It has been so nice to finally have enough snow for sledding!  Wishing everyone a fabulous vacation (hopefully with some snow!)

We have wrapped up our science unit on structure and function with two more design challenges.  

Two weeks ago, after reading a version of The Three Pigs, children were challenged to design a house sturdy enough to hold up to the blowing of the big bad wolf (and protect the pig inside) using craft sticks, glue, and modeling clay. We used a leaf blower as our wolf to test each structure. Most of the housed stayed intact although the pig (a pink pom pom) was often sent flying.  This was very exciting!  In reflecting on their designs, children decided walls higher walls with few gaps worked well, and children who tilted their sticks into a cone shape seemed to have the most secure structures. Most children also agreed that lots more modeling clay would have been helpful.

On Friday they were presented with their final challenge: to design a paintbrush.  Students were encouraged to think about what they would like their paintbrush to be able to do (function) and then they drew pictures to match their ideas (design). They were then invited to choose from a variety of materials and begin building. We had many creative and inspiring designs.  Many children chose to test their brushes at the end of the day.

We enjoyed our first day of ECO on Thursday - the beautiful sunny day was certainly a plus!  Much of our morning was spent establishing expectations and guiding children through typical ECO routines.  We are trying to mimic the routines we would have if we visited our usual forest space, with fingers crossed that at some point we will be able to do just that.

We always begin our ECO day with a thankful circle.  We take turns passing a talking stick and saying our name, our nature name, and something we are thankful for.  This is followed by a song and a game.  Yesterday we played a freeze tag game with witch hazel, cold winter, and owlet moths.  Perhaps your child can tell you how it worked and what is special about owlet moths!  

After the game we grab our backpacks and walk along the edge of the field using our senses to notice any nature notes.  We then settle in to a new circle space where we shared nature notes and listen to a story from Carrie.  Typically this is when we would also eat snack.  The story is always followed by a guided exploration and then some free choice time.  For our guided exploration yesterday, childen were asked to find at least 3 things that were interesting and create either a picture or a sculpture.  Several children worked together to create a very large person!  After choice time we usually visit sit spots, often with herbal tea, and have some time to sit quietly in our space.  Finally we gather one more time in a circle for a silent goodbye to the field and forest before we head back.  

Some questions you could ask your child about our routines include:  

• What is your child's nature name, and what are some other children's nature names?
• How did we play tag without touching each other?
• What are the 3 cares?
• What is a safety circle?
• What was their favorite part of the morning?

For science we are in the midst of a unit on structure, function, and design.  We began this unit by talking about objects designed by people and the idea that most man made objects have a specific structure, which is directly related to their function. We closely looked at a students' bike helmet and talked about its shape and the materials used to make it, and how these were connected to the intended function of protecting someone's head.  We noticed the helmet was hard plastic on the outside, with foam on the inside.  It was round so it could closely and comfortably fit on a person's head (we briefly imagined what it would be like to have a cube shaped helmet!) and it had a convenient clip strap to help keep it on, especially helpfully when in motion. We talked about the structure and function of several other objects before engaging in our first design challenge.

After reading the book "Jack and the Beanstalk," we talked about the function of the beanstalk for Jack and looked at its structure, noticing the characteristics that made it particularly useful for climbing.  Students were given the challenge to use 10 pipe cleaners (and nothing else) to build the tallest beanstalk they could. Students were given a chance to ask questions and brainstorm answers about aspects of the challenge that might be difficult, including "What? We can't use tape?" and "How are we supposed to make it stand up?"  Before building we also talked about the notion of perserverence and how important it would be to not give up, be willing to work through challenges, and try new ideas if the first design didn't work.

Once they began building children quickly realized a strong base was critical for getting the beanstalk to stand up, which meant less height overall.  Balance was also essential, especially if they took the challenge of having the beanstalk hold a golden egg when it was complete! 

I especially love this activity because, while it almost always pushes some children to the limits of their frustration, this gives other children an opportunity to offer encouragement and share their great ideas.