“My weather instrument measures air pressure,” said Pagosa Peak Open School (PPOS) kindergartner Silas.
With his coat on, and his kinder friends surrounding him, he was ready to head outside and put the instrument to the test.
The others were just as excited.
“Mine measures moisture.”
“Mine measures wind.”
This group of 5- and 6-year-olds are wrapping up their most recent project: a study of weather. Students not only learned weather terms, but also looked into how people are affected by weather, prepare for weather, and collect data.
PPOS is a tuition-free, district-approved K-8 charter school focused on implementing a project-based learning curriculum in a restorative practices environment. Field work is foundational to project-based learning. PPOS aims to foster academic excellence and support our students in contributing to an evolving world through community participation and civic engagement.
The PPOS kindergarteners visited a new radar system at the Durango-La Plata County Airport, named “Wilson,” where they were able to look at weather patterns and data across the world.
“The radar can also tell us where there are wildfires,” kindergartner Annessa said.
Students then visited the Emergency Operations Center in Durango, where they learned more about different types of precipitation and how the data collected is used in our area, as well as across the world.
“It is so wonderful to watch my students’ confidence grow as they learn in the community,” Kindergarten Advisor Maggie Saunders said.
After gathering information about weather and building their background knowledge, the students determined which tools people use to track weather. Students decided which elements of weather they would like to measure and designed their own tools.
The kindergarten celebrated the end of their weather project by acting out their own weather-based story for PPOS families.
Through storytelling and small-group work, kindergartners learn not only science standards relating to the environment, but also learn how to work together.
To learn more about PPOS, visit pagosapeakopenschool.org.
Emily Murphy is School Director at Pagosa Peak Open School, the first District-authorized charter school in Archuleta County. Prior to her appointment as School Director, Emily filled various roles at PPOS including Project-Based Learning advisor, instructional coach, and assistant director.