A Gem of a Rock Shop

With $5.00 in our pockets, the Gemstones and the Navigators went on a field trip to The.Best.Store.Ever.,

 a store called Jerry's Rock and Gem. 

Joan, the owner of the shop and a doctor of paleontology, shared her passion for all things rocks, minerals, gems, fossils and dinosaurs. Oh, and welding. She bought the shop twenty-five years ago to share her love of paleontology and geology with the general public and she obviously enjoyed having us come and visit. She still travels the world to buy rocks and to go on dinosaur digs. Plus she is an expert on Mount St. Helens. 

She told us all kinds of stories and encouraged us to pursue our passions, all of them.

The store was full of all kinds of interesting things 

including this triceratops from South Dakota,

dinosaur eggs,

and all kinds of remarkable things. 

With our $5.00, it was time to go on a treasure hunt!

There was so much to choose from and so much math to do!

Decision made. Beautiful choices!

The staff were so friendly. They put our purchases in labeled plastic baggies, they often threw in some extras, plus they gave us candy.

We each went home with a bag of treasures and an inspiration to pursue our dreams. Perhaps for some of us, we'll be some kind of scientist. For sure for most of us, we've become rock-hounds and want to go to Jerry's Rock and Gem again. It truly is a gem of a store!

Thank you, Joan and the staff at Jerry's Rock and Gem!

We'll be back!

Ahoy, Ye Treasure Collectors!

Sometimes play is serious business. Here is an example where meaningful play equals authentic learning.

Calling all rock sleuths!

Seventeen rocks have been found 

in the hold of the S. S. Seabury 

but their names have been lost at sea!

But there is no need to fear! The Navigators and Gemstones have been studying rocks and are eager to use their new geology skills and tools to tell us what they are!

First of all, what does it look like? 

What is its color, sheen, texture?

Does it have layers?

Does it have crystals?

What shape are the crystals?

Does it float?

What is its hardness on the Mohs Hardness test?

How does it respond to the streak test?

Is it magnetic?

We fill out our charts and the detective work begins 

but we're not sure on all of them.

We're given some more clues and we really have to do some deductive thinking based on our findings. 

And voila! You did it!

YOU ROCK, ROCK DETECTIVES!

You're thinking like geologists and 

you've solved the problem of the missing rock names!

Teacher checklist:

• students learn how to identify rocks X
• students use higher level thinking skills X
• students embrace science X

"Trail of Tears" Re-enactment--A Great Way to Study a Painting

The Trail of Tears by Robert Lindneux, 1942

The Navigators and Gemstones have been studying Native Americans. 

As we learned about the "Trail of Tears," we looked at the details and the emotions of this painting. We then re-enacted the painting. Some of us were women and children, some were soldiers, some were horses, ponies, donkeys and dogs. 

The activity really gave us a "feel" for this sad part of American history.

 

  

We then went to our desks and wrote down some words to describe the painting. We came up with some good ones: stormy, dreary, dreadful, scary, frightening, dark, gloomy, despair, boring, tired, and more.

What a great way to experience art and history!

Thinking Like a Carcinologist

It was a perfect, sunny day for our visit to the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge and a perfect way to pull together some of the things we have learned this year. Before we left, we talked about what to look for and to listen for. 

Here was our list:

• Animals (last time we went, one of our dad's spotted an American Bittern!)
• Native and non-native plants
• Native American treaty site - the first treat made in Washington state. It was called the treay of Medicine Creek.
• Conservation efforts - the dikes have been removed and the water flows freely throughout the estuary.

We learned all about the different types of habitats 

and had some great hands-on experiences. 

The refuge has an estuary, a riparian forest, a river, permanent freshwater wetlands,  and seasonal freshwater wetlands all in one beautiful place. 

We were given the opportunity to think like zoologists, botanists, ornithologists, entomologists, ichthyologists, carcinologists, and herpetologists!

We used our scientific research and recording skills.

We played!

We got to use binoculars and honed our observation skills.

We experienced native plants.

We experienced this non-native, invasive clinging plant.

We saw lots of wildlife including ducks, turtles and baby owls. 

We saw how the Native Americans used to live on this land. 

Thank you to all the knowledgeable and passionate volunteers who took us on a wonderful nature walk through the wildlife refuge. 

Still wondering what a carcinologist is? 

Good, then you're thinking like a life long learner, 

exactly what we're hoping our Seabury students are becoming.

Google it! I had to!! :)