Session 2 June 3

After Gratitude Circle, the explorers learned and played Picari (a strategy game from the Zuni Native Americans or the Pueblo Indians of American Southwest). I call it "fancy tic tac toe" since the goal is to get three in a row.

Then at gardening class, with Ms. Melissa, they learned about what makes good gardening soil, how compost is made and toured the "Farm box" (a hydroponic container for growing lettuce). Then they filled their own pot with soil and planted sunflower seeds to take home tomorrow.

After gardening class, we made a very simple but ancient toy called Ring the Stick. We collected sticks and found a Muscadine (wild grape) vine to cut and use as the hoop part. The game/toy develops dexterity and hand-eye coordination for precision of tagging a target.

During a snack break, we talked about all the different ways humans use plants. For thousands of years, from medicine to paper and on and on, humans have used plants to help them survive and prosper. Then in teams, they worked together to match an item with the plant used to make it. When their team got a correct answer, they got to move on the Picari board against the other team. Some examples were: Echinacea for snake bites, bamboo for furniture, cotton for a baseball hat and many more.

Then we worked on finishing the play and practiced acting through each scene.

After lunch, we explored yet another new part of the creek. We saw some dragonflies, minnows, slugs and water beetles.