Revel Recap: March 10 - 14, 2025
Spark Studio
Mindfulness
The Sparks started their week by practicing their superpower - listening. We played a game where they sat in a circle with their eyes closed and tried to identify a sound that was being played. This activity allowed the Sparks to embrace their listening skills and recognize that it helps with concentration. On Tuesday, we played music with the Boomwhackers. For some, it was their first time using the Boomwhackers, so we reviewed the rules before playing. The Sparks started by practicing making the sounds one by one before their follow-along videos. The Sparks even got to play some Moana songs! The Sparks woke up their bodies on Wednesday by playing Plants vs Animals. Two learners were the taggers; if they caught you, you would turn into either an animal or a plant. The Sparks emptied their tanks during this game and worked on their endurance. Way to go, Sparks! On Thursday, the Sparks enjoyed a martial arts movement with a Wild Kratt's theme. We ended the week with a basketball-inspired workout. The exercises help build the muscles and strength needed to jump high! Then, we read the book Gratitude is My Superpower and completed an entry in our journals.
Launch
On Monday, we launched the studio's new daily goals. Your learner is hard at work working on their printing and reading skills. From reading Bob Books, working on reading drawers, sorting alphabet sound tubs, and reading from their UFLI booklets, lots of reading is happening! Three days this week, our launches focused on March Mammal Madness as it's in full swing. On Tuesday, we watched the Wild Card battle, where the Flying Northern Squirrel beat the Flying Frog! We met with the whole school on Thursday and Friday to watch Round 1, The Only Ones and the Roots and Relicts Combatants. We have been enjoying watching the battles and seeing how our picks do! The Sparks were excited to learn we have collected ten points so far!
Quest
This week, the Sparks went on an exciting quest to explore the fascinating powers of animals! We started by discussing animals' incredible abilities, like cheetahs running fast or how chameleons change their colours to blend in. To fuel our curiosity, we read a book packed with amazing facts about animal powers, which inspired the Sparks for their own research projects. Next, the Sparks were divided into small groups and tasked with researching a specific animal and its special powers. Each group created a poster with a drawing of their animal and its unique abilities. They were asked to answer key questions: Which animal group does it belong to, and what are its creature powers? Once completed, each group presented their findings to the rest of the studio, showcasing their creativity and knowledge. On the following day, the Sparks teamed up with a partner to design their own super creature! They created a brand-new animal, complete with its own set of powers and characteristics. Seeing their imagination at work was incredible as they shared their creations with the studio, showing off their "super creatures" and explaining their unique abilities. The next day, we shifted our focus to strength and the power of teamwork in the animal kingdom. We learned about pack animals. These are creatures that work together to carry heavy loads or accomplish difficult tasks. Using toy animals, the Sparks investigated which pack animals, such as elephants, llamas, horses, and donkeys, could carry the most weight and for how long. After a fun activity where we put the animals in order from the heaviest to the lightest load, the Sparks discovered that while elephants can carry the heaviest weight, donkeys and bulls can travel the longest distances with their loads. We also watched a fascinating video of yaks, which help carry supplies on Mount Everest! To wrap up the lesson, each Spark chose their favourite pack animal and completed an activity where they wrote about what the animal would carry for them, the animal's habitat, how much weight it could carry, and how long it could carry that load. Many Sparks said their animals would carry their toys and treats, but don't worry, some learners were carrying flashlights, tents, food and water!
Lastly, we dove into the superpower of animal senses! We watched an episode of Wild Kratts called "Skunked," where the Kratt brothers explored the amazing sense of smell in animals. Inspired by the show, the Sparks went on an exciting scavenger hunt around Revel. Paired up, they used their clues to find the animal and its food they could sense the best. They encountered animals like bears, sharks, and dogs, testing their scent detection skills like real-life animals.
Art/Sensory
This week, the Sparks were very excited to make their own animal masks! After seeing some images for inspiration, the Sparks got to work using paint, pipe cleaner, cardboard, paper cups, and more to create their favourite animals. We had tigers, unicorns, cats, dogs and foxes. The Sparks are very excited to share these at Exhibition!
