First Sign of Spring

Not a crocus.  Not a robin.  Rubia's first egg.  Spotted by Jacqueline's pre-K students. 

Was this almost a year ago?

Photos from last year's Ecorama...

Environmental Engineering

BE a Beaver was the challenge.  Construct a dam that creates a pond that is deep enough for a beaver family to be safe in their lodge.  And...allow the river to flow so that it doesn't break down the wall.

Built by Johanna and Ed.

Materials:  Twigs, moss, rocks, bark...and plasticene clay instead of mud.

Fourth Grade Kids called on their prior engineering experiences to plan and construct and redesign their dam.  We all came out of the experience with great admiration for the clever rodents.

Glass cylinder in pond is a stand in for a lodge.

I Pledge

We asked first grade marble maze builders to return the parts from their game when they were finished playing.  Or to recycle the parts properly.

Look at what was dropped off at the GREEN STUDIO.  

What's not in a land fill.  Thanks Aurora.

Better Late than Never...

Spot the camouflaged visitor?  

                                                      BNS farm corn plant September 2019.

Life Will Find a Way

Fifth grade archaeologists wanted to know:  In which environment will "artifacts" decompose least? most? Which artifacts would decompose? Jars were filled with sand, moist compost, moist clay, and rain water. Tomatoes, wood,cotton cloth, bone, iron clip, plastic straw, and paper were the artifacts.  Placed in jars in November, here are some images of the results.  

After 3 and 1/2 months these tomato sprouts appeared!

And these sprouts which appeared a few weeks earlier are drying out...

Paper finally break down.

Cotton cloth rotting away.

Damp clay is breaking down the bone.

Sand dried tomato!

Microbes in compost are doing their thing.

Leaf just a skeleton...

Dry as a bone.

Fabric freshener?

Plumb Beach

Third Graders returned to Plumb Beach for the Fall Clean-up.  A Social Action Event that has been taking place since 1990--almost 30 years.

Steve Wilson came back from retirement to help lead.  Even though it was his birthday.  Or should I say, because it was his birthday.  

Thanks to Justin Weiner for his amazing photos.