May 29, 2012
Wrapping up
This morning we were joined by Nate Clark. Again we wound up with a small group, only 17 homesteaders. Again, everyone got right to work. The goal today was to get everyone's land up to snuff (strings down, fences up, landscaping) and to get the houses out there, furnishings were also worked on. There will be an open house at our school tomorrow night. Homesteaders have been encouraged to bring their families out to the acre to show off their work. This was the first week we have had in a long time where homesteaders were at a loss for things to do. It means next week will be an excellent time for a meeting/trial and will possibly be our last week.
Bittersweet as we transition from away from this Village and begin full steam ahead on our summer program!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Week 34 Marlborough School
Civics
May 22, 2012
I should begin by saying that it is NOT raining!!!! It would seem that this has been the only real obstacle since moving our program outside. Such is not the case. When I arrived this morning to unpack everything I noticed a major discrepancy: All of the houses we had left in the pavilion were missing! Obviously this would be a huge problem. It is very late in the game to have kids start from scratch on their homes. With a bit of investigating and chaos, it was determined that a family had a party at the pavilion over the weekend (it is owned by the town, not the school). They moved all of the houses to a locked garage to protect them and forgot to put them back. In the nick of time the houses we located and replaced! Phew!! Crisis averted!
This is the day that was designated as the cut off for the Tinytownies to get their act together and save their town from the "Great Flood". We began with proclamations and big ideas. The homesteaders were instructed to first fulfill the terms for their deeds, then to work on houses. The seventh graders and a couple sixth graders agreed to various forms of responsibility and we set to work. A large group of boys hightailed it into the woods to check on their properties. I followed this group. When I caught up to them Disco Dave's homesteader was distraught, something had happened to his house and his peep was missing. Another homesteader was also distraught, his house boat had been badly damaged and he found Disco Dave in the muck near his boat. He held Disco Dave over his head and proclaimed that if his homesteader did not come to claim Disco Dave, that he would behead Disco Dave. And that is exactly what happened. The two homesteaders were furious with each other. Accusations were flying! They did not seem interested in help... only retaliation. With a bit of redirection the homesteaders called upon their elected officials to sort out their troubles.
This really needed structure so we turned it into a meeting.
Disco Dave, "R? is framing me for destroying his boat. He beheaded me and destroyed the top floor of my house!"
Fred, "We need laws against vandalism and murder." In the meantime the trading post was being robbed. "And theft."
R?, "I beheaded Disco Dave" -said with a smile
Chuck, "We should have a law that you get put in the river for three days as punishment."
Fred, "Vandalizers should get the same destruction done back to them."
R?, "I didn't touch his house!"
Disco Dave, "R? destroyed my house, beheaded my peep, and accused me of destroying his boat!"
R?, "I have witnesses that I did not touch his house!"
Disco Dave calls Gabe to stand ("up!")
Gabe, "Me and Dan saw R? with a metal tube destroy his own boat. R? ripped off one end of the tube and stabbed it into his boat..."
Fred, "Fine R?"
Morton and Bob, "He's bankrupt!"
Gabe, "Can I continue? He took the pipe and stabbed it through the top floor of Disco Dave's house and took Disco Dave. The he saw me and Dan and ran."
R?, "I call a witness to the stand."
Chuck, "I saw those two (points to Gabe and Dan) with sticks on my land destroying the boat."
Bob, "Did the pipe have a bent end? The pipe is mine."
Fred gives a character witness for Disco Dave..."he would never do that, I have known him since first grade..."
Jon (R?'s legal counsel), "I was told I could speak. We plead innocent until proven guilty!"
R?, "Is that a good thing?"
Mean while, a toad is being trapped inside of an empty yogurt cup, the possibility of taping it in is being discussed. "I'm calling PETA! Animal cruelty!", Disco Dave.
The house, the boat, and the pipe are brought in as evidence.
Carmen, "Has anyone noticed that it has been thundering and lightening? Maybe the bad weather was a factor in destroying the boat and the house?"
Chuck, "This (points to boat) has damage marks! Where are the nails (points to the house)? Where are the nails in that house?"
