Experiential Learning at SSFS

One of the many reasons why Sandy Spring Friends School is such an exceptional place: On an unscheduled, 1-hour campus walkabout on a Wednesday morning in February, there were instances of curious, engaged students participating in hands-on learning activities around every corner.

Preschool: Students were doing "Valentines Science," experimenting with melting ice with salt, mixing colors, and sorting valentines manipulates to strengthen fine motor skills. After examining the salt and water from the melted ice, they compared this mixture to a vinegar and baking soda mixture - expressing surprise and wonder when adding the vinegar to the baking soda created bubbles and fizzy sounds!

Lower School: 5th graders celebrated "World Read-Aloud Day" by visiting preschool and LS classrooms to read a book to younger students. Zak kept Beth's preschool students enthralled with a reading of "Amy Wu and the Lantern Festival."

Middle School: MS Science students were working on visual presentations for their recent study of the stratosphere; their projects are now displayed in the MS's Smith Collection Space for everyone in the Middle School to view.

Upper School: Michael T.'s AP Environmental Science students were outside measuring the circumference of various trees on campus as part of their study on the "value of a tree." Measuring a tree's height and circumference, along with the tree type, provides the data needed to determine the amount of carbon that a tree has sequestered, the volume of stormwater runoff it can capture, and the amount of several air pollutants that  cause direct harm to human health it can capture. These measurements enable students to calculate direct dollar value estimates of the erosion control and reduced long term healthcare costs as well as to determine carbon offsets provided by trees on our campus.