Welcome November!

                Have you ever tried to walk on water? What about a pool full of Oobleck? The Journeyers discovered this past week that Oobleck is real weird. A person could walk, hop, or skip all the way across a pool filled with this strange stuff without sinking. If one tried to stand on it, however, he/she would sink through the gooey slime just like an alligator thrashing in quicksand. Oobleck, the Journeyers decided, is amazing.

                This peculiar, non-Newtonian fluid is quite bizarre. It’s a liquid, but doesn’t follow Newton’s laws of how a liquid should behave. When the boys slapped it, it felt rock hard. When they slowly dabbed it with their fingers, it felt just like a slimy liquid. The Journeyers can tell you why Oobleck acts so weird – its molecules (or the little, teeny-tiny things that make up an object) act just like people on a busy sidewalk. If you tried to run as fast as you could down the crowded sidewalk, you would immediately smack into the people (aka molecules) in front of you. If you took your time and weaved through the crowd, however, you would avoid the hustle-bustle blocking your way. Fascinating!

                We have also been practicing an educational skit for this Friday’s service learning project, which we will perform for the residents of Missoula Health and Rehabilitation. Over the next few months, we hope to build strong relationships with these residents, most of whom deal with the ramifications of dementia and health problems. Here we will learn about the kindness. Our goals for this project include learning about the aging process, building friendships with our elderly neighbors, and discovering the power of compassion. Students are encouraged to discuss the project and their resultant feelings with their family, as this is sure to be an eye-opening experience.

                As most of you know, the Journeyers earned their first Party in a Jar, which we celebrated by taking a bouldering trip to Freestone climbing. The boys scampered up the walls just like our classroom gecko scurries up his glass cage. They walked across the slackline just like our pet snake, Wallace, slithers across a slender, swerving branch. Check out the pictures – what fun we had! (I tried to get at least one good photo of each boy climbing, but my camera's batteries died before I could do so...sorry. All of the boys were fabulous!)

                And, lastly, we have been learning new skills in our core academics. For example, Noah and Oliver are becoming legends of long division. Ian is dynamite at dividing decimals. Liam is a master multiplier. And Siam can multiply big numbers with astonishing accuracy! The Journeyers are also learning how to turn their creative ideas into riveting, action-laden poetry. Their handwriting becomes more legible and precise every time they pick up a pencil. They can all tell you what hydrology means and how it applies to hydroelectric dams. They can tell you how a covetous fungus would act. And, of course, they can all spell the word elephant.