Disco Dave, " I used wood glue and it is water proof."
Rolph, "Are you sure?"
Fred (reads the bottle of glue), "It says water clean up, it doesn't say anything about being water proof. The bottom of the house of secure. We should address thieving, it is happening right in front of us right now!"
Law ideas were being thrown around to address the multitude of problems. Nothing was decided upon. The thief wound up giving back what he stole from the trading post. The bell rang and it was time to run back into the school.
This was by far the BEST class we have had this year. The kids began to acknowledge their personal investment in the community as well as their responsibility to the community. We did not create any laws or inflict any consequences... but the group did work together to try to solve these very large problems.
When packing everything up I found the toad, and freed it!
May 22, 2012
I should begin by saying that it is NOT raining!!!! It would seem that this has been the only real obstacle since moving our program outside. Such is not the case. When I arrived this morning to unpack everything I noticed a major discrepancy: All of the houses we had left in the pavilion were missing! Obviously this would be a huge problem. It is very late in the game to have kids start from scratch on their homes. With a bit of investigating and chaos, it was determined that a family had a party at the pavilion over the weekend (it is owned by the town, not the school). They moved all of the houses to a locked garage to protect them and forgot to put them back. In the nick of time the houses we located and replaced! Phew!! Crisis averted!
This is the day that was designated as the cut off for the Tinytownies to get their act together and save their town from the "Great Flood". We began with proclamations and big ideas. The homesteaders were instructed to first fulfill the terms for their deeds, then to work on houses. The seventh graders and a couple sixth graders agreed to various forms of responsibility and we set to work. A large group of boys hightailed it into the woods to check on their properties. I followed this group. When I caught up to them Disco Dave's homesteader was distraught, something had happened to his house and his peep was missing. Another homesteader was also distraught, his house boat had been badly damaged and he found Disco Dave in the muck near his boat. He held Disco Dave over his head and proclaimed that if his homesteader did not come to claim Disco Dave, that he would behead Disco Dave. And that is exactly what happened. The two homesteaders were furious with each other. Accusations were flying! They did not seem interested in help... only retaliation. With a bit of redirection the homesteaders called upon their elected officials to sort out their troubles.
This really needed structure so we turned it into a meeting.
Disco Dave, "R? is framing me for destroying his boat. He beheaded me and destroyed the top floor of my house!"
Fred, "We need laws against vandalism and murder." In the meantime the trading post was being robbed. "And theft."
R?, "I beheaded Disco Dave" -said with a smile
Chuck, "We should have a law that you get put in the river for three days as punishment."
Fred, "Vandalizers should get the same destruction done back to them."
R?, "I didn't touch his house!"
Disco Dave, "R? destroyed my house, beheaded my peep, and accused me of destroying his boat!"
R?, "I have witnesses that I did not touch his house!"
Disco Dave calls Gabe to stand ("up!")
Gabe, "Me and Dan saw R? with a metal tube destroy his own boat. R? ripped off one end of the tube and stabbed it into his boat..."
Fred, "Fine R?"
Morton and Bob, "He's bankrupt!"
Gabe, "Can I continue? He took the pipe and stabbed it through the top floor of Disco Dave's house and took Disco Dave. The he saw me and Dan and ran."
R?, "I call a witness to the stand."
Chuck, "I saw those two (points to Gabe and Dan) with sticks on my land destroying the boat."
Bob, "Did the pipe have a bent end? The pipe is mine."
Fred gives a character witness for Disco Dave..."he would never do that, I have known him since first grade..."
Jon (R?'s legal counsel), "I was told I could speak. We plead innocent until proven guilty!"
R?, "Is that a good thing?"
Mean while, a toad is being trapped inside of an empty yogurt cup, the possibility of taping it in is being discussed. "I'm calling PETA! Animal cruelty!", Disco Dave.
The house, the boat, and the pipe are brought in as evidence.
Carmen, "Has anyone noticed that it has been thundering and lightening? Maybe the bad weather was a factor in destroying the boat and the house?"
