7th Grade Class - Ukranian Egg Decorating - Pysanky - May 7, 2014

A pysanka (Ukrainian: писанка, plural: pysanky) is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax-resist (batik) method. The word pysankacomes from the verb pysaty, "to write", as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax.

Many other eastern European ethnic groups decorate eggs using wax resist for Easter. These include the Belarusians (пісанка, pisanka), Bulgarians (писано яйце, pisano yaytse), Croats (pisanica), Czechs (kraslice), Hungarians (hímestojás), Lithuanians (margutis), Poles (pisanka), Romanians (ouă vopsite, incondeiate or impistrite), Russians(расписанное яйцо "rаspisannoe yaitsо"), Serbs (pisanica), Slovaks (kraslica), Slovenes (pisanica, pirhi or remenke) and Sorbs (jejka pisać).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pysanka

7th Grade Class - Nature Class - April 16, 2014

7th Grade Class - Nature Class - April 2, 2014

Wild radish- seed pod of wild radish

Milkweed

Poison hemlock

Oyster mushrooms - spring and fall mushroom. Water dependent. Edible. Taste good. Growing on wood. Has gills.
Whole mushroom is edible. Can dry them and reconstitute it. Can't eat it raw. When u cook it, no carcinogen. When raw it's cancer causing. Not that many poisonous mushrooms. Out of 2,000 species in North America Chris eats 60 of them.

Not supposed to be a human "doing" but a human "being"

Sadness comes from not being connected.

When something comes up that U feel angry sad jealous there is something in that moment to look at. A teaching moment. If someone feels something other than love, (anger) thank that person. Say I am feeling angry at this moment and it reminds me of something in my past....

Move with the Rythm of nature

Wild grapes - leaves

Milkweed 

Poison Hemlock

Wild Grapes

Oyster Mushroom

7th Grade Class - Nature Class - Feb. 19, 2014

Stick dice - 2 sides (black marks one side, plain other side) 

Making stick dice out of arundo cane. These pieces were used in popular games amongst West Coast tribes. Usually the "dice" were made from elderberry branches, but it's easier to make them from the invasive arundo.

All are facing up - 3 points

3 up 3 down - 1 point

All facing down - 2 points

If there are no more sticks you take a stick from someone else. 

Arundo sticks used to make stick dice

And can make containers out of it also.

People and animals feel - proven and tested - how well attuned are u to ur own intuition. Develop a fine sense to be able to read ur environment. 

Attach intensity 

Little mouse story - scurrying storing gathering so there in a stock pile of food. 

Roaring sound in his ears when he stops - other mice said ur crazy

Raccoon walked thru village - mouse asked raccoon if he heard sound? Raccoon said yes I hear - it's the great river. Raccoon said I can take u there, but mouse was scared. 

He took him to river. Up to edge of water and saw himself. Now u know the medicine of the river. 

They met frog - shared stories 

Frog asked mouse- I live half in water and out of water, that is my medicine. Asked mouse what his medicine in? Mouse said I don't have medicine. 

Mouse jumped high and saw mountain and then fell down into the water. He got angry at frog. 

Frog said Is a little discomfort worth it to see the sacred mountain. Your new name is jumping mouse. 

Jumping mouse went back to his village and was all wet. 

Other mice looked at him weird. 

He knew spots in the sky would capture mice. So he was scared to travel but he did carefully. 

Went to a house and met a new mouse who had also been to the great river and they had lots in common. But this mouse said there is no such thing as sacred mountain. 

He went on to the sacred mountain alone. 

Choak cherry trees - he heard rumbling sound again. 

And it was a buffalo. I am dying and I have seen my medicine. There is only one thing my medicine told me to seek wisdom from a mouse. 

Now I shall die happily because I have seen a mouse. He shared his sight with wolf

Run along in my shadow and I will protect u to the sacred mountains. Took him to the bottom of mountain. But left him there to continue. 

He met wolf and shared his sight with wolf. Jumping mouse was blind and went with wolf to mountain and sat guided by wolf. And wolf told him all he saw. 

Saw nothing but felt everything. Something hit him from back and saw colors and someone told him to jump and grab the wind, 

Your name is eagle 

Screech owl or kestrel -  box 

Broad leaf plantain - got strong cords that run thru it. If u pull it apart u can see the cords. Draw toxins out of body by chewing it up and putting it on wound - white mans footprints- soldiers bread- edible -dried plantain - physillium seeds for fiber

Cleavers or bed straw - to keep insects out- edible but don't like spinys on it. Cleans lymph 

Most poisonous plant in North America 

Castor bean - castor oil from - produces the beans 

Velcro was made from that

7th Grade Class - Nature Class - Feb. 5, 2014

Clover - good for protein - eating it with oil or fat so body can absorb protein and good for digestion 

Shepherds purse 

Toe and heel walking like ancestors did. Feeling ground. Each step is feeling before committing ur weight. A relationship between u and the earth. Silently walking. Like a fox - steps are very precise and do it without looking. Keep ur head up and let ur feet have eyes. 

Fox tracks are in a straight line. 

Yellow Dock - good green and for salads and medicinal. 

Bitter part is the root - to raise blood  iron levels

Make rope from milkweed 

Killing Trap - logs - die instantly don't want animals to suffer. Breaks their back. 

