October 12th, 2021

10/12/2021

Projections for the week of October 11-15

Reflecting on our Summer Research Photo Books

At the end of our Brown Room year, we started to be interested in photography and using digital cameras. We intended to continue our interest into the Rainey Room year. In order to bridge the gap between the two school years and to further deepen our relationship with photography, we created our Summer Research photo books. The children were invited fill their photo book by capturing moments from their summers through photos, drawing or writing.

sharing, reflecting and connecting

When started our new school year together, we reflected on our time in the Brown Room and plans for our time in the Rainey Room. As part of this transition period the children shared their Summer Research books, photos, memories and stories from their summer with their friends in large group settings. One child at a time presented their photo book by showing and talking about the photos, where they took them and why they included them in their summer research book, as well as sharing stories or special memories from their summer. The children quickly began to point out and compare the similarities and differences of their experiences.
Where did you go? What did you do? Who were you with?
This time was intentionally used to (re-)connect with each other over possibly shared experiences and to learn more about each other's preferences and interests and family backgrounds.

Noticing similarities in our experiences

When Cate shared her Summer Research book with us...

Cate: Gnomes are little creatures.
Wilder: Are they alive?
Cate: Yes. I only saw their gnome hat.
Jade: I saw a gnome, too. It was made out of plastic.
Cate: (explaining the gnome house she photographed) It’s something you build where gnomes live in. It’s built with lots of outdoor things.

As more and more of us shared their summer research photo books, the children noticed that many of us went to the beach during the summer.

I was at Delaware. I was a mermaid there. - Frannie
I went to the beach in Michigan. And I went in North Carolina. - Cate

Inspired by the children's stories about their time on the beach and their interest in engaging with sand, we created a "sand table" in our classroom to connect our summer research and our work in the Rainey Room. This became a place for further reflection, exchange of ideas and exploration.

I built on the beach before. The sand was softer than this. I find a big big seashell before. Like this one. My dad told me all about the beach. - Daniel

While working on the light table, Wilder noticed an image from Finlay's photo book in which Finlay is digging a hole on the beach.

"He (Finlay) is digging a big hole. Pappy (Wilder's grandfather) does that! He buries me and draws me a mermaid. And then the water comes. It washes my painting away." - Wilder

Wilder remembering one of his experiences on the beach, inspired by and connected to Finlay's photo, recreates his memory on the light table with a wooden figure.

Many other experience we had during the summer involved catching fish, crabs or lobster...

During Luke’s summer research presentation

Luke: A big lobster!
Wilder: I caught a lobster, too, at Maine. In the water. Remember?
Jade: Did you eat lobster for dinner?
Luke: No!
Jade: Then what did you do with it?
Luke: We put it in the tank.

The children's interest in lobsters and fishing really showed during out outside times!
Fishermen and -women set out traps and nets with bait (wire baskets and ice cube trays) in the water (mulch area) around the "lobster boat" and the catch of the day then got prepared by the chefs around the outdoor classroom.

"It's sea food. What lobster eat." - Hugh
"Do you know in the water them have rocks?" - Luke

"We're going to California to get lobsters. And in Chicago but we are not getting lobsters for ourselves. We are selling them. We sell them at the fishers shop and the lobster shop." - Jade

In real life Amanda caught a lobster that looked exactly like this. With three antenna. - Wilder

"catching fish"

How do you prepare lobster?

Wilder
You put them in a hot boil pot and cook them for a long time. And put in some spicy stuff. And then put the top on and put the fire down below. I set a trap in the water for the lobsters.

Jade
You put them with water, sand, calcium, milk and wood chips. You put them in little containers and give them to people that don't have any lobsters.

Hugh
Well we cook them. We put them in this kind of thing (funnel) and this makes it tasty (adding "ice cubes"). We leave them in the microwave for 20 hours. And then we grate them. We grate them, right? Because we want them in little pieces. I put honey on it. It just makes it sweet.

Daniel
I cook them with water and salt and butter. And I put honey on mine.

Another way to "prepare" lobster is by "cooking them in a smoker":

Of course lobster boats also require good care and regular cleaning. Luke, Hugh, Wilder, Saul and Jade decided to clean the lobster boat, first with soapy water and then with "vinegar" (sand).

"We have to really clean the seats so you don't want to be your bum to be all dirty when you're sitting, right?" - Hugh to Wilder
"A lobster boat sure needs to be clean." - Jade
"Scrubby, scrubby, scrubby." - Luke

"It's vinegar" - Jade, adding sand to the boat
"Cause it cleans our boat. It's scrubbing all the stuff." - Wilder
"This vinegar is good for cleaning boats." - Saul