Chuck, "This (points to boat) has damage marks! Where are the nails (points to the house)? Where are the nails in that house?"
Disco Dave, " I used wood glue and it is water proof."
Rolph, "Are you sure?"
Fred (reads the bottle of glue), "It says water clean up, it doesn't say anything about being water proof. The bottom of the house of secure. We should address thieving, it is happening right in front of us right now!"
Law ideas were being thrown around to address the multitude of problems. Nothing was decided upon. The thief wound up giving back what he stole from the trading post. The bell rang and it was time to run back into the school.
This was by far the BEST class we have had this year. The kids began to acknowledge their personal investment in the community as well as their responsibility to the community. We did not create any laws or inflict any consequences... but the group did work together to try to solve these very large problems.
When packing everything up I found the toad, and freed it!
 |
| Bob's home with fence |
 |
| Pablo's home with archway |
 |
| A nice fence! |
 |
| Tucked into the hillside |
 |
| On the bank of the river |
 |
| A sturdy bridge |
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Week 33...?
May 15, 2012
WORK WORK WORK!
At 5 o'clock this morning I awoke to the sound of rain POURING down. I thought, "Oh no, not again!" Every week for the last several it has been raining for Village. Miraculously the rain stopped at about 7:30 this morning (just as I arrived to set up for Village)! We had a very small group today, only thirteen homesteaders. Apparently we have forever lost our newspaper editor to the town of Drama Club, like so many before him. It is a shame and he will be missed... I guess we need to figure out a way for our community to be more attractive than theirs. This does leave a job opening which was advertised for today. So far I have no takers, there is much too much other work needing to be done right now.
With our nice small group we got right to work. A number of homesteaders headed straight for the woods to place houses on land, clean up properties, take down perimeter strings, finish/fix fences, and build bridges! The rest of the group stayed at the pavilion to make furniture and assemble houses. One peep even got a stylish new raincoat, made from the fabulous vinyl material donated by the NHDI crowd. As I was the only "adult" at Village today I assigned supervisory roles to two of the seventh graders who have shown good leadership qualities as well as a fair amount of kindness and respect to their fellow homesteaders. This worked very well. It allowed me to work between the two groups and gave the homesteaders more freedom of movement. I don't know if something like this could continue to work with our normally large group, we shall see.
I mentioned bridge building. The universe continues to smile on Rolph's plan to flood the town. It is nearly flooded already with out a dam being built. Streams have turned into brooks that we can no longer jump over. We were able to rework and reconfigure two town bridges today, complete with a culvert. This was enormously successful and we now have safe, dry access to all of the land.
WORK WORK WORK!
At 5 o'clock this morning I awoke to the sound of rain POURING down. I thought, "Oh no, not again!" Every week for the last several it has been raining for Village. Miraculously the rain stopped at about 7:30 this morning (just as I arrived to set up for Village)! We had a very small group today, only thirteen homesteaders. Apparently we have forever lost our newspaper editor to the town of Drama Club, like so many before him. It is a shame and he will be missed... I guess we need to figure out a way for our community to be more attractive than theirs. This does leave a job opening which was advertised for today. So far I have no takers, there is much too much other work needing to be done right now.
With our nice small group we got right to work. A number of homesteaders headed straight for the woods to place houses on land, clean up properties, take down perimeter strings, finish/fix fences, and build bridges! The rest of the group stayed at the pavilion to make furniture and assemble houses. One peep even got a stylish new raincoat, made from the fabulous vinyl material donated by the NHDI crowd. As I was the only "adult" at Village today I assigned supervisory roles to two of the seventh graders who have shown good leadership qualities as well as a fair amount of kindness and respect to their fellow homesteaders. This worked very well. It allowed me to work between the two groups and gave the homesteaders more freedom of movement. I don't know if something like this could continue to work with our normally large group, we shall see.
