WPNS News

Dear Oak,

Today was an adventure. On an adventure, everyone knows, “Safety First!” You are all safety experts. We went on an Adventure Walk. You expertly let one of the tallest people lead. If anyone is accidentally going to step on a rattlesnake, it’s best for one of the tallest people to lead. Plus, the tallest person can see the furthest ahead, so that hopefully no one surprises the poor rattlesnake by stepping on it.

You expertly sat down when you wanted to put your feet in the water. You know that river bottoms can be slippery and tricky with unexpected ground changes. It’s easy to fall down and find yourself under water unexpectedly. Plus, we didn’t have life vests. It was fun to sit on the edge and put our feet into Cache Creek. The water was cold.

There were little creatures swimming around. We think they may have been tadpoles. You also used your safety expertise back at camp staying in bounds where grownups could see you. Only picking the plants that Lynne okayed to pick and leaving the other plants to grow. And you left the little flags to mark the special plants so they wouldn’t be lost.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Mulberry,

Each of us is different. We move through the world and the yard as ourselves. We each go our own way. Some of us are taller. Some of us are shorter. Some of us are older. Some of us are younger.

Some of us can stand on one foot. Some of us are like butterflies flitting and floating and landing here and there. I wonder what a butterfly notices. Some of us cannot stand on one foot today but will next month. Some of us may never have an interest in trying.

Some of us see something another is doing and reach for it to do it too, especially if we are younger and they are older. Someone new to Rainbow School may be used to food on a table being available to eat and reach for yours.

We are all teachers. We are all learners. You may someday be able to let them know that you are using this one and there is another one like it over here or that this is your snack and point out which one is theirs. And if you forget or the feeling of WORRY or ANGRY or both take over, you can always have do overs.

That is another way, like teaching and learning, we are all alike. We all need do overs sometimes.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Oak,

It’s green. It’s snapping. Is it a crocodile? Run! Get the water traps. No! We don’t need water traps in the Safe Area. Your books! Your writing! Your Art! We have to keep them safe. They MUST stay dry to stay safe. Plus, we don’t need water traps in the Safe Area because the Safe Area is SAFE!

More water! My turn! Yikes! Water is going into the Safe Area. We’re going to be trapped. To safely get the water to make the traps, first, put the hose in the canister you want to fill. Then and only then, turn on the water. Then, watch very carefully and turn off the water when it gets just below the top. That’s important! Otherwise, the water will spray out the too full canister and get you all wet.

The safest and quickest way that I saw was when you put the opening of your canister under the water in the bin. Watch the bubbles. When the bubbles stop, you’ve got water for your water trap. Or use the pitcher to fill the canister. Now, let’s go get that green snapper. Was it a crocodile?

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Mulberry,

You were digging a BIG hole in the sandbox and asked your mom for help. She was reading, and I really like digging holes, so I asked if I could help. You directed me to dig deeper. We dug a long deep hole. Then, you started digging a long deep hole perpendicular to the hole you’d already dug, so I started one parallel to the one you were digging.

The 3 holes joined at the corners and looked like a U. You began a tunnel. I found a treasure. You noted that it was a mine. When my hole was about as close to the edge of where you were digging your tunnel, I started digging a tunnel too. Then someone else joined to help. Our tunnels met. You could see the scoop I was using from your end.

The two of you kept clearing dirt from the tunnel on your side, and others came over to help too. Someone fell into the first hole we’d dug and forward on top of the tunnel. I thought there might be a cave in, but there wasn’t. Then another person stood on top of the tunnel. A crack appeared. A pile of dirt fell on my side. And …. cave in!

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Oak,

You asked where the rope was. You’d gone to see if it was still tied to the triangle. It wasn’t. I pointed it out on the shelf, and you went to re-tie it. Some others had a different idea for the rope. Three of you pulled one way. Three pulled the other.

I pointed out that you had asked for the rope when you first came in. One of the others went off and found another rope. They tied it to both ends of the swingset. They wanted to throw the middle over the top of the swingset, but I don’t think it was long enough to reach. They had another idea with red paint.

