Following Your Passions

It was amazing to look around the room yesterday and realize that every person here was deeply engaged in something they absolutely love.  From the four year old who only wanted to play the electric guitar and did for hours on end; to the seven year old who spent the whole day standing at the table putting together different projects on the Snap Circuit Set, not even stopping to eat lunch; to the ten year old tech guy who took multiple pictures from every possible angle and perspective with a professional camera; to the adults who were happy to share their passion and excitement with the kids. 

This is Deep Root Center at its finest! A place that allows everyone to explore their passions and interests.  Where they can delve in knee and elbow deep, get messy, and have fun! 

We don't tell anyone what they need to learn; we let them figure that out all on their own through investigation and inquiry. 

I am here to ask the big questions, be the cheerleader and watch the magic of amazing discoveries.

Happenings

This has been another interesting week.  We had five extra kids on Tuesday and two yesterday for our special themed Mid Winter Break week. 

Science Tuesday was messy and everyone had a blast.  No, we didn't blow anyone or thing up!  That always seems to be the first question on any science themed day, that I have ever been involved in.

We were honored to have Leon S here with his daughter, Grace.  He brought the science expertise and the some of the fun in the form of dry ice.  We made dry ice cream.  Which needless to say was a huge hit.  Then two of the boys spent a long time playing with the remaining solid CO2 to see how it would react with different stuff, including hot or cold water, dish soap, an apple, a banana, an eraser...ya the list goes on. 

We also made salt dough and slime.  We vacuumed twice and washed the table off multiple times.  So, my personal theory about kids and messes held true.  The amount of mess at the end of the day is directly related to the amount of fun had by the participants.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the kids. You can take my word for it, they were not exactly clean when they left for the day!

On Wednesday, Elwood and I were here alone.  We walked up to see the awesome snow sculptures in the park before the BIG Melt.  Elwood decided he would like to do a report about Italy, so we spent a good portion of the afternoon researching and discussing Venice. Did you know, there are no cars allowed in Venice at all?  And yes, there are regular streets not just canals.  Elwood has decided that he wants to move to Venice.  He couldn't articulate why exactly, but it is where he wants to go.  At least, I'll have a place to stay when I visit Italy in a few years.

Next:

We are not sure if we will offer another themed week during April's Spring Break; it depends on interest.  If you know of folks who may be interested, please tell them to contact me, so we can begin planning.

And as always, if you hear of a youth who is unhappy in their schooling situation, please tell them about Deep Root Center.  Every child deserves to be engaged and excited about learning!  We will accept new members anytime during the year.