K-4 ADVENTURES- FEBRUARY
On Tuesday, we started our outdoor education adventures with the Kindergarten. The topic this month is Honesty. We gathered all the kids in the cafeteria, read them a story about being honest then had them color animals that would turn into puppets. They then created a skit on being honest. It was so cute watching the kids color, cut, tape, and come up with different skits practicing being honest and admitting to any mistakes. Afterwards, we went on a walk behind GSB, exploring nature's floor before the winter storm to create a blanket of snow.
AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM - Apple Pie Baking
This week, for the afterschool program, we spent the afternoon baking an apple pie and playing board games. Both my Tuesday and Thursday group worked so well together dividing the tasks of preparing the crust, mixing the dry ingredients, and peeling the apples. It was amazing to watch a group of this age cook and clean up so efficiently. While the pie was baking, we turned the music on, and divided into two groups, playing Apple's to Apples, family edition, and Blokus, a strategy making game. Once the pie had finished baking, we cleaned up the room, then enjoyed a slice of pie and a couple of scoops of ice cream. It was such a fun, relaxing afternoon. I am glad this group was able to happen.
ANOTHER SNOWDAY- KINDA
There hasn't been a single week since the start of EIR that we have not had a full or half day snow day. Wednesday we had a half day with the anticipation of the winter storm. For this half day, I helped out in the resource room. Here, I worked with kids who are behind their current grade level in certain or all school levels.
6th GRADE IMPROPTU On Thursday afternoons, I sit in with Mrs. Davis' Guidance class. Currently, she is discussing a fixed mind set vs. a growth mindset. Last week, she showed them a video with different scenarios of different mindsets. This week, she had them come up with their own examples of real life examples. She then asked me if I would share an experience of when I was hiking, when it became difficult, and what I did to get through it.
I was stumped. I have done thousands of miles of hiking, but wasn't so sure what example to use. With a couple minutes to think, I decided to share my story of my decision to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail and the first three days on the trip, to include hiking short days, carrying 15lbs over the recommended weight, having a family doubt me, and hiking up a mountain with a huge blister on my heel. Although, I was a nervous, it was so great sharing my experience with the 6th grade group. Other than sharing a short story at a chapel service, I had not shared my story since I have a talk to the boy scouts in 2014. It was pretty cool and I think they were pretty intrigued with by it. Next week, I will share some more information about my life and we will have the class come up with their own stories of when they were in a difficult situation and how the type of attitude they had about it helped or hurt the outcome.
---thats all for now. Next week highlights will include taking the 3rd and 5th grade classes to Kieve, yoga electives, and the afterschool program.
Friday, February 9, 2018
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Week 4 (January 29 - February 2)
Although I have settled into some routines from my winter here last year, I am still carving out new adventures for the winter including an after school program.
NEW BEGINNINGS
Within the first couple of weeks of EIR, I had some free time to read over all of the links that Jess (my supervisor) had sent in her weekly EIR e-mail. One of the links shared information on how to be a good mentor while another talked about after school programming in rural areas of Maine. I know that another local school in Nobleboro has an after school program that my co-workers Noah and Nelson run and I also am aware that GSB, located directly next to the Y, has access to their after school programs, however, am not exactly sure what it entails. This made me think to myself, I could start an after school program!
I really want to make a difference in the lives of these kids. I have the potential to make a difference, but when? There are 6.5 hours in a school day from the moment we say the pledge to the moment that the first group of students are dismissed in the afternoon. Each minute of the day is planned. Reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and specials take up most the school days time. So, when am I going to be able to make a difference? During my EIR time, I really have to think creatively. I hang out in the lunch room for a few periods of the day, meeting with kids and checking in to see whats going on in their lives. I am also scheduled to help out with the 7th and 8th grade health classes - helping to come up with activities on risk-taking, decision-making, bullying, etc. And, fortunately, I am able to work with the 5th grade classes for an hour a week running activities that I would run at the Leadership school. But, when are some other times I can build a rapport with these kids, to work with them in a group setting, challenging each other, building relationships, and creating future leaders? AFTERSCHOOL!
I was so stoked when I came up with this idea. I ran some ideas by Jill (GSB's school counselor and also my GSB mentor) and she thought it was a great idea. After a meeting with Kim (the school principal), I had all that I needed to start this program!