French
This week, we read the book Misse, Mousse et Massimo - La rencontre by Marie-Claude Audet to learn how to introduce ourselves in French and practice basic questions to get to know each other. On Thursday, we played a game of "Je suis, tu es" in the gym to begin learning the French verb Être.
Math Lab
Group One has been working on mastering their recognition of numbers and their associated quantities. This group has a strong understanding of the numbers 0-20. This week, we focused on numbers beyond. We counted to 100 as a group and practiced writing the numerals 1-50.
Group Two continues to practice telling time on an analog clock. From telling time to the hour to half hour, they continue to practice and work as partners to challenge each other. Throughout the day, the Guides will also randomly ask a learner to tell them the time in the studio to practice this skill. Throughout their work periods, they have been working on their Singapore Math Books, where they make number bonds, measure, and subtract.
Geography
To warm up for Geography, the Sparks read a book with silly-faced animals. They then gave their best impression of each animal! Next, the Sparks took a journey to the continent of Asia this week. We read pages from our World Atlas book by Nick Crane. We fast-forwarded to East Asia, where it explained that they have hot, wet summers and dry, cold winters. The animals that you may come across are Komodo dragons, tree kangaroos and orangutans. As they continued their readings they hopped into East Asia where they explored pandas and golden monkeys. Then, off they went to North Asia and learned about the snow crane and Siberian tiger. Lastly, they ended up in South Asia, where Mt. Everest is located, along with the Bengal tigers and one-horned rhinoceros. To end the lesson, we worked together to complete questions to match which animal lives in which environment. Lastly, they drew a picture of one of the animals we learned about in their environments!
Additional Highlights
We are so happy to welcome Mystery Readers once again this week! It was a week filled with new books, laughter, and lots of learning. The Sparks enjoyed the stories and were especially excited to have guest readers share their favourite books with the class.
To get ready for St. Patrick's Day on Monday, the Sparks read the story How to Catch a Leprechaun. It was a fun, imaginative tale that had everyone thinking about how they would catch a leprechaun if they had the chance! Little did they know later that day that they got to build their own traps to take home. We can't wait to hear if anyone catches a leprechaun this weekend.
This week, we also celebrated Pi Day, a special day all about the mathematical constant π. To make it extra fun, the Sparks had delicious pie to celebrate! For some of our learners, it was their very first time trying pie, and the excitement was contagious. Many Sparks thought it was truly a day to just eat pie, so we had to explain to them the meaning behind pi. They listened to a catchy song and listened to a very detailed video exploring pi (3.14). The Sparks were asked what the number was and even remembered that the number goes on and on.
For Show and Share, many learners made wonderful posters with their families to share with the Sparks and Guides. Their posters focused on an animal of their choice and shared facts about it. We learned about betta fish, harp seals, sabre tooth tigers, chickens, kangaroos, turtles, monkeys, and more. Way to go, Sparks!
Lastly, on Friday, we have a special Exploration learner join our studio and play games with the Sparks. This learner brought the Sparks to the gym this week and played three games: Four Corners, Pizza, and Octopus!
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness and Launch
Monday morning, we played our mindful discussion game, "How's The Water?" Rebels shared what they felt their spirit animal would be if they had one, a time when they felt left out and whether or not they thought our group would survive stranded together on a desert island. Two Rebels then led a Launch all about Gentoo Penguins! We learned about their mating habits, swimming skills, and habitat. On Tuesday, we started the day by drawing a leprechaun potato. Yes, that wasn't a typo. For Launch, we received the results of the March Mammal Madness Wild Card battle, where the Flying Northern Squirrel beat the Flying Frog! Wonder Wednesday brought another round of New York Times puzzles: Rebels solved the Wordle (it was mango) on their sixth and final guess, discovered two out of four Connections (things that are red and ingredients for a cake), and in only two and a half minutes they solved the Mini crossword. Nice work, Rebels! Thursday morning, we started our day with meditation, focusing on the basics of meditation. For Launch, the whole school got together to watch the Rundown of March Mammal Madness - Round 1, The Only Ones! After these initial battles, one of our Discovery Rebels is leading in points! For Feel-Good Friday, we warmed up the Boomwhackers and then played a lively version of "APT." We met once again with the whole school to get the Rundown on the first round of the Roots and Relicts combatants before heading into Current Events.
