A Trebuchet Day!

What an amazing day this Monday was! We learned about one of the inventions that Leonardo Da Vinci modified- the trebuchet. Da Vinci, who was not actually a violent person at all,but was dedicated to protecting his country, Italy from it's enemies. He developed a trebuchet to attack and protect Italy from being invaded by neighboring countries. The trebuchet worked very much like a catapult, using counterweights to launch and sling objects from a basket. When the launcher was set loose,the counterweight would swing down and send the launching arm and whatever was in the basket flying through the air in an arc. Mr. Zawis built a model trebuchet for us to try out ourselves. We put our scientists hats on, and followed the steps of the scientific method as we launched various holiday objects to see how their weight would effect the distance that they flew. Not only did everyone do a fantastic job weighing, launching, and measuring, but also exemplified excellent teamwork throughout the process. I am so proud of each and every student involved!
Thank you all for your thoughtful gifts. I am so fortunate to work with these fantastic children and I am thrilled to see what 2008 brings for us. I wish you and your families a wonderful holiday.
Enjoy the slide show!

Da Vinci Trebuchet

Today in gifted,we did a really cool experiment called Da Vinci Trebuchet.
We got a marsh mellow, a choclate bell,a ordiment,and a pepper mint.
First, we would weight all of the objects.
Then, we would launch all the items in a Trebuchet and measure how far they flew. A Trebuchet is something that was used in the mid evil times.
Finally, we watched a video on two kids and what they did with a Trebuchet.
While Mrs.Phillips was there.
We all had alot of fun.

Written by, Abby and Alexis

Da Vinci

Today in gifted we learned about Da Vinci . We made our own version of the Mona Lisa which is Da Vinci's most famous painting . We gave our paintings a title written backwards . We drew the Mona Lisa step by step . One of the easiest ways to read backwards words is by holding it up to a mirror which we did to check our work . No one knows if the Mona Lisa is a male or Female . Another interesting thing is the Mona Lisa's mysterious smile . She blends in to the backround of the painting . And wherever you go she will be looking at you .

-Kyle and Jack