Orange Band: Seed, Week 4

Time flies when you're having fun and working hard!This week, we started to think about some projects we might be interested in doing as a band as we shift toward expression after break. We returned to an internet research activity, but with some added choice and responsibility on the kiddos' parts: instead of being given key words to guide their searches, kiddos chose their own key words, guided by the idea of a recipe they could make with a partner. Then, they chose a recipe and put together a list of ingredients, including some estimates for what the recipe would cost to make using Amazon Pantry.We're so close to being done with our storage unit, we can literally touch it! We had cubbies in our space for the whole week and it's been amazing! We spent our Class Meeting time this working on problem solving how to attach some of the silly hooks we chose. Our last steps are to attach the last few hooks and the presentation board on the backside, which faces the dining area. Woohoo!We went on an AWESOME field trip to The Mill! At this bakery, they don't just start with flour, they start with SEEDS. So, before Josey can bake any bread, he has to mill the wheat seeds into flour. This field trip was a few weeks in the making, and I owe everyone at The Mill such a huge THANK YOU. Josey worked with the prior knowledge, interests and development of our group like a pro: we had a great combination of conceptually compelling topics to discuss (like the mill stones that grind the wheat and the cultures that make sourdough bread rise) and super fun silliness (like everyone cramming into the walk-in fridge to SCREAM!). I feel some expression project ideas coming on... Finally, before our weekly pilgrimage up to the park, we did some leavened vs. unleavened experimenting. While some yeast munched on a couple of different snacks, we made some tortillas. I think this is the beginning of a lot more baking; we're all really enjoying the way we can engage so many senses and intelligences when we work with food. Happy Thanksgiving all! I'm so thankful for you all, and like I told the kiddos yesterday on our way back from The Mill, each and everyone are integral to the Orange Band; we just wouldn't be Orange without any one of them.