One was the cold and the other the boy's shelter.
We capitalized on a warmer day last week and started out to help the boys with their shelter problem before embarking on our science activities for the day.
The boys began by describing the problem and the class went off in search of more tsll sticks to add more space to the shelter while others went off searching for seating possibilities. The seating group came across a huge and very heavy log cut from the wood for the triangle. The first thing one student did was measure the log with his arms to make sure it would fit the space and then called for help to carry it up the hill.
Another problem that had come up was the idea of a roof, we decided that maybe we could weave small branches to make a panel. The question of weaving came up, so we decided to have a minilesson. While the children were at lunch I gathered together some pine needles and had a provocation ready, I was working on a weaving as they returned to the room and everyone wanted to give it a try. Those ready to go, shared needles and found a space to start. Those a little nervous or needing a starter lesson in how to weave started with paper. One student made a chess board with his newly acquired skill. Next was to take it outside. One student had tried weaving with rulers and discovered that in order to work the materials had to be "bendy". So in the hunt for bendy sticks students also found bark. Groups set to the task of weaving small sticks, large sticks and bark. They worked at it for a good twenty minutes before all declaring that it wouldn't work. The sticks were either not straight enough or not bendy enough, and the bark needed to be more similar pieces to work.
So is this failure? NO! We discovered a problem, we came up with a solution idea, we learned the skill, transferred it to natural materials on a small scale, discovered the necessary properties for the solution to work and set to work on the actual materials needed. What we learned was that we still were not there, we still needed to figure out how to make the wood more flexible. Some suggested making the wood wet, others to put it in hot water to see if that work. The investigation continues.
Once again, I see totally engaged students, solving real problems, cooperating and being a successful community of learners.
When I have done basket weaving with thin strips of wood, I notice the teachers get the wood out of a bucket of water where it has been soaking. I wonder if soaking some wood would work for you? How could you guys find some wet wood?
ReplyDeleteIf the children are still thinking about this, they might ask the 2nd graders for advice. When that class was in kindergarten, they worked with Patrick Dougherty while he was building his stick sculpture at Lewis Ginter; they had been trying to solve the problem of how to weave sticks into a giant nest, and learned some techniques from mr. Dougherty. Perhaps some of them still remember?
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