fermentation
Today was all about fermenting and salinity. The Coyotes worked with cabbage in salt, the Phantoms and Rubber Band followed up on their sauerkraut from Friday, and the Sand Leopards are experimenting with pickling in different levels of salinity.
This afternoon, fermentation expert and food-world celebrity Sandor Katz visited the school to talk to the kids about the use of salt in preserving food. We were lucky to catch him on his way back to New York from a fermentation festival in Petaluma.
Noah and his mom brought apples and honey in to share for Rosh Hashanah so we could all start out the new year on a sweet note.
At circle, the Rubber Band explained the process of osmosis with a short dramatic act:
Sauerkraut!
chickens at the park, sparks at school
Viola, a penguin scientist, told the Flying Fish about her experiences studying penguins in Antarctica, told them about penguin habits, and showed them the birds’ bones and feathers.
The kids brought the four chickens to the park this afternoon so the birds could get some sun and explore the outside.
Bike expert Nora came back for some rickshaw building and bike dismantling.
Sparks.
cheese
We had a surprise for the kids today: a goat cheese maker named Will! He taught us all about dairy farming and explained the connections that people and animals have, the different types of cheeses and the animals that produce them, and the factors that affect cheese production.
He made cheese for us from whole milk that we later got to eat with strawberries and honey.
The surprise guest was a five-day-old baby goat!
We had a cheese party and gave Will big props for coming to visit and for sharing.
In the afternoon, while the Undead Goats worked on their rickshaw and the Ninja Cats practiced their lines, the Flying Fish drew out the storyboard for their bird play.
Make the cheese.
friday
Whew! Back from a brief blog hiatus. Friday was a bustling, bubbling day of activity, visitors, lunch…
Be sure to check out Maker Faire and visit our puzzling booth! We’re right next to the Exploratorium. Come and say hello!
welding, birding, acting
Our animal collection keeps growing! Today we acquired some baby button quail that aren’t even as big as the chick was when it hatched.
The Flying Fish added new responsibilities and new possibilities to their arc!
Nate came in to introduce welding to the Undead Goats in preparation for their rickshaw building project.
After he demonstrated some welding…
… the Goats got to try it out themselves.
The Ninja Cats continued to build the stage…
… and develop their plot.
The Fish are practicing story boarding to come up with an idea for their nesting performance. They also went to the park to act as birds and again try out ideas for their story.
deconstruction and city blocks
Friday…
Currency group is getting ready to roll out their version of a Brightworks currency.
The Ninja Cats measured the time it takes to run one city block, and then compared that time to what it takes to ride a bike down one city block.
Flying Fish burrito!
The Undead Goats were visited by biking and cyclocross expert Murphy. He stayed the whole day to share his stories and knowledge about competitive biking and bike repair.
The Goats split into groups and each took a piece of a bike to deconstruct.
At the end of the day, they had an exploded vision of the complexities of a bicycle.
See you next week!
prepping
Last night, the video producers for the “My Country” Tuneyards music video hosted a viewing for the Brightworks and Rock Project kids who were involved in the photo shoot. Everyone was excited (and maybe a little embarrassed) to see themselves on film!
Today, it was back to the tables and notebooks and drawing boards to put finishing touches on projects and get prepped for Exposition night.
The Flying Fish set up their throwing course and measured its distance.
A few more practice runs on the aerial silk.
Final additions on drawings.
Will and Beth continued to provide engaging art projects for the kids during their free moments throughout the day; today was watercolors and clay sculpting.
Everyone practiced and prepared for presentations.
One more day until the big show!
