Today we handed out our "Blue Books." They're the books we record all of our work in from themes, math, and literacy. They're beautifully bound and a cheer went up when we showed them to the classes (combined together for the first time). One fourth grader came up to me and said, "I can't wait to tell my brother I finally got my blue book!" Until she said it, I hadn't realized that these books, which were the result of a long struggle trying to find the best way to record the learning in a progressive classroom, have become a rite of passage for Prairie Creek kids.
Today, all we did was number the pages of the book, add a name plate and design title pages. Some of the titles created by students include "My Final Year at P.C.C.S," "My Brain's Book" and the like. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm for the year ahead.
We also took our first "ramble" today. The ramble is an almost weekly P.E. tradition in which we
briskly hike for about 45 minutes. We have different routes we take and today's was to the Castle Rock overlook from which you can see where the actual "Castle Rock" is. The students really enjoy going to "The Rocks" which is a glacial outcropping across a soybean field from the school. We can't get there until after harvest but it will be wonderful to return. The ramble began as a way to increase students' stamina and introduce them to hiking as a life long fitness activity. It's become a lot more than that — a chance to visit and revisit the world around our little school, notice the changes the seasons bring and be more connected to each other. MM
briskly hike for about 45 minutes. We have different routes we take and today's was to the Castle Rock overlook from which you can see where the actual "Castle Rock" is. The students really enjoy going to "The Rocks" which is a glacial outcropping across a soybean field from the school. We can't get there until after harvest but it will be wonderful to return. The ramble began as a way to increase students' stamina and introduce them to hiking as a life long fitness activity. It's become a lot more than that — a chance to visit and revisit the world around our little school, notice the changes the seasons bring and be more connected to each other. MM
The Rookery 