Eight and Nine

Many thanks go to Ellen Plageman for visiting us on the afternoon of Tuesday, the 26th. She brought many kites that she built over the years and told us of the inspirations that led her to start a kite making business. She sold many, many kites to the Smithsonian. We then walked down to Darrow School and flew several kites. Check out the pictures and Mountain Road's facebook page for video highlights.

The Red Foxes began their investigation of Greece by finding out our names without the many letters of the Alphabet that came from Ancient Greece. Students like JSS JCK RRSR and L FR SS loved their new names. We went on to read Homer's story of the Cyclops and Odysseus and dream up our own Olympic events. Students have now turned their attention to Athens and Sparta, comparing and contrasting the two city states with the aid of a Venn Diagram. Red Foxes have begun the process or writing the scripts of a travel show in which they will try to convince travelers to visit and live in their city. We will produce these shows and video tape them for your enjoyment.

Children have enjoyed moving their attention to free writing. They are practicing writing their own stories and have been doing short "author shares" to give the group a taste of their creation. We will begin weaving in peer revising and weekly editing of grammar and conventions. Real life DOL!

The Red Fox Clan has, over the past two weeks at Flying Deer, amazed me with their accomplishments. The children broke up into small groups on the 27th and put up tarps and created fires in the rain with no adult support. This is a challenge for naturalists of all ages. On the 3rd of November Red Fox Clanners built a 1 minute fire! They planned, organized, and then gathered and lit a match in under 60 seconds and then spent 10 minutes building it up into a roaring fire. Again, this accomplishment is most challenging. But they weren't finished. In the afternoon the other clans came to our site to find the hiding Red Foxes. The children hid, camouflaged with just a tiny bit of them showing, for 30 minutes without moving! Their concentration and passion is most commendable.