Yellow Band: by Sea, weeks 11 & 12

The last few weeks have been so much fun! As the crow's nest and tugboat started to wrap up, we didn't quite have enough time to start some new projects from scratch. But, we started an exploration that we hadn't gotten to yet--lighthouses and shipwrecks. Because why not?As long as people have been traveling and transporting, boats have been wrecking along rocky shorelines and invisible reefs and in bad weather with low visibility. And, as long as boats have been wrecking, people have been trying to figure out different ways to protect sailors and mariners from unseen dangers. With lighthouses, bells, foghorns, and even fires burning from beaches humans have tried to light the way toward safety. And, the Bay area is a great place to explore some of these physical structures and research their successes and failures.One piece of this exploration was light itself: how does it work, and how can we magnify it to light the way on dark nights? We spent some time playing with lenses and color in order to explore some of the properties of light.Another piece of this exploration was architectural: how can we build a tall tower that is also strong enough to stand up to pounding waves, unrelenting wind and rain?After our trip to Pt. Bonita, we realized the sheer magnitude of the number of shipwrecks around the Golden Gate (around 300!). Some quick internet research revealed that we could get pretty close to a few of these wrecks by taking a trip out to Lands End. So that's just what we did!This week, we focused on researching and experimenting with a particularly damaging type of shipwrecks: when oil tankers wreck and leak crude oil into marine environments. We started to learn a bit about the wreck of the Exxon Valdez in 1989, which left a lasting impression for many. The entire school has been talking about how to be more responsible with our waste--from being mindful that we put our trash into the proper bin, to ways we can minimize waste--so this turn in the exploration fit right in. Plus, some of the chemistry experiments we got to do were really messy and fun!And now we're already getting ready for Expo! Stay tuned!