What I'm up to........

Now that I'm retired, and now that my days are filling up with this and that and the other, I thought I ought to document what I get up to, as well as maintaining the gardens, chaperoning the blind Matilda, feeding the birds and the deer, oh, and the rabbits and the squirrels and the mice....(two of them today, sitting in the white bird food container):

I'm now on the School Accountability Committee at the two local elementary schools;

I teach science at the local Mountain View Elementary School every Thursday afternoon:

Every Thursday morning I work with 7th graders at South Middle School in Aurora:

7th graders, South Middle

Picasso activity

The pocket museum - filled with small mammal bones

I was elected chairman of the HOA Landscaping Committee this week, with responsibility for maintaining the prairie, the bird sanctuary, the trees and gardens, in and around The Pinery;

I'm planning and running science and community building workshops;

I'm planning for another two science classes at Buffalo Ridge Elementary:

I'm trying to finish my second memoir;

I work daily on my blog;

I talk with Matilda, comb her, and then take her for a trot around the house (IF the sun is shining);

I water the cuttings that are growing in my study;

I read the NYT......mainly the front page and the editorials;

I flick through gardening magazines and have just started my Gardening Year scrapbook:

I try to remember what I keep forgetting.

****   Tomorrow, I'm running my science workshop (Let's be a scientist) for parents and children, at Mountain View Elementary School. I'll take some photos and include in this posting tomorrow evening.

Let’s be a SCIENTIST!

• Scientists think BIG thoughts about the world around them.
• Scientists think about what they see, what they hear, what they smell.
• Scientists design and carry out experiments.

·       Scientists talk and work with other scientists and learn from each other.

·       Scientists write notes and draw pictures of their experiments.

Well, this “hands-on”, science inquiry class

is for M. V. family scientists!

**  Bring your son/daughter and work together on scientific projects

• Create POCKET MUSEUMS
• Make and fly rockets, indoor kites, helicopters, and boomerangs
• Design marble runs, spinning tops, and flip-flops
• Make and race wooden spool and coke-can dragsters

And much, much more…………

         Two classes of ‘hands-on’ science activity

Meeting Times: Thursday 24^th and 31^st. January.    

Workshop Leader: John Paull

John Paull is an author, educational consultant, Schools’ Television (U.K.) writer, administrator, teacher and teacher-educator with more than 45 years of classroom experience, from pre K and elementary through to post-graduate university level. 

See www.johnpaull.com. for more details.

Johnpaull2011@gmail.com.

This class went really well................I was thrilled to see the parents working with - and learning from -their kids. Had some great emails from the parents later, telling me that they had a great time.

The next class, January 31st,  will focus on collecting and mounting stuff in pocket museums. I'll also give the parents more ideas to try out with their young scientists at home. First, though, I'll be working with the 2nd graders, in what now has become a routine Thursday afternoon session for me.

February 1 - the class went well. As I sat and talked with the children, I was given a scrumbled dollar bill, a tin with a rock inside, and an bagful of bones! The scientist class went well, too. I started it by challenging the scientists to make a marble run - from cereal boxes - in 10 minutes. Then, as everyone had brought tins, I showed them some of my pocket museums. They then lined theirs with felt and mounted the wishing rock I handed out. Finally, everyone had an owl pellet to dissect....and that was a GREAT success! No one had seen an owl pellet before.....so I captured the moment with my 'capture the moment' ritual  (if you don't know this, I'll post it later).

When I got home, I began preparing for my science sessions with 3/4/5 graders at Buffalo Ridge in a weeks time.

Yesterday, February 9th, I ran a workshop in RAFT, Denver, entitled How to build a classroom community. I enjoyed it and the attendees seemed to have a good and useful time.

February 12/13

Two after-school classes at Jeannine's school.............went better than I would have hoped. Great support from the parents. Set up five tables of scientific activity and watched and interacted as the kids became astute, engaged and enthusiastic scientists.

February 20th

 - Had a great time with Laurie's second graders making marble runs. They really took to it and made some really good runs.

- Elected as Chair of The Pinery Community Services Ctte, and as Secretary of The Pinery HOA Executive Ctte

February 21st

Met with parents at BRE to talk about the upcoming science fair (I'm a judge) and my two evening workshops for parents and students. Wrote a lot of stuff for these two sessions, and I'll get them posted on the blog as soon as I've had some brekkie........and fed the deer, birds, rabbits, and, of course, the Pincess Matilda.

February 27th

Going to try some balancing activities (you know, balancing figures on a tightrope suspended between two bottles) with Laurie's class today........spent most of yesterday, and this morning, getting everything together for the action.

We'll see how it goes.

..............Goodee..............Went well..

7th March

Had a super afternoon with my second graders.

Gifts from the children included:
- a cat's skull, some shells from Florida, petrified wood, three hugs, a notebook, a paper plane, and cheers from everyone as I walked through the door.

I shared the cottonwood star story and showed them the collection of eggs given to me by Debbie P.

I was tired but found the session invigorating.

12th and 14th March
Two evening workshops at BRE for parents and children.
Let's Work with a Scientist

Both soon filled up quickly and both went well.

21st March
Plans now afoot to do a Spider Workshop after the spring break; asked to run a  summer camp for kids; thinking, though, of holding back a bit.

After-School Workshop

I’m a Scientist!

      Two classes of ‘hands-on’ science activity

CLASS 1:    I’m a SCIENTIST

Make and fly rockets, helicopters, and boomerangs!

Design and create marble runs and flip-flops!

Design and make a home for spiders!

Class 2 –   I’m an ARACHNOLOGIST

Explore the nearby wild environment for spiders and other creepy crawlies!

Meeting Times:  4:15 – 5:30

                     Thursday April 4^th and April 11^th.

Cost: $5 (to cover resources)

Workshop Leader: John Paull

John Paull is an author, educational consultant, Schools Television (U.K.) writer, principal, administrator, teacher and teacher-educator, with more than 45 years of classroom experience, from pre K and elementary through to post-graduate university level.     www.johnpaull.com

I MUST FINISH MY SECOND MEMOIR!!!!

May 2013

I'm a Scientist classes for parents and children, at PACE. here's the advert:

Lets be Scientist

BRING your young scientist and work together on fun but challenging science projects, like making and flying indoor rockets, blimps, helicopters and boomerangs, designing and making marble runs and flip-flops, constructing and racing soda can dragsters!  PLEASE note – Class One, for adults only, will focus on things to do and things not to do when working with young children.  Classes TWO-FIVE, ‘hands-on’ science activities. The classes went well - it's so good watching adults working in partnership with their kids, tackling engaging science activities. Shifting this posting to 'I am a scientist'.........