Tales Of A 4-5 Something

In P.E (A.K.A Physical Education Class) we played scatterball and the other half had open gym. In scatterball you put out three dodgeballs and you can only have one.  Then you try to hit people with the dodgeballs. The only way to move with the balls is to roll them on the ground. I you get hit you go to jail and the only way to comeback in is if the player who got you out gets out. There were a lot of people to start but many of the people got out because sometimes they were trapped. In some other schools they play by giving players 8 jumps to move with the ball and two steps to shoot.  Here we roll the ball but you get two steps to shoot.  It was our first time playing this year and it was hard because there were a lot of other people trying to get the balls. We played about three games but one game never ended. Tafari did a really good job at keeping the balls close. We hope we can play again this year.           ...

Every morning we have Morning Meetings. On Tuesday I made up a greeting for our meeting in Tim's Homestation.  This particular greeting was special.  You had to greet someone and say when you think it will snow one inch or more.  Below are the estimates of who said what day.       Abby 11/28          Tafari 12/5         Sarah 12/12           Nahum 12/12       Julia 12/15      Kaitlyn 12/16        Tim 12/18          Owen 12/20           Raines 12/22       Thysie 12/23     Griffin 12/25         Eliza 12/25       ...

Everyone at school came to the Big Gym to drop off the food we collected.  It was nice to see how much food that would be going to families so they could have a nice Thanksgiving.  There were 8 tables full of food and the Middle Schoolers put on a skit.  It was nice to see how much people care about the people who are hungry this Thanksgiving.  There was a jug band made up of the Directors, some teachers, and some students.  Divya played the washboard, Ben played the ukelele, and Lowell played a box of rice.  The whole Lower School sang All Of God's Critters to the rest of the school with Mark Segar leading us.                           Nicholas, Sophi, Aidan, Skyler, Aubrey, and Clara

In Studio we made felted soap rocks.  We used many different kinds of fibers.  You can use the rocks we made to wash your face and hands.  To start we used the cheese grater to make the soap in the shape of the rock.  Then we took the fibers, one by one, and put them on the soap.  We wet the fibers and stuffed them into a sock.  See the video below to watch the process. Another part of the Fiber Extravaganza was making felted snakes.  Some of us will give the snakes as gifts.  10 out of 10 student liked the Fiber Extravaganza.                               Aidan, Maya, Nicholas, Oliver, Clara, Skyler, and Elizabeth

Two weeks ago 4-5 students started shipwreck in PE. Shipwreck is a game we like to play. Your ship just crashed and you have to get to land and kill all the sharks. To get to the land you have to go from island to island. Shipwreck is awesome! We wish they did it in Middle School. Shipwreck is a community building game and we always look forward to it.                                                                                                         Theo and Oliver PS - Now we are doing yoga in PE.

We have had three days of Boot Designs in 4-5. Each day has been different. 1st Day Attributes: Snacks, music, no pressure, low demand.  Notes: Getting used to the project. Only one pair of boots needed. We were artisans and each person worked on their own boot. 2nd Day Attributes: No snacks, low volume music or none at all, pressure, normal/medium demand. Notes: No routines, two pairs of boots or more needed. Each person worked on their own boots. 3rd Day Attributes: No snacks, music on and off, tons of pressure, very high demand.  Notes: Figured out that music helps. Why? If you have music you are more likely to not shout or talk and you will keep your head down and work. If your head is upright you are probably talking or distracted. Personal best number of boots were needed. People took one small job and did that part then passed the boot to someone else to do another part. On Day 3 we needed of efficiency and volume. Making boots is very tedious work especially ...

Two Mexican artists visited Waynflete last Monday and all of the 4-5  students were able to visit the art studio where they were carving  wooden masks.  We had a chance to ask them questions in Spanish and we  feel fortunate that they gave us the mask that they were working on  while they were here!  Take a look at the video below to see the mask  and hear students talk about the experience.

Here are the results of our bill voting.  Two of the bills passed.  Now the executive branch will sign them into law or veto them.  What do you think about out bills?

Today we took a trip to LL Bean's factory in Brunswick.  There were 5 different spots in the factory.  One was a bike shop where they put together bikes, put them in boxes, and shipped them to people.  Another spot was where they made Boat and Tote bags.  It was cool to see how they assembled them and we saw how they customized them.  The sewing machines moved super fast.  This place also makes the dog beds.  They pump up sacks with fluffy fluff.  They looked liked life rafts and seemed very comfortable.  They also had an embroidery section where you stich names or initials on something.  Probably the most famous LL Bean product are the boots. At this factory they make the boots from scratch.  We saw them press the hides and cut out the parts.  Then they sewed it together.  There is also a place where they fix old boots.  People send their old boot from everywhere to be fixed. They may have old soles or the rubber may...

We have been talking about government and how bills become laws. We have learned how a bill has to go through the Senate and House. We also learned that our government has three branches so there is a balance. The three branches are: the Legislative Branch,  t he Judicial Branch, and the Executive Branch. Now we don't get much say with the Judicial Branch but we do get to elect legislatures and the President. We also have say in some ideas. We can give ideas to the Legislative Branch and if it passes the idea could go to the Executive Branch unless the President vetoes it. But then it could mean the bill would go back to the beginning and get voted on again. If it got enough votes it could skip the President. A law would go the the Judicial Branch if it goes against the Constitution! In 4-5 we made some bills. Each homestation came up with an idea that would make our school a better place. Today the ideas were shared in front of the Student Congress. The teachers are th...

In 4-5 we are making boots because we are studying the Industrial Revolution. In Kai’s home station our boot factory is called Harry’s Bootylicious Boots. We were bootmakers who had to make their own pair of boots that we unique.  We had music playing and there were snacks so we could stay creative. We are competing for making the best pair of boots. It is really fun. For example, my pair of boots are U.S.A. boots. It is also really cool to see all the other peoples boots that are hanging all over the program. After we color in the boot outline on paper we have to cut them out. Then they hang for people to see. We will have another boot making day later on. Simon      

On Sunday, November 4th, some of the fifth graders gathered at the school to be tour guides for parents that are thinking of having their kids go to Waynflete next year. We showed them around, answered their questions, and a lot more.   We showed them a lot of our 4-5 work on our floor and brought families through the rest of Lower School. It is one of the things that 5th graders get to do because we are the oldest in the school. We also have a lot of great stories to share. It was really fun and the fourth graders should do it next year. Maya

We went to the Fore River Fields to go Orienteering in the woods and on the playing fields. It was hard, fun, and tiring because we had to run alot and it was really spread out. The sport of Orienteering is sort of like a cross country race using a map and compass and a dipper. You have to find orange and white controls that are out there. The symbol of Orienteering are the controls. We all had to go into the woods to look for at least four controls. Some of us got twisted around on the trails but we had a partner and the map. Our teachers were also out there to help us. In the end we all made it! Here is what some of us said when we were all done: - It was confusing at first but then it was fun - There was so much running - Very wet - It was fun because you got to experience the woods - We could figure things out on our own - It was challenging because not everything was on the path - We had to go back when we found the wrong control but we go it eventually - It was a lit...