Gingerbread Houses

This week we invited families in to help design, construct, and taste gingerbread houses with their hijos or hijas. 

The initial plan was to incorporate mathematics into the activity, through the creation of walls of 10 MnM's, using different groups to equal ten.  For example, 3 + 7, on one cracker, maybe 1 +9 on the next. 

However, the students and their families got so involved in the design, almost every group had forgotten to remember the math!

Our project resulted in six beautifully constructed gingerbread houses.  Not only did the students have to work collaboratively with their parents, but also within their group.  Each group only received a set amount of crackers, frosting, M'n'M's and decorative candies. 










Students had to problem solve, ration their supplies, reason with construction issues, share with each other, and communicate their ideas with the group. 

Second Trip to Burchfield

This week our class traveled to the Burchfield Art Museum to view it's latest exhibits on display. 

Students were tickled, and slightly embarrassed by the beautiful collection of portraits by Alexander O. Levy. 

https://www.burchfieldpenney.org/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/

There was also a precious work created solely out of tea!  Students were able to enter and actually touch and rake the tea leaves.

But perhaps the most influential work, was the sculpture collection of fruit.  The students stopped, lingered, and paused to sketch and study, not only the sculptures, but the breathtaking shadow art that the sculptures created on the walls and floor.