This morning in the woodshop

This morning the Clear Spring school third and fourth grade students finished their Sloyd trivets and began making their rain forest models. Before starting, they eagerly shared with me what they had learned so far, about the various layers and the life to be found in them. In making the models, the students start with a block of wood and after it has been sanded, they gather sticks that can be used to create the 5 layers of rain forest life, with the longest sticks being the "emergent" layer. It is a great way to learn more and have fun learning, and two years ago when we did this project before, their entire classroom became a jungle filled with their models and other memorabilia from their study.

The first and second grade students made shallow boxes today for their dioramas of American Indian life. They made teepees using canvas cloth and the sticks we gathered during a hike in the woods two weeks ago.

Today I received copies of the December/January issue of American Woodworker featuring Clear Spring School in the school news section. It is a nice article that I hope will bring greater national attention to the school and the Wisdom of the Hands program.

The photos are of finishing a trivet and drilling for the sticks to fit in the rain forest model base. The block of wood covering most of the drill bit is to prevent it from drilling through the board and into the work bench.