I’m also a teacher at an after school program at Sequoia Elementary School in Oakland.  It’s been my second year with this organization and I really love it.  The staff is great, kids are great, and it’s fun to make cool stuff with kids.  I kind of take that back, the kids aren’t always great, but most of the time, they’re really cool.  (It’s all part of being a kid)

Still, I really enjoy teaching at this school, and I really appreciate the community that I’m able to be part of.

(more after the jump…)

For this project, I decided to do a unit on cars and the environment.  We’d talk about the effect cars have on our environment, alternative ways to get around, then have the students make their own cars out of milk boxes.  At first, the project was designed for the kids to make balloon powered cars, but after testing, the cars didn’t really move, so I had to change plans.  We ended up weighing the cars with more paper, and rolled them down a ramp.

Hot Rods.

D.’s ready to race.

Wings?  Spoilers?  I’m not sure if this design is street-legal.  But super cool!

F.’s “Cute Car”

A.’s ready to send the fat-free milk box down to the finish line!

The kids designed and decorated their cars with their scrap paper, then we constructed the axles and wheels out of old straws and bottle caps.  Some of the designed turned out really cool.

Then, in conjunction with one of the top 5 sporting events in the world, we made a bracket, and raced, March Madness style.

Ready?

Set?

Go!

Fly!!! ( Check out D. on the left!!! ) The Cute Car wins!!!

Check out more Eco Car and Eco Art action.