Where Curiosity Comes to Life: Hands-On Science in Lower School at Saddle River Day + OPEN HOUSE April 17th

In most elementary schools, the science curriculum is limited to instruction and experiments that can be performed in the students’ primary classroom. The Lower School at Saddle River Day School is not like most elementary schools.

One of the great features of the Lower School at Saddle River Day School is a dedicated science classroom and lab, one in which the science teachers have the space and the freedom to devise instructional units and experiments that include scientific exploration and inquiry, and teach students how to think like a scientist by using the scientific method to test their hypotheses and document their results. 

Commonly referred to as “Hands On Science” at Saddle River Day School, the Lower School science program prepares students for the rigorous science curriculum students will encounter in the SRDS Middle and Upper Schools and lays the groundwork for them to pursue STEM studies even into college and beyond. In a typical year at SRDS, students will engage in units covering Earth Science, Physics, Chemistry, and Life Science. 

The youngest learners are encouraged to try simple experiments and describe their observations, building a strong foundation for scholarship. Kindergartners engage in a unit on floating and sinking, after which they construct their own boat that is intended to stay afloat, move through the water, and carry a load. First graders study the weather, creating weather kits, recording the weather and then building model dog houses with materials that will withstand temperature and weather fluctuations. 

According to Lower School Science teacher, Wendy Rhoads, giving students the opportunity to design and build their own flashlights is one of the highlights of the 3^rd grade science curriculum. Students learn about electrical circuits, then are given the opportunity to specify the features they would like their flashlight to have, and then pick the items they want to use in its construction. The culmination of this project is a trip to the Thomas Edison museum where each student presents their flashlight, along with their vision and rationale, to the museum staff.

By the 4^th grade, when students learn about food chemistry and digestion, they are performing experiments in which they are challenged to use their acquired knowledge to identify nutrients in mystery foods. 4^th grade students can also write their own lab reports, identify scientific questions that interest them, then set up their own experiments, and participate in design challenges to try and answer these questions. Along the way, they learn about structuring their research and how claims are made and supported, the proper use of lab tools, how to meticulously document their data, then sort through that data for proof, and finally, how to concisely articulate their results. Sometimes they arrive at an answer, but more often than not, their initial question leads to others, which in and of itself is an authentic scientific experience. 

The science teachers in the Lower School at SRDS also take ubiquitous – but also wondrous – experiments like hatching butterflies and add an extra learning component to it. Which is why at SRDS, monarch butterflies are tagged with an identifying sticker after they’ve hatched so researchers around the world will know more about the migration patterns of these beautiful creatures. Participating in this Monarch Watch program instills the values of being a citizen scientist into our students, fulfilling the SRDS mission to be “caring and ethical contributors to society.” 

To this end, Ms. Rhoads also runs a program called the Super Science Team in which 3^rd and 4^th graders who have been selected on the basis of an essay they wrote, spend six weeks, one day a week after school, building science kits that are then provided to children who are receiving in-patient treatment at Sloan-Kettering. Thus far, the Super Science Team has donated about 150 self-contained kits with six different themes to the hospital. These kits include an instructional video, demonstrated by team members, and recorded by Upper School volunteers. These kits are flexible enough to be used in a child’s room with the assistance of a nurse or parent, but can also be used in a group setting for patients whose health is less fragile. 

Wendy Rhoads and her colleagues in the science department at Saddle River Day School know that everyone – child and adult alike – learns better by doing. They also know that if we want our kids to have a passion for understanding and learning about science, we need to make sure they are interested, enthusiastic, and eager. They know that when students can apply their classroom learning to real life, they’re more likely to want to know more. The SRDS Lower School Hands On philosophy achieves these objectives, nurturing curiosity, creativity, and discovery in every student, every day. 

VISIT SADDLE RIVER DAY SCHOOL

Lower School Information Session and Tour

Grades PreK 4 - Grade 4

Friday April 17th, 9:00am

Grades 9-12 Information Session and Tour - Tuesday, April 14 at 4:00 pm

Grades 5-8 Information Session and Tour - Tuesday, April 21 at 4:00 pm

*Limited space for fall

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR EVENTS

Now is the right time to invest in your child's education. At SRDS we teach students how to think and not what to think, and we prepare students to be innovators, thinkers, and leaders.

To register for an event, please email or call Kris Sweeny in the Office of Admissions ksweeny@saddleriverday.org or (201) 327-4050.

Saddle River Day School

Pre-K3 to Grade 12

147 Chestnut Ridge Road  •  Saddle River, NJ 07458  •  Tel: 201.327.4050

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About Saddle River Day School

Established in 1957, Saddle River Day School is a Pre-K3 through grade 12, co-ed, independent school serving just under 600 students. The school provides a robust curriculum and inspires students to achieve academic and personal excellence by teaching them how to think and not what to think. Each division (Lower PreK3-4th; Middle 5th-8th; Upper 9th-12th) offers a signature yearlong research program.

Saddle River Day also offers 30+ advanced placement and honors level courses, a full range of visual and performing arts as well as interscholastic athletics (grades 6th-12th), and highly individualized college counseling to encourage students to discover their passions and prepare them for whatever comes next. SRDS graduates are thriving at colleges like Duke, Columbia, Cornell, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Northwestern, Villanova and Wake Forest.

For more information about the project or Saddle River Day School, please visit saddleriverday.org.