So to fast forward a bit, I have a group of students on Tuesdays and a group of students on Thursdays that are in grades 4-6 from 2:30 - 4:30. We will be doing activities that range from team building to cooking and I couldnt be more excited.
MS. JACKSON'S 5th/6th GRADE CLASS TO KIEVE
Since the EIR program started at GSB 3 years ago, the 5th grade classes have visited GSB. Ms. Jackson's 5th/6th grade class visited Kieve on January 30th. The plan was a half day of climbing and a half day of snowshoeing.
We started the day off with a short community meeting playing my favorite game, rock, paper, scissors, split. We then headed down to the Buck building. After going over the 4 H's, I split the kids into different groups and we spent 2 hours making good use of our indoor rock wall. It was awesome watching these kids challenge themselves, trust in their classmates, encourage one another, and, of course, jump out of the black box!
We then took a long lunch break in our dining hall, PQ.
Typically after lunch we spend the afternoon snowshoeing, however, we decided to cancel it due to the current weather conditions. We used this time to work on a team building activity in the our Innisfree building. After a round of Stepping Stones, a game that discusses competition vs. cooperation, the students realized how much room for growth they have.
We ended the day with a long debrief, discussing things that we will be working on for the remainder of the winter. I am looking forward to seeing their progress.
MORE NEW BEGINNINGS IN STORE
For the upcoming week, I plan to start doing yoga classes for the 7th and 8th graders during their elective time periods and I also plan to start tutoring 3rd graders in math. Stay tuned for more details next week.
-Kasie
NEW BEGINNINGS
Within the first couple of weeks of EIR, I had some free time to read over all of the links that Jess (my supervisor) had sent in her weekly EIR e-mail. One of the links shared information on how to be a good mentor while another talked about after school programming in rural areas of Maine. I know that another local school in Nobleboro has an after school program that my co-workers Noah and Nelson run and I also am aware that GSB, located directly next to the Y, has access to their after school programs, however, am not exactly sure what it entails. This made me think to myself, I could start an after school program!
I really want to make a difference in the lives of these kids. I have the potential to make a difference, but when? There are 6.5 hours in a school day from the moment we say the pledge to the moment that the first group of students are dismissed in the afternoon. Each minute of the day is planned. Reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and specials take up most the school days time. So, when am I going to be able to make a difference? During my EIR time, I really have to think creatively. I hang out in the lunch room for a few periods of the day, meeting with kids and checking in to see whats going on in their lives. I am also scheduled to help out with the 7th and 8th grade health classes - helping to come up with activities on risk-taking, decision-making, bullying, etc. And, fortunately, I am able to work with the 5th grade classes for an hour a week running activities that I would run at the Leadership school. But, when are some other times I can build a rapport with these kids, to work with them in a group setting, challenging each other, building relationships, and creating future leaders? AFTERSCHOOL!
I was so stoked when I came up with this idea. I ran some ideas by Jill (GSB's school counselor and also my GSB mentor) and she thought it was a great idea. After a meeting with Kim (the school principal), I had all that I needed to start this program!
So to fast forward a bit, I have a group of students on Tuesdays and a group of students on Thursdays that are in grades 4-6 from 2:30 - 4:30. We will be doing activities that range from team building to cooking and I couldnt be more excited.
MS. JACKSON'S 5th/6th GRADE CLASS TO KIEVE
Since the EIR program started at GSB 3 years ago, the 5th grade classes have visited GSB. Ms. Jackson's 5th/6th grade class visited Kieve on January 30th. The plan was a half day of climbing and a half day of snowshoeing.
We started the day off with a short community meeting playing my favorite game, rock, paper, scissors, split. We then headed down to the Buck building. After going over the 4 H's, I split the kids into different groups and we spent 2 hours making good use of our indoor rock wall. It was awesome watching these kids challenge themselves, trust in their classmates, encourage one another, and, of course, jump out of the black box!
We then took a long lunch break in our dining hall, PQ.
Typically after lunch we spend the afternoon snowshoeing, however, we decided to cancel it due to the current weather conditions. We used this time to work on a team building activity in the our Innisfree building. After a round of Stepping Stones, a game that discusses competition vs. cooperation, the students realized how much room for growth they have.
We ended the day with a long debrief, discussing things that we will be working on for the remainder of the winter. I am looking forward to seeing their progress.
