UCLA Lab School. Thank you to all the educators that participated, and a special thanks to Noelani Morris, Rosa Velasco, Kelly Keeler, and all the volunteers that made it all possible.
see photos, video, and read more
Caltech Make a Difference Day
Sophomores from Caltech picked T4T as their “Make a Difference Day” destination for the 3rd year in a row. Their volunteer efforts were divided into two parts: helping to create & test some prototype vehicles and then physically assembling materials into “classroom resource bags,” which will be distributed next weekend at a Science Symposium hosted at the California Science Center. Their efforts helped us study which T4T materials are most appropriate for the NASA B.E.S.T. (Beginning Engineering Science and Technology) curriculum + T4T’s new outreach event called “Eco-Vehicles”. Big Thanks!!
Citizens of the World Field Trip to T4T
67 2nd graders plus parents & teachers came down to T4T for a day of hands-on collaboration and invention. By the time everyone got back on the bus after lunch, 8 recycling machines were constructed and documented. Most of contraptions used tube and ramps as the underlying method for getting a bottle into a recycling bin, but there was also a pulley, a sling shot, a pendulum, dominoes, and a catapult. Students culminated their visit by shopping in the warehouse to bring back inspiration and supplies for their classrooms.
Iridescent + T4T + Boeing partnership launch
March 9th was an exciting day at T4T, thanks to 14 engineers from Boeing, 1 from Northrop Grumman and 1 from another local manufacturer. Iridescent Learning facilitated the workshop with hands-on engineering experiences as an introduction for curriculum development. 4 teams of participants will be refining their ideas, and field testing their own engineering challenges at 2 Hawthorne schools (Zela Davis Elementary, Bud Carson STEM Academy) plus 2 more sites in Long Beach/Huntington Beach in May as a kick-off to “Family Science Courses.” Special Thanks to the Iridescent team: Tara, Luz, Amy, & Citlali, and the Boeing team behind the scenes Tamika Lang, Vanessa Pereda, and Daniel Wallman.
Lawndale’s after school explores NASA B.E.S.T
Lawndale’s RAP (Realizing Amazing Potential) staff spent May 11th at Billy Mitchell Elementary School preparing for their summer launch with NASA & T4T. Participants explored the Lunar Buggy and Satelite Launch modules of NASA B.E.S.T. with such enthusiasm, creativity and collaboration. Special thanks to Russ Billings from the AERO Institute for facilitating the training and Dennis Howard for all the behind the scenes work.
see photos
The Oaks School field trip to T4T
The Oaks School Green Committee and students planned a field trip to visit the T4T warehouse and had a great time creating, exploring, and learning. One parent said of the event, “The Oaks School Green Committee and Students would love to thank Trash For Teaching for an extraordinary field trip! The psychedelic bins of random magical supplies led our group on an out-of-the-box adventure in collaborative teamwork, creativity, and sheer inspiration. I can’t recommend T4T more highly — definitely one of the most fun, engaging, and successful activities in the 5 years of our group. Thank you Shiva — we will be back!”
Inglewood’s LEAP, NASA, and T4T
7 new elementary school sites joined the hands-on Engineering revolution. LEAP (Learning, Enrichment, After-School Program) will introduce almost 700 students to NASA’s B.E.S.T. (Beginning Engineering Science and Technology) using T4T materials. Thanks to La Tijera Elementary School for hosting and thanks to Russ Billings for another impeccable facilitator training.
John Muir High School: Egg Drop T4T Style
Physics students tested their engineering skills with a design challenge to build a “device” that would protect an egg from the impact of a 15′ high drop. Take a look at the combinations of foam padding, parachutes, and tubing. Any guess which designs performed the best?
Thank you Physics teacher Mr. Chaparro and Lynn John from UCLA Science Project.
LACSTA Holiday Awards Event
December 7, 2012 was a special day of appreciation and inspiration at T4T. Over a hundred guests shared an evening of food, fun and jazz honoring Los Angeles County School Trustees Association and local educational leaders.
NASA launches at Playa Vista Elementary
Playa Vista Elementary School teachers are piloting NASA’s Beginning Engineering Science & Technology (B.E.S.T.) with their students. Russ Billings, from NASA Dryden and his outreach team kicked things off with two professional development workshops. Click below to see photos from the Dec. 4th teacher training. Thank you Principal Salazar, your teachers and special guests from Compton Unified.
CalRecycle re-imagines Recycling
Staff from CalRecycle spent Nov. 6th at T4T. Check out the collaborative contraption they created to “recycle a can.”
San Bernadino after school lands on Mars with NASA JPL & T4T
Young engineers from San Bernadino have been exploring what life on Mars would be like. JPL has developed in-depth curriculum associated with NASA’s Summer of Innovation, culminating in the design and construction of a Mars settlement. Special thanks to Dr. Ota Lutz from JPL, Anona Gasca from CAPS (Creative After School Program for Success) , and all the site leaders and facilitators that have made this possible. Click below are photos from 3 of the 25+ elementary schools participating.
