Shirai got the package I send a month ago with special planting containers and wicks and fertilizer and thiings to make a plant lighting stand for our paired project. I made one myself and while it is not pretty (bows in the middle from not getting a big enough PCV pipe) it works. We plan to start our plants the same day, September 12.

We are very excited. We'lve also given the kids a survey of their knowlesge on the scientific method and what mutant really are. We will do this again at the conlusion of the project.

Our Middle Tennessee State University professors, Dr. Kim Sadler and Dr. Bruce Cahoon, have worked on a power point on mutants that we'll show the classes too. They are a great resource.

Concurrently, we are doing Bugs and Soil this month, and my children are using chopsticks daily at lunch, in preparation for the 3rd part of our paired project, Chopstick Challenge.

This is proving to be quite a motivating project for my class.

The picture is my class painting with excess soil from last year's Bugs and Soil dirt samples.

Cynthia
Bellwood Discovery

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That looks like a grand chopstick (hashi) challenge. See how they do with a nato eating contest...Cheers, Jim McElroy

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Hi Cindy,

I'd love to see some pictures of the soil pictures and the chopstick challenge in motion. Sounds like great fun. :) Did you find some of Lynn's suggestions with regard to the soil paint and "paper" medium useful?

Take care,

Elissa