MORE NEW BEGINNINGS IN STORE
For the upcoming week, I plan to start doing yoga classes for the 7th and 8th graders during their elective time periods and I also plan to start tutoring 3rd graders in math. Stay tuned for more details next week.
-Kasie
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Weeks 2 and 3 (February 15 - 26)
Wow! How time has flown by this winter at GSB! It seems like just the other day, I walked back into the halls of this school picking right where I left off last winter. Knowing the school much better than I did last January at this time, I have been able to maximize my schedule and make the difference that I want to see this winter.
Here is what I've been up too...
1. K- 4 Adventure DaysThis is a program that started in September. Each month grades K-4 rotate on Tuesdays and Thursday to go on a pre-planned adventure. This month, I had the privilege of helping to plan our January adventures. The theme of the month was tolerance which we simplified to excepting everyone for who they are and to not be judgmental. For grades K and 1st, we started with a winter themed reading, followed by hot chocolate, and then headed behind the school for some sledding. The kids took turns sharing sleds and enjoyed flying down the hill. Unfortunately, 3rd grade missed their January day to a delayed start, however, 2nd and 4th grades enjoyed a morning trip to Kieve. At Kieve, we started the day off as we do every morning, with a community meeting. We then headed towards Wescott point where we did a couple of team building activities. We split into different teams completing either a Classification study or Inch worm. The classification study consists of renaming a piece of nature (a stick, a rock, etc) and giving it a completely different name, purpose, and origin. They had to work together, coming up with one idea for the entire group. The inch worm activity required the students to work together moving from one location to another without losing links to a solid object. For an example, student A had to stay connected to a tree, while the student B walked towards another tree. Student A could not move until Student B was connected. Once student B was connected, Student A could then move towards another tree. The students in the middle had to stay connected to each other the entire time. All students needed to make it from one location to another. This required working well together by practicing and strengthening their communication skills. Once these activities were completed, students were able to hang out by the fire. We then ended our morning with some hot cocoa in our Pasquaney dining hall.
2. TLS Cirriculum
This winter I am still able to work with 2 of the 3 classes I worked with last year. Ms. Jackson's 5th and 6th grade class and Ms. K's 5th grade class. So far we have done Told by Fold and Squiggle Lines.
Told by Fold is an activity where students write a sentence or phrase and pass it to the person that is sitting next to them. The next student is to interpret the sentence into a drawing then fold the writing so that the next person can only see the drawing. This continues until we make it all the way around the room or until a certain about of time has passed. At the end, the students share what the first phrase was and what the last phrase is. Most of the time they come out completely different. This creates a good conversation about how people perceive and interpret things. Often discussion about text messages, social media, and tone of voice (or lack of through computer usage) comes up.
Squiggle lines is an activity where students are separated into groups of 4-5. They all receive a sheet of paper with the same squiggle line drawn by me. Each student is given a different colored marker that they are able to use for the duration of the activity. The goal is for them to work together to create a drawing while also using the squiggle line that has already been drawn for them. This requires students to work together by sharing ideas and compromising. Because each student has a different color marker, you can see how involved each student was. It is interesting to see the creativity among the students as well how well they work together.
It was interesting to watch one of the groups in Ms. K's room completely disagree at the beginning, but come together at the end, making everyone happy.
3. Continuation of Last Year Last year, I found that I did some things that I really enjoyed and others that I just didn't understand what I was doing. This year, I really wanted to make use of my time here, make a difference in specific kids lives, and to make my mark at GSB. Stay posted on changes I have made, but for now, here are some things I have continued to do...
-TLS cirriculum with Ms. Jackon and Mrs. K's class
-plan a trip to Kieve for the 5th grade classes
-helping with the Daily 5 and Writing with Mrs. Simon's Kindergarten class
-morning reading with Mrs. Verney's 1st grade class
-lunch with the Kindergarten's
-lunch groups with 1st/2nd graders and 3rd/4th graders
Please stay tuned to learn more about some changes I have made for the upcoming weeks here at GSB. I am super excited to share what I've planned and to see how it turns out.
Til next time,
Kasie
Here is what I've been up too...