LAUSD Next Generation Science Symposiums
Thanks to a grant by Republic Services, physics teachers from LAUSD & Teach for America attended professional development workshops focused on getting ready for the Next Generation of Science Standards.
READ MORE, SEE PHOTOS & LESSON PLANS
Re-imagine Video Series: CREATIVITY
Inspired by Hawthorne’s G.R.E.E.N. Team, T4T interviewed students, teachers, administrators & parents in an effort to RE-IMAGINE ideas about Creativity.
“What does CREATIVITY Mean to You?”
And what does CREATIVITY have to do with Environmental Education?
Watch a short video and be inspired to Re-think the need for Creativity
LAUSD Recycling Initiative
LAUSD and Republic Services are pioneering Recycling at an unprecedented scale. To support their efforts, T4T is designing hands-on recycling training for students that will be implemented in PE Classes.
Environmental Charter High School
Students from Environmental Charter High School visited T4T to stock up on materials for a large scale participatory installation at their school. Special thanks to Assistant Principal Breuer and team for their vision.
Re-imagine Video Series: RECYCLING
Republic Services and T4T are Re-imagining the traditional 3 R’s of Environmental Education, (REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE) and adding a few more R’s to the mix: Rethink, Reclaim, Re-engineer, Re-Invent, Revitalize, Re-inspire…
“What does Recycling Mean to You?”
Watch a short video and be inspired to Re-imagine Recycling
Tools for School
Helping children in need prepare for the start of the school year
The Jewish Family Service of LA hosts the most generous annual community give back, and this year T4T participated with our environmental & invention themed empowerment. Hundreds of families received backpacks filled with school supplies, allowing children to start the school year off with the tools they need to achieve confidence and success in the classroom.
San Fernando Rec Center
T4T and Republic Services treated young residents to a day to be remembered. Boys and Girls raced the clock to correctly figure out “What Goes Where?”, in an environmentally themed dash, while other groups engineered their “Ultimate Recycling Machine.” The challenge was to create a “set-up” that could transport a can or a bottle into a recycling bin, and what emerged was a fantastic combination of sling shots, tube & ramp contraptions, and zip lines. Thank you Daniel Cortez and his team of helpers, Vanessa Mapula, Sean Fin, James Pledger and Viki Stathopoulos.
USC MESA Advisors’ Planning Retreat “Inventing the Future!”
Imagination, Innovation, Ingenuity! 20 local science and math teachers spent August 1st preparing for their 2012-13 MESA (Math, Engineering, Science, Achievement) programs. As part of the retreat, they collaborated to build a 30′ long chain reaction, previewed the new Prosthetic Arm Challenge Activity, and participated in a variety of other hands-on engineering activities. Big thanks to everyone that attended, with a special nod to Larry Lim, Ben Louie, & Craig Sipes.
Department of Education Conference
NASA, LAUSD’s Beyond the Bell, & T4T were showcased at this year’s national convention for The U.S. Department of Education, in New Orleans. “Gateway to the Future: Supporting the Next Generation of Learners in 21st CCLC Programs,” featured 100 of the nation’s most innovative ideas for activities & technical assistance for managing after school programming. Administrators and Teachers participated in a hands-on breakout session, where they explored the “Lunar Buggy Module” from the NASA B.E.S.T. (Beginning Engineering Science and Technology) curriculum with T4T materials organized in one of our resource carts.
Re-Imagine the Future: Community Roundtable
Republic Services & T4T are in the business of strengthening our communities, and June 21st 2012 they invited stakeholders from all across LA to join the education and sustainability revolution. Special guest Sasha Strauss, managing director of Innovation Protocol presented inspiring models for collaboration and moderated a question & answer session. Guests toured T4T, networked, and rolled up their sleeves and invented their own “Ultimate Recycling Machine,” that the next day was featured on Channel 4 news.
Education Partners included: Hawthorne School District, LA Unified School District, Hermosa Beach School District. Higher Education Partners included: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Business partners included: Boeing, Northrop Gruman, Space-X, LA Dodgers, and many more. Special Thanks to Hawthorne’s GREEN Team!
SEE PHOTOS & VIDEO
NBC Channel 4 News
July 2nd of 2012 NBC News reporter Lolita Lopez visited Trash for Teaching to report on our programs and community impact.
“Steve and Kathy Stanton started Trash for Teaching in 2004 using the couple’s own garbage as inspiration.”
By Lolita Lopez (NBC NEWS)
Physics teacher Craig Sipes collects trash to build projects with his students, and he recently created the “ultimate recycle machine” from materials found at a warehouse in Gardena” It holds dozens of bins with “thingamajigs,” cardboard, plastic containers, wood, fabric, even foam “number one” fingers…READ MORE AND WATCH VIDEO
Reduce, Reuse, Re-imagine, Re-engineer: Village School May 2012
As an end of the year science & engineering challenge, 5th graders from the Village School in the Pacific Palisades designed and built lunar buggies and landing pods with T4T materials and performance criteria from NASA’s Beginning Engineering Science and Technology (B.E.S.T.). Science Specialist Joseph Rose re-imagined the parking garage as a design laboratory, and students re-imagined what local businesses called “trash” as the building blocks of creativity, invention, and engineering.
