What a fun-filled, first week back it has been! The heroes kicked off the Game Maker Quest, explored games and welcomed their dad at Donuts with Dads. On Monday, the heroes stepped into the shoes of being a game maker. Through hands-on games (new and old), solving pre-algebra equations and having discussions, the heroes have deepened their understanding of probability and pushed one another to think creatively as a Game Maker.

On Wednesday, the dads visited the studio and took part in the launch. It was evident both the dads and the heroes all prefer to win rather than lose. It will be interesting to see if these heroes will develop a video game that their dad can or cannot conquer. The dads also watched their hero set academic goals for the day using Journey Tracker.

Check out the heroes setting daily goals during Donuts with Dads.

Not only will the hero’s design a video game, they also get to create an offline game on their own or with a partner(s). The Elementary Studio has new games in the making that will be revealed at the Game Expo Exhibition on Thursday, December 13. In Writer’s Workshop, they are using a Game Maker Guide to help them brainstorm the:

1. purpose of their game.
2. age range.
3. number of players.
4. skills required.
5. game supplies needed.
6. theme and/or storyline.
7. rules of the game.
8. goal of the game.

Civilization this quest is full of excitement. Each hero is researching a country’s Christmas traditions and presenting that information using a slideshow. On the last civilization block of this quest, they are going to share what they have discovered. They will earn the first-ever Civilization Badge in ES if they met all the requirements!

Have you asked your hero:

1. How the “smoke” and “fire” game was?
2. What the Bible Verse is for this quest?
3. Who their Secret Santa hero is?
4. What games they have played in the PLAY Lab?
5. What the most challenging and rewarding part of the quest was so far?
6. What country they are researching about Christmas traditions?
7. Who their ELS Buddy is, and what did they do together?
8. How they open in prayer on Fridays?

ELS Buddies – Game Making Together

This past Thursday, the heroes took their jobs seriously as they transformed Journey into a polling site for the Election Exhibition. Your voice was heard. After tallying 81 ballots, Squad Leaders are in place for the upcoming quest and proposals have been (or will soon be) implemented. You voted and Sadie was elected as the Squad Leader. She appointed two other heroes who were all sworn into their role. Proposal 1, Chairs at the Launch Pad, and Proposal 2, Mini Brain Breaks during Core Skills, passed. There was some disappointment from many heroes that Proposal 3, Gum at the Launch Pad, did not pass.

Voters checking in at the poll.

Making your voice count.

Heroes sharing what they learned about governments around the world, the U.S. Government, and History of Voting Rights.

This quest was full of many hero talks, which provided rich wisdom to us all at Journey. This past week, Ada’s County Clerk shared her role in preparing for the November 6 election, as well as the responsibility she has following the election. We also had Mr. DeVos visit and share his experiences in life, business and politics. He spoke great wisdom to the Squad Leader Candidates to not hold things too tightly in life, and to remember God’s plan is greater than our own plan. Great words of wisdom!

Hero Talks from our last week of the quest. Thank you, Jackie Smith and Mr. DeVos, for sharing your journey and calling in life.

What an incredible honor it was to watch the ES heroes display such courage and perseverance throughout the Government / Election Quest. During Friday’s 360 Reviews, here were some of the reflections they wrote:

• I never really knew or cared much about government. Now I know a lot more about our government and other governments around the world.
• Living under a dictator is terrible.
• A democracy is the best!
• Serving in the government is really hard.
• I was surprised about what I was capable of doing.

Have you asked your hero:

1. What was the most challenging and rewarding part of this quest?
2. What the Bible Verse was for this quest?
3. What they sat on at the Launch Pad on Friday?
4. What they are thankful for?

Throughout the Government Quest, the ELS heroes inspired each other to become leaders. When they were campaigning for government positions, they focused on their actions and plans to help the citizens. Each candidate demonstrated high standards they set for themselves without the need to put down their opponents. They did not just talk about problems, they thought about solutions to the problems and made laws to solve the problems. Collaboration enabled the heroes to empower one another creating more leaders rather than followers.

During their Socratic discussions, the heroes reflected on different ways to lead with empathy.  They helped one another understand how their actions affect others. They shared about times they may have felt strong emotions like anger or frustration and the strategies that helped them control their emotions.They also learned the importance of “putting yourself in someone’s shoes” to help others when they have strong emotions.

As the heroes planned their Quest Exhibition,  they talked about  their ideas on how to share with their families all that they have learned throughout their United States Government Quest. They wanted to represent each branch of the government so they tried to figure out how many heroes could be in each branch. Some heroes had to convince the others that they really wanted to be a representative even when there were more representatives than the other branches. The representatives insisted that they really wanted to make laws. So the others agreed that it was okay to have more representatives than the other branches. The heroes also wanted to have name tags so that people would know their government position. Several heroes looked through books to figure out what they should wear for the exhibition. The Executive branch also wanted to set up their table just like the Cabinet Room at the Gerald R. Ford Museum and the pictures from books they read, with tea cup settings and placemats. Many of the heroes suggested more and more ideas to their Exhibition presentations to make it the best they could. As a result, their families were so blessed to see them take on the roles of government officials during the exhibition and apply what they have learned to their learning environment through their leadership responsibilities.

The UCC government was very thankful to parents and ES Buddies who introduced bills to the legislative branch that became laws. The UCC citizens enjoyed their Fun Friday wearing their PJs to the Ice Cream Party!

After the Exhibition the heroes reflected on the entire Government Quest. They completed a Quest Survey and gave five stars to the Socratic discussions, project time activities, field trip, hero talk, and the exhibition. The heroes also reflected on how they learned about things that they were curious about before the quest. Most of them glowed with pride as they recounted all they have learned throughout the quest. They truly believed that each of them had a leadership role to play in their studio and have the power to help the citizens of UCC by creating the best learning environment for everyone.

