Einstein

"Imagination is more important than knowledge" said Albert Einstein. Here are some thoughts on that by the Nesters.

Themes

Some days there seem to be themes in the Nest. Today I noticed a number of students working on medical and health issues. Some of them are inspired by illnesses of friends and family. As I watch the students learn more about intricate problems such as diabetes and leukemia, I can't help but think about how overwhelming this must be to a kid. As adults we struggle to understand the reasons that some people suffer with sickness and others seem to be fortunate and avoid so much pain. And here are kids 10, 11, 12 years old trying to learn as much as they can about the issues that face their friends and family. Are these kids going to grow to be doctors, scientists, researchers...maybe. But more likely they are going to grow up to be empathetic adults who believe that knowledge is power and that caring people can make a difference in the lives of others.

A Day in the Nest

Gabe is discovering that a lemon can actually conduct electricity!

Today Shannen is working on National Teachers' Day in China for her international calendar.

Did you know that if you dream about legs that you may be regaining confidence and taking back control? If you want to know more about what your dreams mean just ask Zach!

Liam is creating a California Condor as part of his endangered animals project.

Here is Paul hard at work on his 6'x7' map of the Roman Empire.

A Better Place

I asked the Nesters what they would like to do to make the world a better place, here are some of their answers.
"Recycle"
"Help people in need of clothing and food."
"Invent energy saving devices..."
"Teach the world about global warming."
"Stop the war in Iraq and Afghanistan."
"Stop polution."
These are such huge problems that our world is facing. No need to panic, I truly believe that if the students in Falcon's Nest represent the future problem solvers that we will be in good hands.

Thanksgiving

Wow, it is hard to believe how fast November has passed. This month has been filled with lots of days off and half days of school but that hasn't stopped FN from being a busy place. We have had some great project presentations. We are spending a lot of time talking about how to present. The Nesters know how to create a constructive critique. It is a real credit to the students that they feel comfortable and confident enough to ask how they can do better without feeling insecure about themselves.

We have begun working on our all school meeting project. Falcon's Nest will be hosting the all school meeting on January 6. We are spending some time learning about New Years celebrations around the world. Right now it looks like the school will get a chance to find out how China, Iran, Indonesia, Australia and India celebrate the New Year.

Happy Thanksgiving! As we head into this long weekend I can't help but think about how thankful I am that I get to spend my afternoons with such great kids.

Talents We Possess

“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”-Henry Van Dyke

The following is a list of self proclaimed talents of Falcon’s Nest students:
Soccer
Basketball
Math
Science
Trumpet
Social Studies
Softball
Making people laugh
Drawing
Reading
Violin
Video Games
Board Games
Swimming
Baseball
Singing
Dancing
Drumming
Obtaining knowledge
Evaluating things
Eating
Writing
Talking to myself
Shopping
Knowledge of ancient history
Blowing up balloons
Snowmobiling
Cooking
Building with Knex
Running
Making things with my hands
Doodling
Sports
Flute
Cello
Hugging
Creativity
Mythology
Physics
Lawn care
Community Service
Algebra
Writing
Four Square
Figure Skating
Making art
Gymnastics
Spelling
Clarinet
Karate

More Project Updates!

Olivia is working on a multifaceted project inspired by her new interest in the trumpet. She is creating a slide show about Dizzy Gillespie, making a model of a trumpet and she will play us some of her own trumpet music. Peter is also going to be sharing some of his own art work. Peter is creating a display of comic and cartoon styles as well as a history of popular comics. Meanwhile, Gabe is making a potato clock. We are all trying to figure out how a potato is going to conduct electricity! Gabe is going to show us the final project as well as a slide show on how you too can make a potato clock at home. Mikey is taking us through the history of the Springfield Falcons. He is creating a slide show that will report on the ups and downs of this franchise and the famous players have been a part of this local team. Shannen is creating an illustrated calendar to show holidays from around the world. There is an international party on every page. We are looking forward to Shannen's final product so we can have twelve new reasons to celebrate!

Presentations

We are nearing the time for our first project presentations. Most of the Nesters are still in the midst of their first projects but a few are finishing up. During the past few weeks, we have been talking about successful presentation skills. We are focusing on both effectively communicating information and becoming active audience members. The presentation skills matrix we are using encourages students to ask questions of their audience, use their voice to emphasize ideas, show visual clues, maintain eye contact and stay focused on the topic. There is a lot to remember when presenting a project, but after all the hard work of researching and formatting the information, is it worth the extra effort!