Math Lab
Aim and Release Rebels met in the lab on Monday to discuss the pros and cons of different payment methods. We figured out some differences between a debit card transaction and a credit card transaction: for example, you pay tax on both types, but with a credit card, you must pay interest on purchases if you don't pay off the balance right away. Rebels then worked on balancing a list of bank transactions, including paying for groceries, gas, and rent and receiving a paycheque. At one point, there was not enough money in their account to pay rent before payday. Around this, we had a great discussion about what would happen in real life, and the Rebels learned about banks charging insufficient fund fees and offering overdraft protection (for a fee).
On Wednesday with Draw and Anchor, Rebels worked through a series of challenges related to shopping at a clothing store. Before getting started, we discussed how to decide if you will need to add or subtract, as well as key things to know and remember when working with money amounts, including decimals. It was very interesting to see how they responded when one Rebel calculated a different amount than another, how they re-traced their steps, checked their thinking and tried to justify their solution to each other. From these important conversations, a deeper understanding of money amounts and transactions is developing!
Civilizations
This week in Civ, Rebels heard stories of the English in India. We mapped the edge of Aurangzeb's empire (India) and major cities like Delhi and Calcutta in relation to invaders from Persia. There were many different emperors after Aurangzeb died, and eventually, officials in India divided up the land and ruled it themselves. The Indian Empire was less united, becoming weaker and falling apart. The English were taking over more and more, establishing more and more trading posts. Rebels discussed the events of the story, in particular, whether or not they agreed that the English had a right to defend their trading posts in India and build fortresses.
French
This week, the Rebels continued their research on their French-speaking country. We also learned the names of the countries and their inhabitants (feminine and masculine) in French and played a game of Devine 60 PAYS sans VOYELLES en 3 secondes.
Quest
This week in Quest, we are sailing onto Identity Island. We started Quest, giving learners time to close their loops on Market Island and sail to Identity Island if they had completed what they needed. We started Identity Island by watching some creative advertisements. We had a great discussion about whether the Rebels would rather depend on word of mouth or invest in ads and appeal to everyone or just a small loyal group. Then, the Rebels had to read through some case studies about lemonade and pizza and decide which they would buy. On Tuesday, we watched some commercials of various lemonade companies and decided what the commercials were trying to tell us about their brand. The Rebels then learned about colour theory and chose colours to represent their brand. They also had the opportunity to design a logo. On Wednesday, we watched an inspiring video about how to create an attractive booth for their products. The Rebels had time to design how their booth would be laid out and create items for it. Thursday, we sailed to Unit Economics Island. We started Quest with a dog walker dilemma where we had to figure out how to handle a competing dog walker. The Rebels then were challenged to work on some money tasks. In the first, they were given $25 dollars to spend for their dinner, and they had to select their main dish, sides, drink, and dessert. They then calculated the cost of the meal and the money left over. The second task said their birthday was approaching, and they were gifted a $100 Amazon Gift Card. They used Amazon.ca to shop for items they wanted to buy and then add up the amount they used and how much was left on the gift card. Then they used our school money to show the money they had spent and what they had left.
Physical Development
For PE on Tuesday, we began discussing different options that the Rebels enjoy for indoor and outdoor gym. For indoor options, they brainstormed Dodgeball, Octopus, Hideout, Capture the Flag, Four Corners, Hungry Hippos, tag games, Just Dance and pool noodle hockey. They enjoy scavenger hunts, hide and seek, and competitive fort-building for outdoor options. Then, we headed to the gym to play Smog's Jewels, where a dragon is guarding their treasure in the middle of the gym, and the Rebels had to try to steal the treasure without being touched. We played a couple of versions where the learners decided on different ways to make it equally fair for the dragon and the thieves. Then we played Dodgeball. On Thursday, we played Zombie Tag, where a zombie would walk around a tag, Rebels, who then also became a zombie. We also had a doctor who could turn the zombies back into Rebels. We ended gym with a game of Octopus.
