MARYBETH and RJ's CLASS NOTES

Last week saw the culmination of our study of homes around the world. We viewed a slideshow of the homes the children selected for their research, and they took turns spontaneously sharing what they learned. This opened many thoughtful discussions, one of which was in response to a comment that a particular home looked surprisingly "normal.” We talked about how what feels “normal” to us, may feel “abnormal” to people from other cultures. We acknowledged that the furnishings were familiar to us, but that “normal” is relative to what we know and feel comfortable with. We speculated about why some cultures build homes on the water, while others build them in trees, and how some homes are built within or around natural elements, while others clear the natural elements to make way for construction. We thank you again for the lovely meal you provided which was both celebratory and educational.

This week we will focus on materials used in building homes. We previously established that one primary pur- pose of a home is to protect its inhabitants from the elements. With this in mind, the children will collaborate in small groups to build model homes from materials they are given in a “mystery bag”. They will develop hy- potheses about which materials will provide the most secure home before testing their hypotheses against wind and rain (a hair dryer and spray bottle).

On Friday we will enjoy a visit to the Hampton Library for their Budding Authors event. After Friday you will be able to visit the library and see your child’s book on display.