SEE PHOTOS
Para Los Ninos (Inquiry Based Approach to Hands on Learning May 2012)
Para los Ninos (PLN) is at the forefront of project based learning, from early childhood care through elementary school. Teachers view their role as researcher and facilitator, and use in-depth long-term investigations to explore the big ideas behind Content Standards. In the process, teachers and students weave together Science, Math, Social Studies, Art, & Language Arts in the most dynamic & engaging examples of learning we have ever been exposed to. For the 2011-2012 school year, 6,000 lbs. of T4T materials stoked PLN’s engines of exploration and critical thinking, inspiring over 1,100 students.
Broadcom MASTERS 2012 at Intel ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair) Pittsburgh, PA 2012
Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars) inspires middle school age scientists, engineers and innovators through a competition that rewards independent research, scientific inquiry, hands-on learning and teamwork. The finalists are invited to attend Intel ISEF and a host of events. The grand finale this year was a 4 hour culminating invention challenge with 2,000 lbs. of T4T materials. Working in teams, 150 students from all over the world designed and built the most fantastic engineering devices that ultimately recycled bottles and cans into recycling bins. Huge thanks to Paula Golden, Stephanie Lemnios, the Society for Science & the Public (SSP), and Republic Services.
SEE PHOTOS
Hawthorne School District Administrators engineer new ways to think about S.T.E.M. education
T4T had the pleasure of hosting Principals and Assistant Principals from Hawthorne School District’s Elementary Schools and Middle School STEM Academy. We transformed our workshop space into a hands-on engineering run-way, with 16 foot long chain reactions culminating in whimsical collisions and cans being recycled into “blue bins.”
And this was just the beginning…
Republic Services, T4T and Hawthorne”s Bud Carson STEM Academy are in the process of planning multiple school based environmentally themed engineering days that will be launched during the 2012-2013 school year.
Hermosa Beach Art Walk 2012
Families from all over the South Bay converged at the Hermosa Beach Art Walk. Republic Services and T4T re-imagined recycling with three interactive experiences.
“What Goes Where” was a sorting race, with all ages competing against the clock to figure out with types of materials could be recycled, which were considered trash & what was household hazardous waste. “Inventing the Ultimate Recycling Machine” was a design-build challenge to transport cans and bottles into blue bins through a crazy creative contraption. The results were amazing, with zip lines, catapults, sling shots and towers of tubes sending recyclables and inspiration across the lawn and home with all that participated. Artist and Art Facilitator Teresa Tolliver hosted “Art in Action”, a table where kids created imaginative and functional vehicles with T4T materials.
A huge thanks goes to Hawthorne’s GREEN Team, the most passionate and inspiring high school students we know!
SEE PHOTOS
Lawndale Recycle Rewards Party
April 21st 2012 was a memorable day for Lawndale residents from the 14800 Block of Firmona. To recognize their superior recycling set-out rate, these residents were awarded a Recycling Rewards Block Party, sponsored by the City of Lawndale, Consolidated Disposal Services (A Republic Services Company), and HF&H Consultants. Tips on reducing trash rates were transformed into 2 large scale T4T experiences, thanks to students from Hawthorne’s GREEN Team. “What Goes Where” was a sorting race, with all ages competed against the clock to figure out which types of materials could be recycled, which were considered trash, household hazardous, and green waste. “Inventing the Ultimate Recycling Machine” was a design-build challenge to transport cans and bottles into blue bins, through a crazy creative contraption.
SEE PHOTOS
The California Science Center & T4T: a full spectrum of collaborations
The California Science Center recently discovered T4T, and we couldn’t be more excited. T4T is now providing materials, partnering to develop hands-on science experiences for public events, and professional development. In collaboration with Lisa Shaeffer (education consultant) and Linea Paul (UCLA Lab School), T4T recently participated in “The Brain and Learning: A Science Symposium for Educators.” Thanks to all the teachers that joined our workshops and a special thanks to Crystal Stairs for their support.
The Pegasus School: Earth Day Re-Engineered
Collaborating in teams, our young inventors learned environmental awareness and the engineering design process through a hands-on discovery experience. (click on thumbnails below to see PHOTOS)
K-3rd grade: Students were challenged to design and build a 15’ long “Chain Reaction” that culminated with a ringing of a bell, with as many steps (“energy transfers”) along the way as possible.
4th-8th grade: Students were challenged to build Lunar Buggies to a set of given design constraints, based on the NASA Beginning Engineering Science & Technology curriculum.
NASA B.E.S.T. (Beginning Engineering Science & Technology) Launches
Re-Use, Re-Think, Material Management System is the collaborative result of efforts by NASA’s education specialists, T4T, and Los Angeles Unified School District’s Beyond the Bell program. Collectively, we have designed mobile resource stations with a wide variety of inspiring open-ended materials and tools to support NASA’s B.E.S.T curriculum. We are currently testing R2M2S carts in Elementary and Middle schools in both classrooms and after school settings.
SEE PHOTOS from LAUSD’s BEYOND the BELL Facilitator Training