Reader/Writer
This week in Reader Writer, both groups finished writing their speeches, trying to make them as convincing as possible using ethos, pathos and logos. We also reviewed each type of convincing strategy.
Additional Highlights
To celebrate Pi Day, we celebrated with pie! The Rebels had a delicious choice between apple, blueberry, cherry, and pumpkin pie. YUM! Also, on Friday, the Rebels were challenged to create leprechaun traps.
Exploration Studio
Mindfulness and Launch
Our week began with a quiet but productive free-choice mindfulness session. Rebels chose to cross-stitch, embroider, work on puzzles, or colour. Afterward, we watched Britta Riley's TedTalk about growing her own food in her apartment. We learned about her process for growing plants in discarded plastic bottles, researching, testing and tweaking the system using social media, trying many variations at once and quickly arriving at the optimal system. Tuesday began with great renditions of "Crazy Train," "Wake Me Up," and "Eye of the Tiger" on the Boomwhackers for half of the Rebels while the other half went for a morning walk. That's right, it was finally time for March Mammal Madness to begin! On Tuesday, we read about the first match-up, the Wild Card round between the northern flying squirrel and the flying frog. We spent the first thirty minutes working on our cross-stitch or embroidery projects on Wednesday. The learners who weren't enjoying the craft chose to work instead on the two pi-related Problems of the Week. Thursday's yoga practice aimed to relax and stretch the neck and upper back body. Our flow started with some seated stretches, including simply bowing the head and noticing any tension. We then moved through some wall-supported pilates exercises like standing thoracic rotations. To close our session, we saluted the sun and ended in mountain pose. We then met as a full school to watch the recap of the Round One - Only Ones division of March Mammal Madness! Friday, we began our morning by completing the Wordle, Mini, Connections, and starting Strands before the full school once again gathered for the March Mammal Madness Round 1: Roots and Relicts recap. We had enough time remaining for a quick Current Events, where we talked about the swearing-in of Mark Carney as the Prime Minister and the Total Lunar Eclipse.
Reader/Writer
For Reader Writer this week, Exploration created their own About Me page on their portfolio. They had the option to use a template or create one independently. If complete, they moved on to their page, which was all about their portfolio work.
Math Lab
This week, the Rebels used tables of values and graphs to extend patterns in a pizza dough recipe. They worked in small teams to scale up the recipe's three main ingredients: flour, water, and olive oil. Many groups used strategies like doubling to easily solve what was needed for even numbered batches. In some cases, Rebels started putting words to the patterns they were finding, working towards a rule or equation they could apply to see what was required for any amount ofbatches. When Rebels graphed the patterns for flour, water and olive oil, we could observe the slope of the lines and predict what lines would look like for other ingredients compared to the multipliers we already knew. At the end of the lab, Rebels used GeoGebra, an online graphing calculator, to plot these equations and zoom out to see how the lines extend for many, many batches of pizza dough.
French
This week, the learners focused on writing their texts about an object. They worked on ensuring correct agreement by using "glasses" as a checking tool, verifying that verb tenses were in the past, and maintaining a first-person narrative using "I."
Civilizations
This week, we turned to the story of coal. Coal was used as early as 8000 BCE and has shaped civilization in a big way. As an energy resource, it literally fueled the Industrial Revolution, which began in 1760. Global dependence on coal continues to this day. Rebels listened to a brief history of coal before learning about how Eastern Kentucky and most of Appalachia had a thriving coal industry for over 100 years. We then listened to a documentary in coal country that interviewed people about how much Appalachia has changed with its decline. Once our research was complete, we discussed what we would do if we were the President of the United States in the 1800s when coal miners went on strike, demanding higher wages. We also pondered what decision we would make if we were the new U.S. Secretary of Energy at a time when concerns about climate change are intensifying. Would we continue to promote coal use with current technology, even if some say it will add to global warming, risk U.S. security by slowing coal production and relying more on oil imports from the Middle East, or shut down all coal production, even if a doubling of electricity process would hurt the poorest Americans the most?
