in wood shop yesterday...

My first through 4th grade students made objects of their own design. I told them it was "free day", their favorite thing, but with this caveat. I required that they use rulers and squares to make straight cuts, and found objects to make circles. I want their lines to be deliberate, and less random than has been the case.

My fifth and sixth grade students worked on the bridge connecting the play field with the new hands-on learning center that will come into use during the next school year. My wood shop will be moved to the new location, and the bridge should have hand rails and be ready for use next week.

My 7th through 8th grade students spent their hour in wood shop turning on the lathe, but also attempting to video the process. There are a few good things that happen when we attempt to explain and share what we do with others. We address what we are doing with greater care. We think about things from different angles. We engage the editorial functions of mind. The student's job must be to do, but not mindlessly as is sometimes the case. The teacher's job is to require the student to reflect.

If you want to get good at something, do a lot of it and then teach what you've learned to someone else.

On another front, I've arranged for a video to readied for sharing on youtube that's about the early days of the arts in Eureka. I regard history as being important, and that to understand why we are all here, and where we are going next demands that we know more about the starting point and the folks involved. The video, titled "Legacy in the Arts" features Louis and Elsie Freund and other leaders from the early arts community of Eureka Springs. I'll also plan a public showing in collaboration with the Eureka Springs School of the Arts.

Make, fix and create. Sustain an environment in which others may learn lifewise.