Week 13: 12/1-12/7
From and Spark Studio
Miss Anna: We had a great first week back with the introduction of our Zoology quest! We kicked off the week by learning about an important skill scientists need in order to be successful – being great observers of the world around them. Each Hero got their “Zoology Field Journals,” which they will use all session long to record their observations using pictures and words.
On Thursday, we had our first big “zoologist” challenge – classifying the five different types of vertebrates, drawing detailed sketches, and labeling them. The Heroes split up into groups and rotated around the studio to each “vertebrate station.” There was a stack of books about the vertebrate that the heroes could explore and then choose one vertebrate in each station that they wanted to draw and label. The Heroes were so engaged, I cleared our schedule for the rest of the day so we could have more time to finish their drawings. Never underestimate the focus and engagement of a group of 4-7 year olds when they are trusted with choice and given the opportunity to explore their own interests!
From the Elementary Studio
Kara: We’re on a short but exciting quest around the world! The heroes have traveler, cartographer, and explorer challenges to complete together and on their own. This week they did the hard work of reading and interpreting maps and symbols and began their study of various continents and countries. They are earning navigational clues towards a final destination on the last day of the quest. They’ve been intent and excited about their work, and helpful to each other as usual. We had a great week!
JeVonne: Watching and listening to our heroes respond to our visitor Sola, was truly special. Her story of her life in Western Somoa and her journey to America as a young adult was fascinating. Our heroes engagement with her story and the questions they had about her life showed they truly appreciated her Hero’s Journey.
After a week break, one might expect the heroes to take a day or two to remember how to re-focus and get in flow again. But not these heroes! After a real sprint outside and a discussion of what a “sprint” would look like in their school work for this short 3 week session, the heroes immediately jumped into hard and focused core skills. They voted for “silence” the first half of core skills and some chose to use dividers and head phones to block out distractions.
I even witnessed heroes willingly spend their lunch time working on their civilization projects and heard them arguing over whose Egyptian kingdom was better during free time. It was a highlight to watch heroes choose to focus and then to listen to them describe what it felt like to be in flow!
Whether it was in the Spark studio watching the heroes engage with vertebrates, or in the Elementary studio watching the heroes engage with maps or core skills or visitors from other countries, watching our young heroes experience flow is a joy to behold!