It has not been an easy start to UR this year, yet the energy and enthusiasm of our Rangers last week made it all irrelevant--remember my reference last week to "teacher-utopia"?. This truly is an amazing program, and we wish every minute could be recorded and shared because there are just too many incredible learning moments to record.
Much to our dismay, we found out this morning that the art room will be inaccessible for the rest of the week, including today.
So, today was about RESILIENCE. And maybe that's the 2015 UR theme. Resilience is a critical life skill, and an essential skill as a learner, so it's a pretty important lesson for us all. I don't think I need to say more because the pics speak for themselves! Highlights from UR--the mobile operation:
In the library....
Our day began with breakfast in the cafeteria, and special thanks to Daniella & Juliana's mom for setting the example of what "pitching in" means! Everyone grabbed something and we headed up to the library for our Welcome Circle:
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| Name, grade. what did you choose AND what do you think it is? |
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| wonderful, rich descriptions of objects--shape, texture, comparisons, and personal connections |
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| Each Ranger offered her/his own hypothesis of what an unfamiliar object might be, including specific details about how it grew, where it was found, and why it looks the way it does. Just like real life scientists! |
In the courtyard...
After preparing our t-shirts for bleaching, Rangers headed straight outside for the rest of the day, and as you'll see, there was MUCH to observe and discover!
**Just a note about the science and art of our bleached shirts: Science: We use chlorine bleach on previously dyed cotton fabric. The bleach is a chemical that reacts with the color on the shirt and makes it disappear--nothing is changing state as in a physical change. Bleach REACTS with the color so that makes it a chemical change. The shirts immediately are immersed in water to STOP the reaction and the pattern we created with masking tape beforehand appears untouched by the bleach. Here is the ART: We use the tape to create a brick wall pattern--very urban;)--and the way and where we spray the bleach creates different shades of color and different patterns on the "bricks". Tomorrow we will use fabric paint to design the rest of the t-shirt based on each Ranger's individual style and creativity. For more info on the science of bleach, check this out: http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-does-bleach-work/
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| on the hunt for living things |
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| EARTHWORM! |
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| Rangers roaming, snacking on fruit, and examining recent finds. |
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Exploring, digging, making new friends,
and discovering outside on a beautiful summer
day in July. |
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| Snail escape! |
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| Can you identify this insect? |
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| Bleaching with caution! |
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We make sure Rangers understand that bleach is a
chemical that will work on their own clothes too and
ask them to exercise caution, including wearing
protective eyewear--which also makes them feel oh-so-scientific! |
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We use protective gloves in the stop bath, again making the point that bleach is a chemical
and we need to be careful around chemicals! |
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| Discoveries everywhere! |
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