Tuesday, March 07, 2017

how does this apply to me?

Yesterday I gave my first second and third grade students the opportunity to make wooden snakes, and it became obvious that the steps were too hard for some. One third grader was able  to make one but the others retreated into things they knew how to do and surprised me.  For example, one asked me to make cuts for her using the scroll saw and made a surfer as a gift for her dad. While the scroll saw cuts required my help, the design was her own.

Today my high school students will visit my wood shop for a tour and brief lecture on and discussion of micro economics. They have been studying economics, so I hope they can ask some good questions. One of the challenges involved in the study of an isolated and abstract field like economics is bringing it home to concrete reality. I guess that will be my job, hoping to help our students to grasp some relevance from an abstract field of study. Thus the question, "how does this apply to me?"

This afternoon we have an open house/potluck for parents at school. The younger children will be tour guides.

Make, fix, and create...

2 comments:

  1. I know your older kids use lathes. Do any of them use the scroll saw? If so, at what age range do you see them exhibiting appropriate mentality and skill for the tool?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Usually by 3rd or 4th grade under close supervision. In addition to the mentality and skill, it takes some strength to hold the material down as it is being cut.

    ReplyDelete