Quest
This week was all about learning how to live more sustainably. On Monday, we learned how to propagate plants, planned what to put in our Garden Tower, planted seeds, and started a "Kitchen Scrap" garden! After discussing what plants need to thrive, we learned about our Garden Tower and how it uses a pump to water and give nutrients to all plants efficiently. The learners then got into groups to discuss whether we should eat, donate, or sell the produce we grew. Depending on what purpose they chose, they planned out how many of each plant they would need. While we made the final decisions regarding what to plant, Rebels took time to plant seeds in soil to grow other plants for selling, and truthfully, as experiments to see what would grow! Lastly, we learned about kitchen scrap gardening, which is the ultimate in recycling. It's environmentally friendly, can save on grocery bills, and it's a fun, hands-on science lesson! Learners were given several options to choose from, including lettuce, carrots, green onions, and avocado, and they had to research the best way to encourage re-growth. We learned that you get better results if you start with high-quality organic produce since some non-organic produce is actually treated to prevent sprouting. On Tuesday, one of our alums and the founder of SHIRTZILLAHHH came in to discuss how he came up with his business and how he sources his materials sustainably! The learners had many questions regarding his process, motivation, and experience with the Ottawa Children's Business Fair. With the remaining Quest time, Rebels learned about some basic sewing tools that we will be using for the remainder of the week. On Wednesday, we learned that buying new clothes was rationed in Britain from June 1941 until 1949 during the Second World War. We watched a newsreel trailer, made by the Ministry of Information in 1943, called 'Make Do and Mend', which was part of the Government's campaign urging people to repair, reuse and reimagine their existing clothes during the Second World War. We discussed that as we get older, it is helpful to know basic sewing techniques and tools in order to lengthen the life of our belongings, which saves money and is better for the environment. Armed with sewing needs, practice sheets, cloth, thread, a needle threader, and scissors, Rebels learned how to thread their needle and complete a running stitch, backstitch, and blanket stitch before also learning how to sew on a button. We continued this exercise on Thursday before learners picked between three extension projects where they could sew a pocket on a t-shirt, sew a stuffie, or turn an old t-shirt into a pillow. Next week, we will turn from sustainable living to sustainable entrepreneurship as Rebels develop their own businesses that will be open for business at our Exhibition and possibly at the Ottawa Children's Business Fair!
Apprenticeship Prep
This week in Apprenticeship Prep, learners had a catch-up period to complete their Top 10 lists and complete any unfinished challenges from earlier in the session.
Additional Highlights
On Friday, we celebrated Pi Day (March 14th = 3.14). Throughout the week, we reviewed the parts of a circle and how to calculate the circumference, diameter, radius, and area using different equations, completed two problems of the week, and competed in a Kahoot all about Pi. It was only fair that after all that hard and fun work, we ended the celebration with pie and ice cream!
Those who earned Fun Friday were also invited to build Leprechaun traps on Friday afternoon. We can't wait to hear if you catch one and what you wished for Rebels!
Launchpad Studio
Communication & Literature
After reviewing Act I and discussing their analysis, we read Act II of The Importance of Being Earnest aloud. Once again, we were all in a fit of laughter throughout the reading, and learners got even more into character as they acted out each role. Next week, we will gather to continue our work on themes, textual evidence, setting, and analysis before reading the final act.
AP Language and Composition
One learner completed Unit 9 by revising the previous rhetorical essay about one of Gandhi's letters and completing the synthesis essay on energy consumption in modern times. The course is quickly ending, and they are proud of the progress that they have made in their writing.
AP Literature and Composition
This week, they read and completed Heart of Darkness and wrote an essay discussing the contrast between the Thames and the Congo River and how the comparison between the two rivers upholds a somewhat racist attitude which typified turn-of-the-century attitudes about individuals (especially the Fang people) that lived along the Congo.
