The Rube Goldberg Science Site

Rube Goldberg move over. The wacky inventors of 4-F have arrived. Want to learn how to smash a peanut, water a plant or shut a door..the hard way? Click on the picture to the left to cruise through the Rube Goldberg 4F Science Site to see what they came up with. 

The Shinto Simulation- Week One

Our first week of the Shrine Simulation was action packed. On Monday, Mrs. Luebbers introduced the students in 2C and 4F to the fine points of sumi-e. After an introduction of which included a video of her sensei showing the various techniques, the students tried their hands at painting a traditional January scene of Mt.Fuji against a backdrop of pine trees.   

On Tuesday, all the students got together to make manju, a type of wagashi. They made both strawberry and anko types to try out. However, prior to the large group activity, a small group of children went down to the local wagashi store to interview the proprietors. Ami, Brian, Mia and Jefferson were introduced the different kinds of wagashi and the process by which this traditional Japanese sweet is made. 

The week culminated on Thursday, as our pilgrims traveled to Itsukushima Shrine, on Miyakijima, from Otake. 2-C joined them on their journey which culminated in a grand presentation. Jared, as head priest, purified the company with salt while our assistant priest- Kendall, presented the sushi offerings to the kami. Our musician, Mike, played the temple drums and rain pipes as Kathlyn-the shrine dancer, performed a section of dance she learned from Nihon-Buyo. Following the ceremony, the students presented their report on the shrine, followed by a sharing of sushi obentos with their 2C buddies. A big thank you to Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Steinlauf for the pictures.