1. K- 4 Adventure DaysThis is a program that started in September. Each month grades K-4 rotate on Tuesdays and Thursday to go on a pre-planned adventure. This month, I had the privilege of helping to plan our January adventures. The theme of the month was tolerance which we simplified to excepting everyone for who they are and to not be judgmental. For grades K and 1st, we started with a winter themed reading, followed by hot chocolate, and then headed behind the school for some sledding. The kids took turns sharing sleds and enjoyed flying down the hill. Unfortunately, 3rd grade missed their January day to a delayed start, however, 2nd and 4th grades enjoyed a morning trip to Kieve. At Kieve, we started the day off as we do every morning, with a community meeting. We then headed towards Wescott point where we did a couple of team building activities. We split into different teams completing either a Classification study or Inch worm. The classification study consists of renaming a piece of nature (a stick, a rock, etc) and giving it a completely different name, purpose, and origin. They had to work together, coming up with one idea for the entire group. The inch worm activity required the students to work together moving from one location to another without losing links to a solid object. For an example, student A had to stay connected to a tree, while the student B walked towards another tree. Student A could not move until Student B was connected. Once student B was connected, Student A could then move towards another tree. The students in the middle had to stay connected to each other the entire time. All students needed to make it from one location to another. This required working well together by practicing and strengthening their communication skills. Once these activities were completed, students were able to hang out by the fire. We then ended our morning with some hot cocoa in our Pasquaney dining hall.
2. TLS Cirriculum
This winter I am still able to work with 2 of the 3 classes I worked with last year. Ms. Jackson's 5th and 6th grade class and Ms. K's 5th grade class. So far we have done Told by Fold and Squiggle Lines.
Told by Fold is an activity where students write a sentence or phrase and pass it to the person that is sitting next to them. The next student is to interpret the sentence into a drawing then fold the writing so that the next person can only see the drawing. This continues until we make it all the way around the room or until a certain about of time has passed. At the end, the students share what the first phrase was and what the last phrase is. Most of the time they come out completely different. This creates a good conversation about how people perceive and interpret things. Often discussion about text messages, social media, and tone of voice (or lack of through computer usage) comes up.
Squiggle lines is an activity where students are separated into groups of 4-5. They all receive a sheet of paper with the same squiggle line drawn by me. Each student is given a different colored marker that they are able to use for the duration of the activity. The goal is for them to work together to create a drawing while also using the squiggle line that has already been drawn for them. This requires students to work together by sharing ideas and compromising. Because each student has a different color marker, you can see how involved each student was. It is interesting to see the creativity among the students as well how well they work together.
It was interesting to watch one of the groups in Ms. K's room completely disagree at the beginning, but come together at the end, making everyone happy.
3. Continuation of Last Year Last year, I found that I did some things that I really enjoyed and others that I just didn't understand what I was doing. This year, I really wanted to make use of my time here, make a difference in specific kids lives, and to make my mark at GSB. Stay posted on changes I have made, but for now, here are some things I have continued to do...
-TLS cirriculum with Ms. Jackon and Mrs. K's class
-plan a trip to Kieve for the 5th grade classes
-helping with the Daily 5 and Writing with Mrs. Simon's Kindergarten class
-morning reading with Mrs. Verney's 1st grade class
-lunch with the Kindergarten's
-lunch groups with 1st/2nd graders and 3rd/4th graders
Please stay tuned to learn more about some changes I have made for the upcoming weeks here at GSB. I am super excited to share what I've planned and to see how it turns out.
Til next time,
Kasie
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Welcome 2018
What an honor it is to be back at GSB for the winter of 2018. For those who do not know me or know much about Kieve Wavus Education, I will give a brief introduction.
First, my name is Kasie Taylor. You can call me Kasie (pronounced KC). I am from Virginia but have lived in Maine for two years. For those two years, I have been working and living at Kieve Wavus. Many know this place as Camp Kieve, a well-known local camp for boys in the summer. Wavus, just across the Lake, is the camp for girls in the summer. These two camps come together to make up Kieve - Wavus Education. We are not just a summer camp, but also a Leadership School. During the spring and fall seasons we host various schools throughout the state at our Kieve campus. During the day, we still have school. It is not your traditional school but rather a different take on learning. We work towards building stronger leaders, to build stronger relationships, to challenge each individual to their next level, and to create a welcoming atmosphere to have deep conversations about things that happen in our everyday life, whatever stage we may be at. During the winter, the campus takes a break; however, the goal of Kieve Wavus continues on with our Educator - in - Residence (EIR) program. This program allows for a deeper connection with students throughout the state. Many of our educators are assigned to one school for the entire winter. I had the privilege of working at GSB for the winter of 2017 and will be back for this winter as well.
