yesterday and this morning...

Yesterday, My first and second grade students continued work on their tool boxes, and I was pleased to see how much attention and effort they were willing to put in with planes to smooth the edges they had sawn. They wanted them to be perfectly smooth. One of the nice things about wood working is that it allows the student to self-assess progress and to directly measure his or her results in relation to the progress of peers. Woodworking provides a tactile response. I am also pleased that they are not always in a hurry to get things done, and seem willing to work to get things done right.

On the other hand, when they get near the end of a project, they are in a hurry to take it home. They are rightly proud of their work, and want to share it with their family and demonstrate possession of it in their own lives.

My middle school class has been challenging and I need to take a tighter rein. I asked them to fill out a brief survey yesterday. My hope is to begin the use of writing as a regular wood shop activity. It's not that I want to take over their writing as a duty in wood shop, but that they become more reflective and less impulsive in what they do on our time.

This morning I'll start the process of printing a raptor hand on the school's 3-D printer. I'll have to monitor it throughout the day so that the printer does not run out of filament. For those unfamiliar with 3-D printing, the filament takes the place of ink and is laid down layer by layer as a stream of melted plastic.

I'll also begin assembly of two shaving horses, and will spend some time writing about the revolution  that the introduction of Kindergarten brought to the world.

Make, fix and create...