Families picked up a Mallard Quest scavenger hunt sheet and went from classroom to classroom in hopes of completing every activity. Students who completed the scavenger hunt were entered into a raffle to win a Mill Creek blanket and mallard stuffed animal.
Kindergarten teacher Beth Thoma helped organize the evening and said the event lasted an hour and involved 11 different math-focused activities.
“Students would go classroom to classroom, and we had workplaces set up for them,” Thoma said. “There were different challenges like find something taller than a member in your family or find an item smaller than your foot.”
Other challenges got students active outside of the classroom setting. In the school gym, students were challenged to run their age in laps, and parents were able to connect with the Mill Creek PTO in the art room. Families could also participate in a fun music activity, encouraging a fun and collaborative experience.
“It was really cool to see families going back and forth,” Thoma said. “We had a challenge for families to find a staff member with math earrings or a math shirt, so families were interacting with the staff.”
Parents did more than just interact with staff members; they had fun leading their students through the school and completing challenges together. Thoma mentioned that some parents were more excited than their student. This active engagement from parents and their partnership with Mill Creek only furthers the high-quality educational experience the school provides.
Students enjoyed spending the time with their family in their daily environment. Providing scholars an opportunity to be at school after hours provided its own excitement.
“The kids were happy to see their former teachers,” Thoma said. “Their excitement was different from the parents. The kids were just excited to be here.”
The raffle-winning scholars were recognized at the next day’s schoolwide assembly, making for a memorable moment for the lucky winners.
Mallard Quest brought students and their families a fun night of engaging math activities and scholars can look forward to an expanded Mallard Quest next year.
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About Mill Creek Academy
Mill Creek Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Waukesha, Wisconsin, serving students in all-day 4K through sixth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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