So now you know we are both a school and a camp and that we invest one educator to one school for the entire winter season. Now, what is it that we do? Are we helpers? student teachers? Ed techs? We are experienced in experiential education, however, we have many talents and skills that we love to share. Each school has a different objective for their educator, but we all strive to make a positive difference with each of the students we work with.
In 2017, I introduced the TLS cirriculum to the 5th graders at GSB. We also had a field trip to Kieve where we climbed the indoor rock wall and snow-shoed the shores of Lake Damariscotta. Additionally, I helped out with the 2nd graders trips to the Hidden Valley Nature center as well as their Friday afternoon adventures. I also helped out with the needs of the Kindergarten and first grade classes.
This year,our scheduling is still being molded; however, many things have been scheduled. I plan to continue working with the 5th grade class by introducing them to the TLS cirriculum. We will have a trip to the Kieve Wavus campus. I will also be helping out with the planning and executing of the weekly Adventure days with grades K - 4. I will also help out with the PE and Health classes, introducing yoga to the 7th and 8th graders as well as to the Kindergarten classes.
First, my name is Kasie Taylor. You can call me Kasie (pronounced KC). I am from Virginia but have lived in Maine for two years. For those two years, I have been working and living at Kieve Wavus. Many know this place as Camp Kieve, a well-known local camp for boys in the summer. Wavus, just across the Lake, is the camp for girls in the summer. These two camps come together to make up Kieve - Wavus Education. We are not just a summer camp, but also a Leadership School. During the spring and fall seasons we host various schools throughout the state at our Kieve campus. During the day, we still have school. It is not your traditional school but rather a different take on learning. We work towards building stronger leaders, to build stronger relationships, to challenge each individual to their next level, and to create a welcoming atmosphere to have deep conversations about things that happen in our everyday life, whatever stage we may be at. During the winter, the campus takes a break; however, the goal of Kieve Wavus continues on with our Educator - in - Residence (EIR) program. This program allows for a deeper connection with students throughout the state. Many of our educators are assigned to one school for the entire winter. I had the privilege of working at GSB for the winter of 2017 and will be back for this winter as well.
So now you know we are both a school and a camp and that we invest one educator to one school for the entire winter season. Now, what is it that we do? Are we helpers? student teachers? Ed techs? We are experienced in experiential education, however, we have many talents and skills that we love to share. Each school has a different objective for their educator, but we all strive to make a positive difference with each of the students we work with.
In 2017, I introduced the TLS cirriculum to the 5th graders at GSB. We also had a field trip to Kieve where we climbed the indoor rock wall and snow-shoed the shores of Lake Damariscotta. Additionally, I helped out with the 2nd graders trips to the Hidden Valley Nature center as well as their Friday afternoon adventures. I also helped out with the needs of the Kindergarten and first grade classes.
This year,our scheduling is still being molded; however, many things have been scheduled. I plan to continue working with the 5th grade class by introducing them to the TLS cirriculum. We will have a trip to the Kieve Wavus campus. I will also be helping out with the planning and executing of the weekly Adventure days with grades K - 4. I will also help out with the PE and Health classes, introducing yoga to the 7th and 8th graders as well as to the Kindergarten classes.
Thursday, March 9, 2017
March 3 - Week 8
Finally a full week of school!!
TLS Curriculum w/ Ms. Jackson: Superheroes
This weeks goal was to create a superhero. I divided the class into groups of 3. They were instructed to create a superhero. The superhero had to have 2 strengths / superpowers and 1 weakness. The superhero also had to have an alter ego. Once this was completed, the groups presented their superhero to the class. Afterwards, we discussed, in small groups, how these superheroes could help themselves, their community, and the world. We talked about what real-life superheroes looked liked and what strengths and what weaknesses they had.
The students were quite creative with their superheroes, at times they were a bit unrealistic / fictional, but the groups came together in the end creating serious discussions on what and who superheroes are.
Below are some photos:
Cooking Club:
This week we cooked Macaroni and Cheese. Homemade Mac and Cheese. It was delicious. Ask any of the girls if they know how to make it and they should be able to help you out!
