The Rhinestone Round-Up Redux raised another $1000!

Thanks to the efforts of our local community and school family, we raised $39,000!

2nd Graders show-off there Leprechaun Traps and they deserved some bragging rights.

From Simple Machines to Problem Solving

Problem solving requires complex thinking. One must take an unhappy circumstance, a untenable situation, or, even just a boring afternoon, an idle thought, a whim or "what if."and shake it up until the elements rearrange in a different outcome.

Every Leprechaun trap speaks to the age-old problem-how do we catch those pesky leprechauns? Most of the traps above involved a piece of gold laid in a cleverly disguised snare.

In the trap picture above, the mischievous imp is ensnared by his very own nature (there's a topic for another post). He takes the car for a joy-ride down the hill and straight into the post that holds the trap open. Do two simple machines (ramp and wedge) make a complex machine? YES!

For our students, we present many simple problems daily. It's important that many of the problems actually be physical as those explored in the leprechaun traps. It's the experience from the physical enactment of problem solving that helps us develop the ability to mentally "shake up" our thinking process to solve a problem in our heads. When we look, we learn to see. When we can see, we can solve.

Do Fish Get Sad? And Other Questions From This Year's Science Fair

Only blue fish get sad.

The steps of the scientific method followed by the 3rd graders:

Ask a Question
Do Background Research
Construct a Hypothesis
Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment
Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion
Communicate Your Results

There's actually one more step: Ask another question!

The Science Fair is not the end of a process, but rather the beginning. Every project board takes us down one path that leads to another. We know which Ojai establishment serves the greasiest pizza, but we don't know what kind(s) of grease they use, how much they put on, whether it is more or less healthy for us than the other. We know the red food coloring didn't go up the stem to color the flower, but why? Did it collapse the xylem? How soon would the crazy corn have to be transplanted? Would anything make a slick on top of an oil slick? Would a clear carbonated beverage spray farther than a cola? If fish get sad, do horses laugh? Why did the gray watered plants grow better than the tap watered plants?

Ben pricks his curiosity and a few soda cans.

The muscle of curiosity is flexed over and over. Now that we learned a water droplet can stay glacier bound for thousands of years, I wonder how long one can stay in the ocean before it get's close enough to the surface to evaporate-and, how does it get close to the surface or how does it fall to the bottom?

1st graders, I need some answers!

Thanks to the Hooper and Schryver families for last weeks Third Grade BBQ!

Thank you, teachers and staff for a great science fair, exciting days in school and happy days after school.

Coming Soon!

April 13 Youthfest

April 25, 11:00 Red Room Play

April 25, 1:45 Sourdough Slim plays the Monica Ros turf!

May 1 Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Everyone Welcome!
Don't miss the
yodeling cowboy!

Three for Joy

On St. Patrick's Day we we visited by Three for Joy. The brothers and sister entertained the entire school with Irish fiddling, dancing, and poetry recitations.

Congratulations Alumni!

Sarah Finch and Elias Cesena just received acceptances from The Thacher School. They will begin 9th grade there in the fall.

Sophie Massey and Ella Guiliani share the roll of young Fiona in the Ojai Art Center Production of "SHREK the Musical" playing through April. Click here for details.

Dino Diva's Deliver

Bella Welch and Tea Cohen set up shop in the library last week where they shared their love of the Jurassic Era with both the Blue Room and the 2nd graders.

Daisy and her mom roll the rink at Friday's annual skating party for kindergarten and gradeschool.

Blue Roomers measure out just how long dinosaurs were..

Pajama Day Fun!

First grade boys prepare for the future.

STAY IN TOUCH