Media Relations

Winter Super Saturdays Kicks Off with New Features

Date: Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

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Sunshine and smiles kicked off The Center for Gifted Studies' Winter Super Saturdays January 28 at Western Kentucky University and the Louisville Science Center. More than 440 students in first through eighth grades explored topics ranging from the art of King Arthur, to the twists of mystery theater, to the boundaries of bridge building, the limitless possibilities of LEGO Robotics, and much more. All 32 classes offered students a unique experience highlighting a hands-on, minds-on approach to learning under the thoughtful guidance of experienced teachers and in the company of enthusiastic, like-minded peers.

Classes will continue the next three Saturdays and conclude with a special "Aiming Sky High" balloon release in celebration of Gifted Education week in Kentucky. Immediately following the end of class on February 18, parents, students and teachers are invited to join us at Gary Ransdell Hall, where students will write their greatest, sky's-the-limit ambitions on balloons and, together, send them upwards. We hope they will remember this as a moment of encouragement and inspiration for years to come.

 In the meantime, we hope everyone will visit our Facebook page, where we are posting new Super Saturdays photos each week. Currently we've uploaded four albums full of excitement:

• Laura Beth Hayes' “The World of Eric Carle:” First and second graders respond to the work of famed children's author Eric Carle through songs and art projects.
• Ashley Atkerson Murphy's "Physics of Sound: Building Musical Instruments:" One person's maintenance supplies are another person's musical instruments in this class. Students use hardware supplies and household materials to build tuned musical instruments.
• Holly Milam-Bush's "Recipe for Disaster:" Students engage in a lesson filled with fun, flour, and fractions in this course for second and third graders. They learn the importance of math in everyday life by using it to create (nonbaking) culinary masterpieces.
• Nita Cole's "Inquiring Minds Want to Know…:" Inquiring mind get to know each other during a first-day activity involving a ball of sting and a group of big personalities. Students then begin exploring uses of the scientific method, practicing making sensory observations, and conducting real laboratory experiments.

Along with these and other photo albums, we will post information from our parent seminars — which take place from 1:00-2:30 p.m. each Super Saturday in Gary Ransdell Hall room 2064 — on our website. This past Saturday, Dr. Julia Link Roberts, executive director of The Center for Gifted Studies and Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, gave an "Opportunities Galore" presentation exploring the possibilities open to gifted students through The Center and the Gatton Academy. See Dr. Roberts’ presentation here and feel free to join us next Saturday.

We look forward to sharing our Super Saturdays resources and memories with you online this year!