AG Club Continues on:
The bunnies are alive and well. They have been moved back to their original homes with the exception of one, who ran into the wild! Additionally, observations are still taking place with the seeds planted.
TLS Curriculum w/ Ms. Jackson: Superheroes
This weeks goal was to create a superhero. I divided the class into groups of 3. They were instructed to create a superhero. The superhero had to have 2 strengths / superpowers and 1 weakness. The superhero also had to have an alter ego. Once this was completed, the groups presented their superhero to the class. Afterwards, we discussed, in small groups, how these superheroes could help themselves, their community, and the world. We talked about what real-life superheroes looked liked and what strengths and what weaknesses they had.
The students were quite creative with their superheroes, at times they were a bit unrealistic / fictional, but the groups came together in the end creating serious discussions on what and who superheroes are.
Below are some photos:
This week we cooked Macaroni and Cheese. Homemade Mac and Cheese. It was delicious. Ask any of the girls if they know how to make it and they should be able to help you out! 
The bunnies are alive and well. They have been moved back to their original homes with the exception of one, who ran into the wild! Additionally, observations are still taking place with the seeds planted.
February 24 (Adventure Camp) - Week 7
Having a February and an April vacation week is knew to me. Back in Virginia, we were out for Christmas break and for Easter break. Other than that and snow days, we were scheduled to be in school. Boy, these kids are lucky!
During this week, Kieve hosts an Adventure camp. Here students from the community are offered a place to hang out with friends and make new ones from 9-4 while their parents are off at work. I had the pleasure of working with the 1st-3rd graders. During this week, I build stronger relationships with some of kids I have already been working with at GSB as well as met different kids that live throughout the community.
Each morning, my co-worker Noah and I would take our kids on a morning walk. Here they got fresh air, explored the world around them, and released some early morning energy. Afterwards, we had a quick snack, followed by recess, and an indoor craft. Through the week the kids made various things including: 3D snowflakes, an animal's den, and tie-dye socks. Afterwards, we enjoyed a tasty lunch. After lunch, we went to the indoor rock climbing wall. Next up, was an outdoor adventure which mostly included sledding, however, we also did some snow painting and build forts in the snow. We then enjoyed a quick snack before going for our evening walk and heading back to the top of the hill to sled before the parents picked everyone up.
It was a great week. We were fortunate to have snow from the week before, but sunshine and warm weather this week for the kids to play in.
Here are some photos:
During this week, Kieve hosts an Adventure camp. Here students from the community are offered a place to hang out with friends and make new ones from 9-4 while their parents are off at work. I had the pleasure of working with the 1st-3rd graders. During this week, I build stronger relationships with some of kids I have already been working with at GSB as well as met different kids that live throughout the community.
Each morning, my co-worker Noah and I would take our kids on a morning walk. Here they got fresh air, explored the world around them, and released some early morning energy. Afterwards, we had a quick snack, followed by recess, and an indoor craft. Through the week the kids made various things including: 3D snowflakes, an animal's den, and tie-dye socks. Afterwards, we enjoyed a tasty lunch. After lunch, we went to the indoor rock climbing wall. Next up, was an outdoor adventure which mostly included sledding, however, we also did some snow painting and build forts in the snow. We then enjoyed a quick snack before going for our evening walk and heading back to the top of the hill to sled before the parents picked everyone up.
It was a great week. We were fortunate to have snow from the week before, but sunshine and warm weather this week for the kids to play in.
Here are some photos:
February 10 / February 17 - Week 5/6
Winter is here! The school days have been far and few in between. Raised in Virginia, I had imagined Northern winters to be crucial. Before heading to Virginia for winter break, I was surprised at the lack of snow on the ground, but was also was quite surprised when I returned to Maine in January with snow piles taller than street signs. Weeks later, snow finally arrived! More snow than I had ever seen in my entire life!
On the days when it was safe enough to come to school, everyone was hard at work. I incorporated TLS curriculum with the 5th graders. We started working on Squiggle lines with Ms. Jackson and Ms. K's room.
Squiggle lines:
How it works...
