May Events

Welcome to May! 

First, to recap April, we had a great month of learning how to garden. Students were able to develop garden plans, create resurrection gardens, hear from an environmental scientist, and plant Marigold flowers and tomatoes at Mt. Olive UMC to grow at home. It was a lot of fun and a great way to kick off Spring! This month, we will dive into what it means to be a Creative with special emphasis on creating filmed projects. But first, we will start out with Field Day! The following two meetings will be Club Day and a GBCH Film Festival.

Finally, you can RSVP this Friday for the annual Mom to Mom coming up on June 12th. Like in previous year’s we will have a State of GBCH/GPCH where we discuss the wins for this year and outlook for the future, we will announce leadership changes, and as a group, start putting plans in place for a dynamic 2021-22 school year. Don’t miss it!!! 

Be blessed,
Ja’Near Garrus
Field Day | May 10
May 10th, 2021 | 1 pm- 2:30 pm

To kick off May Activities, we invite families to join us at West Towson Neighborhood Park for friendly games and a picnic lunch. We will enjoy time outdoors and have a few competitive activities for students to participate in.

Please bring:
Picnic blanket
Bagged lunch or snacks for your family
Water
Face masks
Outdoor or equipment that you would like to share
Sun protection
Club Day | May 17
Start time: 1 pm
Centuries Club: Students will learn about impactful African American filmmakers.

Makers Club: Students will create wire armatures for claymation projects

What is needed:
Paper and pencil
Roll of Foil paper
Modeling clay (Any colors desired to create a character)Optional: Bendable wire and cutting tool
GBCH Film Festival | May 24
Start time: 1 pm
Students, come prepared to show your creative Animation or Film projects to the GBCH Student Community!

Criteria:
Videos must be no longer than 1.5 minutes
Each film must have a Title
Must be subject matter appropriate for K-8th grade students
Show creativity

Parents, please let students take charge of their creative process!

To prepare for a smooth transition between presenters, please upload student projects as an unlisted video to YouTube and email a link of their project to [email protected]. Please include student(s) name and project title in the email. Bring popcorn!

February Events

Happy February, GBCH Friends!
This month we will turn our attention to culture with the celebration of Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, and performance art through our programming. Please take advantage of the opportunity to participate in the Centuries of Excellence: Black History Student Exhibition. This special event will allow your child to showcase themselves in Oratory, Dance, Music, or Art. In addition, it is an opportunity to involve your family and friends in supporting your student and our homeschool community. Also, we anticipate great fun in our group meetings as we study hip hop and its origins in spoken word traditions, followed by a Centuries Club on HBCUs and STEP Dancing, and finish out the month with a dance workshop. Please remember there is a parent’s meeting tomorrow (Tuesday 2/2) at 6 pm.

Blessings,
Ja’Near Garrus
GBCH Director


Group Meeting 2/8

For the group meeting, we will delve into the historical context of Oral traditions in the African American Culture. The group activities will focus on how those oral traditions branched into different musical and performance art forms such as jazz, spoken word, and hip hop, which we will focus on.


Club Day 2/15

Materials needed to prepare: Tin can, coffee can, storage container, or cake panFabric or Balloons, small or average size for tin cans and a punch ball-sized balloon for large items, Rubber bands, Tape, Colored paper, and markers to decorate
(optional)Chopsticks or pencils (to create drum sticks)

Starts at 1pm
Centuries Club:HBCUs, Stepping, and Polyrhythm
Maker’s Club:Creating an African Drum


Experience 2/22

January Events

Welcome back, GBCH Friends! I hope that you have enjoyed Christmas and New Year with your families and were able to unplug and refresh.

We have come to our annual S.T.E.A.M. month! January’s activities are all about Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math! We will integrate these concepts throughout our activities and focus on engineering especially this month. Great speakers and activities are in store and we are excited to see how the students interpret what they are learning into their own projects. 

