Great Day at the Burke Museum

What a wonderful, educational day today! Our field trip to the Burke Museum was filled with fascinating artifacts and hands-on activities. Because it was an all school field trip, and because the Burke Museum required us to have two groups of students for our tour, we broke the classes with Explorers being paired up with Superstars' and Sharks' classmates. It was a fantastic opportunity to see how compassionate and caring the Explorers were with the younger members of our Seabury community.

Our first incredible experience was having the docent provide artifacts for our students to touch and pass around. Artifacts of particular interest were two ceder baskets, one for collecting clams and the other for collecting water. These ceder baskets were stunning. We also learned about the ceremonial drums and one was also given to us to use and pass throughout our group. We felt a patterned, vegetable dyed,woven blanket made out of mountain goat wool and compared it to a ceremonial Bear button blanket. The tools (especially the "D" tool and the others used for carving the totem poles) illustrated the difference between the Native Americans' solid wooden tools prior to European interaction and after European interaction with the dawn of metal portions to their wooden tools. We saw and talked to the Totem Pole master carver who was using authentic tools to carve the huge totem pole. The interactive televisions with the language and videos of the various Pacific Rim indigenous peoples' cultures was fascinating. We had to answer specific questions on a "treasure hunt", if you will, which provided an enlightening experience for the younger and older Seabury "buddies".
Afterwards, a second docent provided us with additional insight of the Pacific Northwest Native Americans with our hands-on workshop of Salmon fish baskets. Students made models of a fish basket and many students consider it a source of pride for they really turned out beautifully. Please be sure to ask to see your child's. They are truly outstanding.
All the teachers and chaperones were duly impressed with the caliber of educational experiences provided to the students (and adults) today at the Burke Museum.

Yuen Lui school photo retakes are tomorrow !

We will have a new class photo taken tomorrow for we have a new student who is an awesome member of our class! We need to have a class photo which reflects our NEW class!!

Please note that tomorrow, Friday, October 26,2007 is Stream Study Day. Once again we will be departing Seabury at 12:45 and will be going to Dash Point State Park. We will return at approximately 2:45. I am still in need of drivers. So, if you would like to help, Mr. G. and I would be very grateful.

Tomorrow's Stream Study experiment is one Mr. G. and I learned about at the WETAG conference last week. It is definitely one which I know will be talked about for a VERY long time.

Tonight Explorers are to finish writing their letter to KING 5 regarding the contest for a new green house and $1,000.00 prize. We have an excellent opportunity to shine. The class is very excited about it. Just ask your child for I know you will hear all about it!

Spelling words for next week's Tuesday Spelling Test were passed out today. Every student received his/her individualized list.