The first few days of school are always filled with excitement, new experiences, and plenty of opportunities to get to know one another. This year, we started by discovering some of the unique traits that make each of us who we are.

On the first day, we took some time to look at different physical traits and see how we compared with our classmates. We discovered that something as simple as whether you can curl your tongue or whether you have a widow’s peak can be an interesting way to learn more about the people around you.

As we went through different traits, students quickly realized that everyone is a little different. Some traits were shared by many students, while others were much less common. It was fun to see who had similar characteristics and who had traits that made them unique.

More importantly, the activity gave us a chance to begin building our classroom community. We learned that science isn’t just about memorizing facts from a textbook. Science is also about observing, asking questions, finding patterns, and learning about the world around us—including ourselves!

These first few days have been a great start to the school year. We are already learning that our classroom is made up of individuals with different characteristics, experiences, and perspectives. As we continue through the year, we will keep asking questions, exploring new ideas, and discovering what makes the world around us so interesting.

And if the first few days are any indication, we are going to have a great year of learning and discovery!