The facilitator (me) draws a squiggly line on a poster board. The students are divided into groups of 4 people. They all receive a poster board with the same squiggle line. As a group, the students decide what they are going to draw (using the squiggle line already drawn for them). Afterwards, they are each handed a different color marker. They are required to use the same color marker for the entire project. They are then free to draw their part of the project.
Conversations that arise:
After an allotted amount of time and after students have discussed what worked well, what didnt work so well, and what could have been differently, they shared their drawing with the class. It was interesting listening to the concerns of the students. At times, students felt as though their voices weren't heard, that their classmates did what they asked them not too, and that the original drawing did not turn out quite as planned.
Discussion:
We then discussed how this related to life. If they felt like their voices are often heard or ignored and what they could do to change this. We then reflected individually and wrote down what they brought to their classmates. For an example, do they bring their sense of humor, their creativity, their passion, their honesty, etc. Students also wrote down a short term goal to accomplish within the next couple of weeks.
Ms. K and Mr. Hupp visit Kieve:
Friday, February 17th, the 5th grade classes visited Kieve. One part of the day was spent inside at the indoor rock wall. Here students worked together belaying their classmates (something they were not expecting upon their arrival to Kieve). Usually, a belayer is an adult pulling the rope down as the student climbs up. At Kieve, we challenge the students with an Australian belay. This belay system requires at least four students to belay their classmate while climbing. Its a great way to practice teamwork and building trust among the group. I enjoyed watching everyone challenging their comfort zones and encouraging their classmates along the way. The second part of the day was spend outdoors, snowshoeing! With the recent snowstorms there was plenty of snow for a good hike around campus. Here the students tested their physical stamina and mental energy traversing around the campus, at times, breaking new trail!
AG Club continues on:
Due to the storm, the bunnies were moved to the hoop house. Here they were protected from the feet of snow that protruded into their homes.
Cooking Club:
With Valentine's Day around the corner, we created chocolate covered strawberries. The girls enjoyed melting both milk and white chocolate and dipping fresh strawberries and blueberries in creating a perfect mixture of fresh and sweet. A perfect Friday afternoon treat!
On the days when it was safe enough to come to school, everyone was hard at work. I incorporated TLS curriculum with the 5th graders. We started working on Squiggle lines with Ms. Jackson and Ms. K's room.
Squiggle lines:
How it works...
The facilitator (me) draws a squiggly line on a poster board. The students are divided into groups of 4 people. They all receive a poster board with the same squiggle line. As a group, the students decide what they are going to draw (using the squiggle line already drawn for them). Afterwards, they are each handed a different color marker. They are required to use the same color marker for the entire project. They are then free to draw their part of the project.
Conversations that arise:
After an allotted amount of time and after students have discussed what worked well, what didnt work so well, and what could have been differently, they shared their drawing with the class. It was interesting listening to the concerns of the students. At times, students felt as though their voices weren't heard, that their classmates did what they asked them not too, and that the original drawing did not turn out quite as planned.
Discussion:
We then discussed how this related to life. If they felt like their voices are often heard or ignored and what they could do to change this. We then reflected individually and wrote down what they brought to their classmates. For an example, do they bring their sense of humor, their creativity, their passion, their honesty, etc. Students also wrote down a short term goal to accomplish within the next couple of weeks.
Ms. K and Mr. Hupp visit Kieve:
Friday, February 17th, the 5th grade classes visited Kieve. One part of the day was spent inside at the indoor rock wall. Here students worked together belaying their classmates (something they were not expecting upon their arrival to Kieve). Usually, a belayer is an adult pulling the rope down as the student climbs up. At Kieve, we challenge the students with an Australian belay. This belay system requires at least four students to belay their classmate while climbing. Its a great way to practice teamwork and building trust among the group. I enjoyed watching everyone challenging their comfort zones and encouraging their classmates along the way. The second part of the day was spend outdoors, snowshoeing! With the recent snowstorms there was plenty of snow for a good hike around campus. Here the students tested their physical stamina and mental energy traversing around the campus, at times, breaking new trail!
AG Club continues on:
Due to the storm, the bunnies were moved to the hoop house. Here they were protected from the feet of snow that protruded into their homes.
Cooking Club:
With Valentine's Day around the corner, we created chocolate covered strawberries. The girls enjoyed melting both milk and white chocolate and dipping fresh strawberries and blueberries in creating a perfect mixture of fresh and sweet. A perfect Friday afternoon treat!
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