You asked me for help getting your rope over the barn. Then changed your mind when you saw a better way. There was already someone up on the roof of the barn. It took a couple of tries before you could each reach far enough. Finally you got it over. People used the rope all day to get up and down from the barn.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Oak,

Two geese flew overhead talking. They flew just above the trees, their wings wide, their long black necks shooting forward through the sky. The trees whispered to each other if you listened very closely. Twitters and cheeps accompanied our own conversations and stories.

A snakefly flew into someone’s shirt while they were taking care of Cache Creek and helping. Lots of you joined the two Cache Creek workers who were pulling out unwanted plants to make room for wanted plants to grow and flourish.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Mulberry,

Slime. Icky. Sticky. Ooey. Gooey. Slime. First, one discovered the yellow bin. In the bin was a tupperware full of slime. They carried the bin to the bottom of Rainbow Mountain. Then they tipped the tupperware. The slime oozed and goozed onto the bike path.

It didn’t come out all in one plop, but they had to layer it out in gloops and glops. Then we put the slime into the yellow bin. Otherwise, shoes and feet and bikes would be slimed, and we’d never get it off. They’d put their hands in, and I had to rub tops, bottoms, and in between to try and free their hands of slime.

Still, there were bits of slime clinging to their thumb and in between their pinky and ring finger. I got a dry washcloth and rubbed. I returned all the slime to the tub and put the tub on the table. Later, two others discovered the slime. They came running and calling, “Help!” Their hands were coated in slime.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Oak,

You’d been working with the slime. Two others wore slime gloves with ropes strong enough to even hold Rhino, who could smash through the school. After getting all the slime off your hands, you started building with the magnatiles. You built a tower using all the small squares.

I was busy desliming people and dinosaurs. When I looked up, you had begun another structure using the big squares and small squares. You built a box at the center using the big squares and coming off that box you built walls with 4 small squares each.

You then built ceilings with 4 small squares each too. I saw how you used an H structure to be able to hold the 4 squares up without them caving in. I wonder how you figured that out. You built 4 of these H structures around the central box.

You weren’t finished yet. You built another structure on top of the central box. At first you used the big and long triangles to make a tower on top. Then you discovered more small squares and wanted to use them all, so you added a box to the top of your triangles.

To do this you had to use three big and long triangles on each side. The two outer triangles touched at the bottom, and you turned the center triangle point down to fit in between. Then you added 4 more big and long triangles on top of the small box.

You worked for a long time building and didn’t want anyone to destroy it. Others might want to use the magnatiles, so you knocked it down. Your structure was so sturdy that it took 13 blows before it fell.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Whoops! Today is April 29. Can you find my missing 9?

Dear Mulberry,

You dug a riverbed and made a dam. You planned to feed the hose through the dam for the water to flow from the dam along the river. Two others dug caverns. One said that there were monsters and spiders and minerals in the cavern.

When everyone was ready, I turned the water on. The water burst the riverbed and flowed into one cavern. I think you dug a canal between the river and the other when that cavern digger wanted to fill his.

A few people wanted to be in the river. You didn’t want them to be in the river. Our newest classmate just knew that they loved water and smiled and even sang out as they tried to keep their balance in the moving riverbed.

I let you know that I was turning the volume of water down, so we could use just what we need and save water for others. You wanted more water and no bodies in the river, and you figured out how to make it work with less water and some bodies.

Love,
Teacher Michelle

Dear Oak,

You worked together to move the kitchen into the dome. It took some effort. You didn’t move everything, but you moved enough that items covered the circle of the dome. You added the stilt walkers for good measure.

I don’t know what I was doing while you were working so hard on this project together, but I didn’t see all this work. I wonder if you moved things piece by piece or if you carried lots of things at one time. When I did notice, I pointed out that the kitchen things belonged in the kitchen. You could use the wagon to move them back.

Sometimes we use the kitchen things elsewhere for carrying water or delivering pizza, but if you fell on top of the kitchen things under the dome you might get fork prints in your bottom. Ouch! One of you worked really hard at moving everything back. The other peeled a leaf off the ground and swung on a swing.

You did the plastic things. Hornet Tornet did the metal things. You made a game of it, tossing items and aiming for the wagon. Taking care of Rainbow School. I wonder how you care for each other.

Love,
Teacher Michelle