Another busy and fun year of learning comes to an end. Quest kids had some interesting insights into things they enjoyed about Quest this year when I asked the year 3-6's to fill in a survey. In their words...
- We learn something new every time we go to quest
- i love doing the brain work outs at the start and every thing we do
- the fact that we learn more about history and other things a lot more we do in class
- All the fun thing to do like :
The digestive system where we all got to be some type of body part
and the toilet paper planet mesmerising - the arts and crafts and all the secret learning that other people don't know about.
- getting a class that interests me
- Is that I can learn new things that I wouldn't in class.
- friends and learing new things
- it is a different type of learning at school basically science but you do it every monday so thats what i love
- That each week we learn about something diffrent
- That we always do something new and you make every activity fun and interactive and easy to understand as well! You also make it even better by making fun choices to do at the end!! And you have fun activity's/Games/Fidgets to play with too😀😜
- Challenging my brain
- we get to share ideas with each other and work together
- I get to stretch my brain and learn with people with a brain a little like me
- learning things outside the box of things we wouldn't learn in class.not being bored to death in class.stretching our brains.
- i always find it interesting and fascinating
- I learn more and more
Thanks to quest I'm interested in space I'm writing a book about kids visting a near by galaxy - i learn new things and i am challenged more
- I learn something new everytime i come
- i am grateful for every quest session
- i love the quest website
They also gave me constructive feedback on what I should stop doing at Quest...
- maybe can you please stop talking so much.
- Please stop getting sick because we miss half the lessons.
- NOTHING>>QUEST IS PERFECT JUST THE WAY IT IS!! 🤩
Some were concerned about missing things in class so I need to talk to teachers about this next year to ensure they are not missing anything important (I'm pretty flexible if there is something important going on, and can change the time of their Quest class if I know in advance).
Apart from that we have had a full year learning - focusing on one concept per term, with a different topic linked to that concept each week. We explore examples of how others learn, cope with mistakes, stretch their thinking, wonder, invent, create. So while we are learning we are also exposed to great life lessons and good conversation starters to try and figure out how we learn best.
TERM 1 CONCEPT - PROGRESS
- Learning from mistakes
- Transport
- Biomimicry (getting ideas from nature)
- Food
- Toilets (this seemed to be a favourite!)
- medicine
- buildings
- Communication
TERM 2 CONCEPT - PATTERN
- forensics
- architecture
- break the pattern
- coding / robotics
- animal pattern
TERM 3 CONCEPT - SPACE
- What's out there?
- Telescopes
- Rockets and astronauts
- terraforming
- Overcrowding
- rainforests
- personal space
- protected spaces - marine reserves
- designing spaces
TERM 4 CONCEPT - SYSTEMS
- Welcome to my brain!
- Body systems - digestion
- Circular economy
- Learning systems
And there were many other opportunities for our Quest learners this year too with our special guest speakers:
- Marine design
- customs officers
- army
- author
- fossil collector
- environmentalist / artist / photographer
- ocean explorer
PLUS other opportunities I coordinated for our year 5&6's:
- Auckland Writers Festival
- National Young Leaders Day
- EPro8 engineering competition
- Sustainability challenge
Whew! What a year! It is so much fun learning alongside your children. They teach me so much and I love seeing their enthusiasm about their subjects of interest.
Have a happy and relaxing Summer break. I look forward to what 2025 brings as I continue Quest with those at Whangaparaoa Primary, and I hope those who are moving on take up the opportunities that will no doubt be on offer at their next schools.
Debbie