Also this month, we are starting a new Oratorical program. Students 3rd-8th grade will have an opportunity to learn oratory skills by reciting one of the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. culminating in a video presentation that will be part of the Oratory Festival. Don’t forget to sign up by this Friday!

Group Meeting 1/11

At this meeting, all age groups will focus on the Engineering Design Process. Students will be introduced to the STEAM acronym and focus on the “E”, engineering, and discuss what engineers do and the types of projects that involve engineering skills (ex. building bridges, designing robots, recycling systems). Students will learn the 5-step engineering design process (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Improve/Reflect).

Club Day 1/18

Experience:

We will be joined by two engineers, Tamyra L. Paschal and Kiwitta I. Paschal, from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Corporation in Fort Worth, Texas. 

We will hear about engineering as a career, the preparation required, their work on airplanes and various opportunities available within the field.

Centuries Club:

Children will learn about African-American architects and civil engineers who have designed various public spaces across the United States.

Maker’s Club:

In observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday children will reflect on Dr. King’s legacy of peace, justice, and equality, and use what they have learned about the engineering design process to build a monument, museum, park, or other structure in honor of Dr. King. Children may use materials of their choice.

STEAM Fair 1/25

Our month will conclude with our annual GBCH STEAM Fair! 

During our virtual science fair, children will present a science topic of their choice or conduct a demonstration to show the group. 

Older students should use the scientific method or engineering design process as a guide for presenting their information. 

Presentations may be live, pre-recorded, PowerPoint, a project board or other mediums of choice. 

December Activities

Happy December!  What an eventful year 2020 it’s been and despite it all, we are blessed and thankful to celebrate the birth of our Savior!  This month’s activities promise to be festive and fun.

December 7th: Christmas Around the World

This is how I.. Celebrate. We will explore how other cultures and/or countries celebrate Christmas around the World through music and games.

Moms, join us for our annual Christmas Tea.  We are looking forward to lively conversation and games, followed by an ornament craft.  Have your favorite tea blend, sandwiches, and/or pastries on hand!

December 14th: Club Day @ 1pm
 The Club Day meeting will begin with Centuries Club, spotlighting Dr. Karenga, best known as the creator of the Kwanzaa holiday.  

Following Centuries Club, students will create a Christmas plate or Mug for Maker’s Club. 
December 21st: KWANZAA Celebration @1pm
 Join us for a GBCH & GPCH Kwanzaa celebration on December 21st @ 1pm!

Festival of Trees

Call for Submissions!  

 Students, we invite you to submit a Christmas Tree design idea for GBCH’s submission to the Festival of Trees by Kennedy Krieger.  

The selected design will inspire the direction of the real Christmas Tree’s decorations and ornaments that we will make as a group. 

Deadline:  October 15, 2020

Please do not put your name on the front of the drawing.
Parents, no helping!  We want to see student ideas.

Please email submissions to [email protected] under the Heading: Festival of Trees Submission.

October 28: Hydroponic Gardening

GBCH Students, learn how to garden year-round with hydroponics!  Master Gardener, Carol Jones, will be teaching this lesson.  

What is Hydroponics?  a form of gardening that uses no soil, but instead grows plants in a solution of water and nutrients. A hydroponic system can grow plants and vegetables faster and year-round.


Sponsored by Mt Olive United Methodist Church

Pickleball

Open to 5th grade and Middle School Students
Very limited space is available to ensure proper distancing and safety measures.

Series of 3 lessons:
October 16, 23, and 30
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm


The lessons are scheduled for 1 1/2 hours at noon starting on Friday, October 16, 23, and 30th. Lynne Coburn, the Director of Pickleball at Coppermine Racquet and Fitness, will be the instructor for the series.  Racquets and balls will be provided.  Students will play on an outdoor court.

Parents, if you would like to watch, please bring an outdoor chair.

Students please wear tennis shoes, bring a bottle of water, and a mask. Parents will be asked to sign a waiver for participating students.

Sponsored by Mt Olive United Methodist Church