Middle School Minimalist Classroom. Every year I help decorate classrooms. Every year I edit more. The idea is to direct attention to central points. Uncluttered. Then add layers of information throughout the year. For example, the theme for the school this year is "revolutionary" and it will be revealed according to the syllabus and matching sample compilation of real-life applications. The classroom has all the essential data on the two main walls with billboards, dry erase boards, and projector screens. The other side holds classroom materials and has wall space above the bookshelves. Then there is the large, empty section that we call the "art wall". We added one large banner there and posters and models will be displayed underneath it later on. The inspiration for this classroom is: Japan. We used poster boards & tempera paint for a landscape & a silhouette. Simplicity. We rescued a paper dragon that was created for a Japanese play. Serendipity. Once in a while it's good to have a sudden, complete, or marked change. A revolution. Having a restrained classroom decor is in itself revolutionary. Let's be Radical.
It never fails, we mention rockets to a group of kids and we get their best reaction. It gets even better when we say they have to jump & stomp, crush, squash, clump an object in order to make their creation soar. There are so many versions of stomp rocket launchers. One of them is described in detail at Instructables. The ones we made out of PVC pipes can swivel and point up or to the side. Ours are always made out of discarded items from carpentry shops and repurposed supplies from offices, including the 2-liter bottles. We have had so much fun doing these rocket & launcher workshops throughout the years and it is always great to see a new group of students learning about it for the first time. We guide & encourage them to modify their designs so they can understand the importance of cones & fins and weight & size against constriction & pressure. But my favorite part comes later, after the height & distance is out of our system. This is when we come upon ingenuity & variation. This is when we stop worrying about the tip of the rocket being squashed after it lands. This is the time to be amused by the sound the bottle cap makes when it hits the floor. And we get to see flying birds or bats, ejected human canon balls, thrown pencils, jumbo crayons, and trapeze acts. Then we get to laugh after our paper puppet flew so high it landed on a tree. Then we do it all again. Pinterest has a superb surplus of creative ideas. I recently saw one from the Dollar Store Crafts Blog inspired by the Alien Abduction Lamp. The blog states the importance of being original. I agree. I always look forward to seeing what others come up with, and even more when it comes to children, it is amazing what they can create on their own. In this case it was this particular child of mine and the birthday gift he made for his dad. This is his version using even less:
now you see it This reminds me of something we joke about when we say in Spanish: "con las uñas".
It translates to: "with the fingernails". It refers to doing or making something without supplies or almost no money at all. There are different suggestions on its metaphorical meaning but this is my interpretation: for example, a task requires tools like wrenches and screwdrivers, and if you don't have tools then you use other objects like forks or sticks, but if you don't have that either then you use the nails. Uñas/Limits can enhance ingenuity. I make the comparison because what can be less expensive and more out-of-this-world than a collection of repurposed objects to recreate a 5 dollar craft that recreates the original $110 design. Here it is in all its splendor: |
Thrifty-
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