Week 5: November 12-16, 2018

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Bible verse Launch	2 Thessalonians 3:8 We worked night and day Never give up Think of time you never gave up. How did you face your fears?	2 Thessalonians 3:9 …to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. Who would you like to imitate?	2 Thessalonians 3:13 Never tire of doing what is good Think of time you felt tired of doing good. What helped you persevere and have grit? Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier	2 Thessalonians 3:15 Do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer Would you tell an adult when others make sad choices or help them  make better choices yourself?	2 Thessalonians 3:16 May the Lord of peace give you peace at all time and in every way What gives you peace? Still by Hillsong
Relaunch Leading with Empathy Class Dojo	How does your actions affect how others feel?	Share about a time you had strong emotions and got trapped in “The Maze?”	How will you control your emotions and escape “The Maze?”	Think of a time you put yourself in someone else’s shoes.	Why is empathy important?
Project time	Government officials Congress	Government branch signs for exhibition Inside the White House	Exhibition preparations UCC flags Exhibition for ES Buddies	Government Quest Reflection Quest Survey Hero Feedback	Vote for squad leaders for next session Quest planning for next session
Close Becoming good citizens	Do good citizens always walk away from conflict? Town hall meeting Yelling Storybots ROE	How did you set a good example for others? How can you set a good example  when someone is unkind to you?	How do you glorify God with all  your work?	How will you apply what you have learned to your life? Hero bucks for ice cream party PJ Fun Friday	Character call out for Simon How do we show respect when we are at a birthday party? What are your strategies to have self-control when you get really excited?

Throughout the first week of the US Government Quest, the Early Learners have been discussing and debating the best way to govern themselves in their studio by studying different governments around the world. Monarchy seemed to them a wonderful option at first, since they all loved the idea of being a king and a queen, as they made their crowns and castles. But as they learned more about what a Monarchy truly entailed, with only one king and one queen, and of which could only be the heir of the existing king, they realized their chances to be royalty was slim to none. Thus there was quite a mayhem that aroused amongst the ladies of the court as to who was to marry Prince Simon. So they decided that Monarchy may not be the best way to govern themselves.

Another form of government they learned about was a Dictatorship, which no one even considered once they found out what a dictator does. No one was even interested to play the role of a dictator despite the promise of absolute power over all  the other heroes. They were all simply appalled at the idea that a dictator would not let people worship God and to force them to worship him instead. Many heroes boldly declared that they would try to stop a dictator from being so mean, even at the expense of losing their freedom. When they were reading a book about Dictatorship, they lingered on a page showing prisoners in jail who protested against the tyranny of a dictator. The heroes insisted that although they would not want to go to jail, they would not fear imprisonment for the freedom of the people.

Oligarchy brought even more turmoil amongst the heroes, when the six and seven year old heroes were declared the oligarchs since they are the big and powerful. And although the citizens had the chance to overpower the oligarchs through a game of tug-of-war, the four and five year olds were defeated and forced to obey the wishes of the oligarchs. But most of the citizens never gave up and continued to challenge the oligarchs for another tug-of-war match over and over again. The oligarchs were gracious enough to oblige and they promised to be good leaders despite their power over the other heroes.

Finally the heroes learned about Democracy and decided that this is the form of government they wanted, since they all wanted to have the right to vote.  And since they can vote, the heroes voted that their micronation be called The United Children’s Country (UCC). Even before learning about the Declaration of Independence, the heroes chose a Democracy for the same reasons that our Founding Fathers did – the heroes wanted everyone to get a chance to be a leader, to  be able to share their ideas and vote on them, and to be able to pray to Jesus and read their Bibles whenever they wanted to. Many heroes persuaded others that they can all work together for their government to function to serve the needs of everyone.

US Government quest

Week 1: October 15-19, 2018

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Launch BIble verse of the day	2 Thessalonians 1:2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. What would you pray for all the heroes to have more grace or peace? Why do we need grace or peace?	2 Thessalonians 1:3 We always thank God for you because your faith is growing more and more, and the love you have for one another is increasing. How have you seen others’ love for others grow?	2 Thessalonians 1:4 …you perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. What ways have you persevered to reach your goals?	2 Thessalonians 1:5 You will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God. Are you worthy of the kingdom of God because of your faith or your works?	How will you shine your light all around the Children’s hospital?
Core skills work reflections	Whom did you ask questions or ask for help?	How did you review your work for possible errors?	How did you consider best practices for similar work?	Which work would you  proudly show to a large group?	Which work would you like to continue to improve?
Relaunch	What is a nation? What is a government? Why do some governments rise and others fall?	What is a Monarchy?	What is a Dictatorship?	What is an Oligarchy?	What is a Democracy?
Project time Forms of Government	Creating a Micronation	Dramatic play: Monarchy	Dramatic play: Dictatorship	Dramatic play: Oligarchy	Dramatic play: Democracy
Close	“What did you disagree with today?”	“What did you fail at today?”	“How did you solve a problem today?”	“How did you figure out the answer to your question on your own with 3B4G?”	“What did you have to do to reach your goals ?” Town hall meeting agenda Math work mats, materials Silent vs collaborative                    core skills Library maintenance Hero bucks

A special government official visited the heroes this week to share show them how our United States Government serves its citizens. The heroes were honored to meet two patrol horses, Dewey and Jessie, who helps Annabelle’s Dad, Mr. Dan, keep people safe and get to places where cars cannot.