Thanks to technology we were able to safely watch Monday’s eclipse online multiple time and from multiple locations. Lots of interesting observations and knowledge were shared. We also heard about how some ancient cultures explained an eclipse. Six of our classmates witnessed the total eclipse with their own eyes! We’ve been enjoying hearing about their travel adventures and their impressions of this incredible and inspiring experience.
Back here on earth, we made some art to capture our impressions of the eclipse discussing how precious is our little blue marble in space. With the eclipse behind us we are now looking ahead to Earth Day, on April 22. We’ve been learning songs about how we can care for the earth. We’ve also been learning about the intertidal zone and the oceans that cover much of our home planet.
The older students used “Quad of Thought” and other intriguing pre-writing strategies together with a couple of old poems by “Banjo Paterson” of Australia to learn some new vocabulary and expressive turns of phrase. Check out “Clancy of the Overflow” to experience some gorgeous imagery, and ponder the role of work.
Looking ahead to next year: The Primary cohort is now totally full. However, a small number of spots may come open for the grade 4 to 7 cohort for September 2024. If you know of folks who might be interested, please pass along my email address and encourage them get in touch as soon as possible.
Request for sewing materials: Each year we have a craft sale in June. We make crafts which we sell to help raise money for charity. This small act helps us feel empowered in the face of a big and complicated world. We raise money for people and animals in need. This year again we will share our proceeds equally between the BCSPCA, and the UNHCF. One of our crafts projects is for both groups to make reusable shopping bags from tank tops and T-shirts. All students will have the opportunity to use the sewing machine! Please send along some clean, used, tops in the next week or so. Thanks to those who have collected and donated egg cartons. We now have plenty for our project.
In other news: I recently came across a list of children’s books that teach critical thinking strategies to help determine is something is accurate, or possibly “Fake News” https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4bp5BBRTHf/?igsh=MWk4cDVmYXMyMjl6cQ==