A Pot of Wishes

Classroom birthday and holiday gifts for teachers are always a dilemma. Are they for you? It requires an idea, some volunteer parents to implement, and - the most challenging - asking and getting parent contributions if the gift requires money. Yes, there are gifts that don't! But for a rock star teacher, book devourer, potter, and avid SCUBA diver who is beloved by both his students and the parents...our solution was this...

They had just finished reading A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. Set in Korea this Newbery Medal-winning book follows Tree-ear, an orphan, who lives under a bridge in Ch’ulp’o, a potters' village famed for delicate celadon ware.

So I found a celadon pot by Liz at SkyBird Arts Pottery; it was even more beautiful in person than on her online store. And we had the kids each write a wish for their teacher to create a pot of wishes. Riley folded and stuffed to fit them all in there and I wrapped it up with a bow.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend the birthday brunch and gift giving, but I hear it was a hit. Happy birthday, Tod!

Who is Riley?

Riley's first (six-week) unit in school explores culture. They began by answering the question: Who am I? And they answered that question by creating and decorating a plaster mask. The kids helped each other make a plaster mold of each student's face. Then they planned and executed a plan to answer...

 

What kind of person are you (public and private side)?
How are you smart?
What you love to do?
Your family, home, and culture
Your hopes/dreams for the future

 

Riley turned this in today. Here's his public side...with a propellor, some redwood needles, a eucalyptus leaf, an eagle, a jack, a testtube, a mandolin. What else is on here? And what does that all mean?!? I asked him if I could read what he wrote about those things; he told me, "I didn't write anything, Mom. We just have to present it to the class. We don't have to write an essay about it!" Okay. Fine.

 

And here's the private side...a darker green. I see mountain peaks. I see a book. I see musical notes. I see random letters that I am certain are not random. Interesting.

Here's a photo that his teacher posted from the in-class presentation. I still have no idea what he said, but he reported that all went well.

 

Photo by TSpedding 

Work Hard, Splash Hard

We have always made a point of working hard and playing hard. The boys know that if they buckle down, finish their school work, and do their household chores (which is really just keeping their own room clean and doing their laundry), we'll head out and do something fun. This weekend was no exception - we had to head up to Santa Cruz where I had a freelance assignment...then we went to the community pool for Riley's class swim party.

I've already mentioned how impressive our teachers are. But, once again, they went above and beyond and upped the fun factor at the pool with an underwater camera! Here are my mer-Manns...

photo by TSpedding

photo by TSpedding

Thanks for the great afternoon!

Trusting Riley's Eye

When we were at my grandfather's funeral last week, Riley asked me if he could have the camera. Dylan was about the receive the flag that had been draped over the casket and I knew the photos that I wanted to take. Only having brought one camera, I knew that if he didn't take the photos I wanted, I wouldn't get a second chance. But I took a deep breath, removed the strap from my neck, and handed over the camera. More deep breaths.

I didn't look at the photos for a few hours, but I was blown away by his composition and realized that he captured exactly what I wanted! From now on I'll trust his eye.

Sharing Books

Last night the 5th grade teachers sent out the book list for the novels they will be reading throughout their different units of studying. I'm not a big novel gal; food histories and non-fiction are my tomes of choice, as you could see if you looked at my book-laden nightstand. But I was intrigued by some of the titles the teachers have selected. I ordered the books so that Riley can take notes in the margins...but also, selfishly, so that I can read them as well.

The Master Puppeteer

by Katherine Paterson

A Single Shard

by Linda Sue Park

Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage, and Survival

by Velma Wallis

Morning Girl

by Michael Dorris

The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis & Clark Tribe

by Roland Smith

Flush

by Carl Hiaasen

Maniac Magee

by Jerry Spinelli

Now Riley and I wear the same shoe size and...will be sharing some books. That makes me both excited and wistful.

A Spaghetti-Marshmallow Challenge

Riley has only been in 5th grade for three days and already I am smitten with the teaching team and their über-cool homework projects. Last night one of his optional assignments was to recreate their Spaghetti-Marshmallow Challenge at home with their families. Build something? With food??! Oh, yeah. That was a must, though I didn't have any "real marshmallows." I had homemade - square - agave syrup marshmallows that Riley scoffed at. "Mom, those are perfect for hot chocolate, but not my project." Fine. So, off I went to Safeway with an hour before bedtime...to get "marshmallows that other people have in their homes."

The challenge: use 20 spaghetti noodles, 1 meter of tape, 1 meter of string and - in 30 minutes - build the tallest structure you can that will support the weight of a marshmallow.

Riley and I both went for a tripod method, though I reinforced the frame by utilizing multiple noodles in each leg. Dylan started off with a four-pronged base. And Jake went for a helix-style structure.

In a house full of LEGO-crazed boys and a truly handy husband, I am thrilled to say that my structure won. I built a tower that was 28-1/2" tall. Both Riley and Jake's were 28". So I just barely squeaked past them with half an inch, but I'll take the victory. Girl power! Dylan participated but really was only interested in eating the marshmallow afterwards.

Looking forward to lots more learning and fun!

*UPDATE*
Whoops! After watching this, Jake said, "the exercise is about cooperation and teamwork more then building a marshmallow and spaghetti hut." Cooperation and teamwork? Team Mann?!? Ha! We don't do teamwork. Maybe that's something to work on this year.

Embroidered Placecards

One of my friends has already started her Thanksgiving cooking...I figured that I needed to get on the preparation wagon. After his field trip to the Cooper-Molera Adobe when we stepped back in time and ground corn, made tortillas, branded leather, and embroidered, Riley decided that he wanted to embroider the placecards for our Thanksgiving table. So, he paced himself and did one per day. He just finished this afternoon...and now Nonna has enough time to back them to hide his stiches on the flipside. He is so proud of these!

Great job, Riley-ball.