I mentioned bridge building. The universe continues to smile on Rolph's plan to flood the town. It is nearly flooded already with out a dam being built. Streams have turned into brooks that we can no longer jump over. We were able to rework and reconfigure two town bridges today, complete with a culvert. This was enormously successful and we now have safe, dry access to all of the land.
 |
| Wild Wumpus, created by Disco Dave. This wild creature will be living in the downstairs of Disco Dave's house to protect from intruders. It is a wild thing though, I hope it is safe to live with! |
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Week 32
May 8, 2012
Building, furniture making, land development, placing houses on land
Once again today, it is raining! Not quite as bad a s last week, but I must admit we got wet! Homesteaders are properly in the routine of having Village outside, everyone wore a jacket and a few kids brought umbrellas.
We were joined by Tim Bollinger I & II, they were a great help with home construction. We had four more houses come together today and are ready to go out onto the land next week. Some kids are busy furnishing their homes others have taken the opportunity (while waiting for a turn with the hammer) to take down their perimeter strings and do a bit of spring cleaning on their land.
The bridge to the far side of TinyTown has seen some improvements as well. Things are really shaping up, it will be a shame if the TinyTownies don't get their deed fulfillments done in time and Rolph still winds up taking the town. Next week is the end of the extension.
We have no newspapers to post as the newspaper editor has stopped showing up. Perhaps next week I'll need to refill that position.
Building, furniture making, land development, placing houses on land
Once again today, it is raining! Not quite as bad a s last week, but I must admit we got wet! Homesteaders are properly in the routine of having Village outside, everyone wore a jacket and a few kids brought umbrellas.
We were joined by Tim Bollinger I & II, they were a great help with home construction. We had four more houses come together today and are ready to go out onto the land next week. Some kids are busy furnishing their homes others have taken the opportunity (while waiting for a turn with the hammer) to take down their perimeter strings and do a bit of spring cleaning on their land.
The bridge to the far side of TinyTown has seen some improvements as well. Things are really shaping up, it will be a shame if the TinyTownies don't get their deed fulfillments done in time and Rolph still winds up taking the town. Next week is the end of the extension.
We have no newspapers to post as the newspaper editor has stopped showing up. Perhaps next week I'll need to refill that position.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Week 31, Marlborough School
May 1st, 2012
Building, placing houses on the land!
This was our first "normal" Village in a few weeks. Last week was the last of our help from the Keene State students. Owen Iselin came by this morning to lend a hand (or two or three!). The first thing is that it is absolutely pouring outside. The homesteaders asked if Rolph was making it rain to flood TinyTown quicker. It certainly seems that way.
Having our class outside under the pavilion is a great motivator for the kids, they can see the end. Several homesteaders braved the rain and placed their finished houses out on their land. Owen led that expedition, so there is not much for me to report on except: Homesteaders that went out with houses, came back without them; homesteaders that went out dry, came back sopping! The rest of the group spent their 45 minutes taking turns with the hammers, working on painting houses, and making furniture.
The President declared that he should have a different title, Mayor, and should be surrounded by a city council. The former Vice President did not object to this demotion (I'm not sure that the rest of Tinytown is aware that a change has occurred, but I did not hear any complaints). The Mayor (who was waiting to have a turn with a hammer) spent the morning recruiting council members.
Building, placing houses on the land!
This was our first "normal" Village in a few weeks. Last week was the last of our help from the Keene State students. Owen Iselin came by this morning to lend a hand (or two or three!). The first thing is that it is absolutely pouring outside. The homesteaders asked if Rolph was making it rain to flood TinyTown quicker. It certainly seems that way.
Having our class outside under the pavilion is a great motivator for the kids, they can see the end. Several homesteaders braved the rain and placed their finished houses out on their land. Owen led that expedition, so there is not much for me to report on except: Homesteaders that went out with houses, came back without them; homesteaders that went out dry, came back sopping! The rest of the group spent their 45 minutes taking turns with the hammers, working on painting houses, and making furniture.
The President declared that he should have a different title, Mayor, and should be surrounded by a city council. The former Vice President did not object to this demotion (I'm not sure that the rest of Tinytown is aware that a change has occurred, but I did not hear any complaints). The Mayor (who was waiting to have a turn with a hammer) spent the morning recruiting council members.
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