The audience members are also active participants in each presentation. The audience is expected to comment and critique the work. Some questions you might hear are... Why did you choose this subject? What challenges did you face when working on the project? Does this work lead you to another idea for your next project?

Students often suggest ways in which the presentation could be enhanced with more facts, aesthetic changes or a more focused topic. The Falcon Nest community atmosphere allows for these conversations to occur without hurt feelings or personal attacks. Our one big rule in FN is that we respect each other at all times! I am always amazed at the thoughtfulness, tact and support the kids show one another. They create an environment where learning is fun, safe and engaging.

Book List

Some of the Nesters favorite books!

Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Eggs by Jerry Spinelli
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
Don’t Die My Love by Lurlene McDaniel
Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli
Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
He by Mike Lupica
The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes
Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
Magic Treehouse Series by Mary Pope Osborne
Warrior by Erin Hunter
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Silverwing Series by Kenneth Oppel
Seventh Tower by Garth Nix
Deltor A Quest by Emily Rodda
Magyk by Angie Sage and Mark Zug
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Spiderwick Chronicles by H. Black & T. DiTerrlizzi
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Tredon Lee Stewert
Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer
Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

New Nesters Soon!

Good News! More Nesters will be joining us soon. Letters of invitation went out to eligible students today. They should be starting in the next week or so. It will be great to welcome some more kids with exciting ideas and projects.
As for the current students...they are busy! Some times the Nest feels more like a hive. We have such a wide range of interests and styles it is great to see the work emerge. Fifth grader Paul is creating a slide show entitled "Barbarians Throughout the Roman Empire". His project began as a broad look at barbarians from around the world. This quickly got complicated when he began to delve into the cultural relativity of the word "barbarian". It seems that the term "barbarian" is in the eye of the beholder. Mia is creating a book for a younger grade to help them get a jump start on geography. Her illustrated alphabet book tells facts about twenty six countries. The letter C is for Cambodia. Did you know Cambodia only has two seasons-rainy and dry? Mia says this project is a lot of fun because she loves geography and teaching younger kids. Julia loves working with hands-on projects she is not afraid to get messy! Her investigation right now is to look at chemical reactions and stain removal. The vinegar trial was a particularly smelly day! We are all looking forward to her findings.

Project Updates

Sienna and Moira are working together on a slide show about the country of Djibouti. When they present their slide show they are going to bring in banana fritters which are a popular treat in Djibouti. A fact that Moira finds particularily surprising is that the average lifespan of a person in Djibouti is only 43! Sienna said she was really interested in finding out that the country only gets five inches of rain each year!
Also working on a research project about a particular country is Taylor. Taylor is studying Paraguay. She wanted to learn more about a country in South America that she didn't know much about. She is particularily interested in finding out more about the national foods of Paraguay. Taylor already discovered that the people of Paraguay enjoy many of the same sports as we do-like soccer, basketball and tennis. When she is done with her research Taylor will be sharing what she learned with a slideshow and poster. We are all looking forward to finding out more about Paraguay!
Zach who is in sixth grade is making an electric generator out of magnets and wire. He has discovered it is a lot harder than he imagined! Zach has been working hard on making models and revisions of his plan. He even took apart an old computer hard drive to get to a super strong magnet inside. He hopes that with some tweaking of materials and designs he will be lighting up the Falcon's Nest in no time.
Sara is experimenting with acne products. Did you know that chocolate and greasy food do not make you develop acne? When Sara is done with her research she is going to compare some popular acne treatments and report on her findings. We can't wait to find out what she discovers.
More updates will be coming soon...

Great Start

Falcon's Nest is off to a great start this year. The veteran Nester's are back and already delving into topics that they want to study. We have a number of geographers creating presentations on Paraguay, Djibouti and one person creating ABC book of countries for HES's first grade classes. Our scientists are also emerging with some hands-on experiments about electromagnetic energy as well as studying chemical reactions in the stain removal process. A number of other projects are also taking shape ranging from successful treatment for acne to barbarians from around the world. This promises to be an exciting year in the nest with some lively discussions. The Falcon's Nest is aiming at helping students find their passions. This is a great video of students in New York at PS 22 who are obviously discovering a passion.

Falcon's Nest Goals

Falcon’s Nest Goals

§ To help HES meet the academic needs of all children.

§ To maximize the amount of hands-on learning time for all children.

§ To foster multiple learning styles.

§ To encourage critical and creative thinking skills.

§ To facilitate leadership skills and share information with the school community.

§ To give students access to a multi-aged peer group that provides a positive learning environment in which intellectual curiosity is the norm.