Friday, October 15, 2010

Spaces

Working in the art room has already begun to influence the Nesters. More and more students are making creative displays to demonstrate their area of study. Already this year we have a number of kids working on 2D and 3D projects utilizing the materials that are readily available. It will be exciting to see these pieces start to take form. This past Wednesday we worked on some group activities geared towards creativity and team building. For one activity I split the kids into pairs and gave them paper, tape and straws. With these meager supplies they were asked to work together to build a bridge spanning two tables. This bridge needed to be both sturdy and aesthetically pleasing. When the bridge planning and building time was done the kids were asked to select a spokesperson who would represent the team and explain their work. The Nesters did a fabulous job! The bridges were terrific, but what really impressed me was their teamwork. Not only did the kids work well in their small group, but when they came back together with the larger group they soared. They were happy for each other, complimentary to one another and truly enjoyed each others successes! Well done Nesters!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

The Beginning

Falcon's Nest is in full swing! Many students have already selected project topics and are beginning their research. As always we have a wide array of interests and styles represented in the Nest. A sculptor has begun making a prototype for her recycled materials person, a scientist is designing a game using measurements and weights, and a linguist is beginning to study common phrases in multiple languages!
We are also continuing to do group activities geared towards critical and creative thinking skills and team building. In order to help nourish the Nesters creative sides we will be talking a lot about unique talents, perspectives and skills. You may have heard that the first few days of FN were spent getting oriented and doing a lot paperwork. One of the questionnaires that the students filled out was an Interest-A-Lyzer. The Interest-A-Lyzer is a tool developed at the University of Connecticut that is used to help identify an individual student's academic and creative interests. As I read through the responses I was thrilled to see all the passions and talents the FN students possess. I can't wait to see how the Nesters flourish this year.