AP Biology
This week in Biology marked the start of the last unit before the final test, Unit 15: Immune Response. All types of organisms have mechanisms for fixing major disruptions to homeostasis caused by pathogens. This unit focuses on organismal response to infection and immune system dysfunction. Our learner completed the required reading and took a subsequent quiz on the different types of immune responses and how they work. There was also a discussion with classmates, addressing one of the central questions from units 11-15 with one of the provided means, including but not limited to a slideshow, poem, or concept map.
Archaeology
This week, one of our learners covered how zooarchaeologists believe humans first began eating meat by analyzing the teeth and cut marks on ancient bones. They have now completed three out of the four courses for this specialization!
Challenge and Change
A Launchpad learner began designing an ethnographic study this week in their Challenge and Change course run by R.I.S.E. They then began conducting a survey studying the question, "How does mobile phone usage in public settings impact face-to-face interactions?"
Model UN
With the Capital Model UN coming up this next weekend at the University of Ottawa, our learners reviewed their background guides, and one began preparing their Position Paper. To further prepare, some of them will attend an online pre-conference training for delegates to refine their skills before the conference. They will go over procedures and strategies to succeed and have a chance to ask questions.
Additional Highlights
What a week! From serving pie and ice cream to the other learners on Pi Day, running Civilization lessons in Discovery, and explaining the ins and outs of the Ottawa Children's Business Fair to Exploration Rebels, our Launchpad learners took time out of their busy schedules to help the community.
With the Exploration Rebels learning how to sew, a few of our Launchpad Rebels were inspired to create a project as well!
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask Your Rebel
Spark Studio
Can you share what a pack animal is?
Which creature power would you like to have if you were an animal?
How did you come up with the plan for your leprechaun trap?
Discovery Studio
How are you feeling about your Quest progress? What colours did you choose to represent your brand? Why?
Aim/Release Math Lab: Would you rather pay a small monthly fee for overdraft protection on your bank account or pay a larger fee for insufficient funds only if your account was ever charged without enough money in it? What are the pros and cons of each choice?
Draw/Anchor Math Lab: The brown loafers are $9.55 at the clothing store, and the sneakers are $45.98. How much more are the sneakers than the loafers?
What combatant did you choose to win March Mammal Madness?
Exploration Studio
If you had to choose, would you bet that better technology and innovation will lead to cleaner fossil fuel use in the future, or would having everyone live with less be the best way to protect the environment for future generations?
Math Lab: What is one of your favourite recipes? How could we double it?
Math Lab Challenge: Let's use GeoGebra to graph lines representing three of your recipe's key ingredients.
Learning new skills can be incredibly frustrating. What did you find to be the hardest part of sewing: threading the needle, tying a knot, the time it takes, the uncertainty you had of how to complete each stitch correctly, running out of thread mid-stitch, or something else?
Launchpad Studio
Many of Jack's decisions in Act 2 are affected by the presence of Cecily, with who he has a protective, father-like relationship. How does this develop his character more than Algernon?
What is your current favourite part of the day? Why? Is it routine or novel?
How is your Model UN preparation going? Do you feel like you will be ready for Friday?
Important Upcoming Dates
Discovery Journey Meetings (sign-up on BAND)
with Mel - Monday, March 17th - Friday, March 21st
with Amy - Monday, March 24th - Friday, March 28th
Exploration Field Trip to the Thrift Store - Wednesday, March 19th
Launchpad Model UN - Friday, March 21st - Sunday, March 23rd
The Zoo Crew Presentation for Sparks- Thursday, March 27th at 1:00 pm
Session 5 Exhibitions
Discovery Exhibition - Tuesday, April 1st at 4:15 pm
Spark Exhibition - Wednesday, April 2nd at 4:15 pm
Exploration Exhibition - Thursday, April 3rd at 4:15 pm
Sessional Break and Camp - Monday, April 7th - Friday, April 11th
Good Friday (No School) - Friday, April 18th
Easter Monday (No School) - Monday, April 21st