Living from the land. Need to eat animals. Look at the energy he is consuming. If he digs a root he knows it has energy on it. Kill animal and take energy from animal. Part of being human is that u will kill things in life. Everything has energy plants or animals. 

in Trap - 1 week to expect to catch a deer, coyote and fox 

Sound like a deer while walking when there are lots of dry leaves. Broken up walking.... Wind can blow against u and deer can smell u. 

Game - mountain lion and deer 

Deer are herd animals. Using each other's senses to be safe. If one spooks all will spook. 

7th Grade Class - Nature Class - January 22, 2014

Cottonwood tree  - makes good material for tinder bundle. It's also good for brushing your teeth - take a twig and fluff up end of it : it contain propolis which helps with tooth decay. The buds this time of year and u squeeze it, it's all sticky and gooy - the balm of Iliad - for medicinal purposes use as oil. Leave in glass jar in sun to warm up and will make oil. Mix stuff with it for medicinal like comfrey will heal wounds and beeswax. 

Smudging - has many uses throughout history

Shelter - smoke it out before u go in. Can use plants like sage, mustard, that have a smell to get bugs away. 

Australian aborigines never used boomerangs. Used bending sticks non returning to throw to kill the animal.  In North America in the south west.

Returning boomerangs were rarely used, mostly for throwing into flocks of birds and sometimes to stimulate the flight of a hawk to flush game. The Aborigines would bend their non-returning boomerangs at a fire to make them return for the benefit of tourists, then bend them back when the tourists left. 

The best place to put ur Food is in ur neighbors belly. 

If a person wasn't sharing, community would pray for that person, they said they were sick. 

Sharing of Food - feeling of happiness and gratitude of sharing food. Dr imoto -  different emotions on crystals on water, love and gratitude those crystals are beautifully formed. 

The good u eat and u have gratitude food will taste better. 

7th Grade Class - January 8, 2014 - Nature Class

Willow tree good for making wood better for carving spoons. 

Eucalyptus tree better fire wood tougher, not as good to make spoon. 

To test wood, blade goes all way to handle, insect holes make weakness. So carve it and it should be okay to see if it's strong enough. 

How do u know when the branch is dead. Everything has energy. 

Death is a transformation 

Ask the item if u can use it. Use gratitude. 

WilMustard plant - edible 

7th Grade Class - Co-op Class I.E.W & Math Simulations & Mock Trial - Sept - April 2014

Sure there are lots of consumer math lessons out there, but this one is just like being in a reality game show. Each student draws a biographical sketch depicting their income, marital status, number of children and education level. Using the statistically accurate data, they plan a budget, purchase a car, buy a house and pay income taxes. Students will learn how to write checks and balance a check book, understand their W-2 statement and their credit card statement. The unit culminates with students planning for their retirement. This is a fabulous way to teach about economics and understanding the real world. Each lesson now connects to Common Core Math Standards!

Order in the Court: A Mock Trial Simulation gives students the opportunity to conduct a trial based on a classic fairytale in order to develop their courtroom skills. After developing the necessary vocabulary, students participate in the trial of Ms. Petunia Pig v. Mr. B. B. Wolf. Students not only learn the concepts, but they also learn valuable teamwork and time management skills. The unit culminates in a full mock-trial enactment.

7th Grade Class - Nature Survival Class - December 4, 2013

Dream plant- mugwort-  rub in ur hands and it becomes cotton 

Acupuncture - maxa take from dream plant to draw energy thru on ur body

Plants tell people what uses it has. 

Feel if the plant is food, medicine poision. Smell it, feel it. 

Curly dock - medicine and edible plant (big leaves) 

Poison Hemlock - poison plant most seductive plant . If u eat it u feel dizzy and get very sick and can die. Don't go near carrot like leaf. 

Pregnant or wanting to get pregnant - stinging nettle 

Mallow - cheeses- edible - pull a fruit out and it looks like a cheese wheel. Whole plant is edible. Medicine good on your stomach.  

Cottonwood tree has a neat bark that gets fluffy and fiberous. Inner bark is like paper and can be shredded.

Used as toothbrush. Has propolis in it, helps to brush ur teeth. 

Cutting boards- Glass and plastic cultivate bacteria. All wood is antibacterial.  Bacteria reduced after time in the wood cutting boards. 

Tinder bundle - making for fire 

Chaga mushroom edible can catch on fire and helps with cancer 

Flint and steel - creates sparks

Charred cloth - take blue jeans and burned them without oxygen = pure carbon.  In the past they were taking wood and making charred cloth out of that. 

Raker file - and a sharp stone like quartz 

Sow Thistle - can be eaten , tastes like celery 

7th Grade Class - Nature Survival Class - November 20, 2013

- Willow tree- teaches about bending and not breaking. Like in life how we weather storms. Moving with life 

- getting water and boiling it. 

- clear plastic bag and take green branches from willow and push them into bag. Put it up to the sun like a green house. Evaporates water into the bag. Water safe for u to drink. Any tree that's not poisonous. 

- sticks - to make rope- dog bane - flatten stick with hands. Split it open. 

- curly dock - last years stems- grind it with hand and get just seeds and can eat , soak it for a few seconds to get bitterness out. 

- Dock leaf can go in salads 

- toyon berries