It's Snowing!!

This big, beautiful spider was found on the side of our school building during the summer. We are doing some research on identifying the spider and learning about its characteristics. Do you know what kind of spider this is? Is it a male or female? Where does it come from? Is it poisonous?

Taketombo, which means bamboo dragonfly, is a traditional Japanese toy that flies like a helicopter. In art class, students made their own taketombo using balsa wood, sandpaper and sticks. By testing how well their models flew, students learned that factors such as weight, balance and lift affect flight performance.

In the spring we planted rice, and this fall we returned to the rice fields to harvest it. After we practiced harvesting rice the old-fashioned way, we watched local farmers do it the modern way. Finally, we ate the farmers’ handmade onigiri (rice balls), which tasted much better than those store-bought ones.