​Dear Friends, 
This Friday we will perform the Water Cycle necklace activity with Rooms 204 (11:30) and 203 (2:15). This is a kinetic demonstration of the random  flight of a water molecule through nine possible places where water is found on earth: ocean, clouds, glaciers, lakes, rivers, soil, groundwater, plants and animals. So we create nine stations, each one equipped with its own unique die (singular of dice) and bowl of beads. The students start at one of these stations carrying a cord, knotted at one end. They take a bead from the bowl and thread it onto the cord. Then they roll the die. The die tells them where their water molecule will go next. For example, from ocean to cloud. The student goes to the cloud station and threads a cloud bead, then rolls the cloud die. It might land in such a way that it instructs the student to go to cloud. That means the student stays at cloud station, threads another bead and rolls again. The student rolls 20 times, creating a unique trail, a unique story about the motion and experience of one water molecule in this world. After twenty rolls, we attached barrel clasps on each end of the cord to create a necklace, suitable for gifting or keeping. The students also write about their molecules' journey. Part of the profound meaning of the water cycle is its endless dynamism, a masterpiece of recycling. We can tell the students with a good degree of certainty that some of the water molecules currently in their bodies were once in clouds, glaciers, dinosaurs and spiders. Truly we are all part of everything in this living world. Another wonderful realization is that the water cycle is powered by two fundamental forces: the Sun to raise the water to the skies, and gravity to return it to Earth. Also, the great flow of waters from the Mississippi into the Gulf carries with it the taint of our civilization: eroded soils, fertilizers and chemical pollutants of every sort. The Water Cycle, Mother Nature, bails us out by evaporating that spoiled water, thereby distilling it, and returns it to us as pure, drinkable water. How lucky can we be? 
One can imagine 30 students cycling through nine stations, rolling (throwing) 9 large dice, threading beads and accidentally letting their beads slip from their cord. It is very kinetic! Volunteers are greatly appreciated. If you can help, you will witness a very fun an important lesson.
I teach the kids a song about water and us. I borrowed it from Yoko Ono and added my own verses.

We're all Water
(Ono / Leki)
We're 90% water
We're like the plants and algae,
We're mostly water
We're 90% water
Like the surface of our planet
Our Mother Earth.

(Chorus)
We're all water from different rivers
That's why it's so easy to meet
We're all water in this vast, vast ocean
Someday we'll evaporate together.

We're cousins to the glaciers
The raindrops are our aunties
Because we're water
We're like the streams and rivers,
The lakes and ponds and oceans
Because we're water

Chorus

Hope you can join us!
Mr. Leki

​...between Thanksgiving and Xmas,
for me means, 
the rate of the shortening of days slowing, 
coming to a halt on December 22,
when the slow climb to Spring begins. 
This time of year, after the fall Field excursions,
I spend time reading and responding to field journals (with parent and volunteer colleagues);
doing post-trip classes with 6th, 5th and 4th grades;
doing water and watershed classes with the 2nd grade, culminating in the watershed necklace activity that follows the random path of a water molecule through this earth-home of ours. 
I will be introducing Kindergarden to the Spider plant and its song, and each of them will have one to raise up and pot in the spring for Mothers' Day. Thanks to all who brought baby spiders in!
I am trying to keep a dedicated focus on Climate Change, 
what things we can do in our own lives everyday (less use of carbons!),
and politically, urging code changes to require every new and renovated building to be carbon neutral, disinvestment of government from fossil fuels, etc. It occurred to me that if the buildings in our neighborhood that are being "bumped up " by developers, were required to be carbon neutral, and have complete rain catchment (no rain water in the sewers), these building could have a positive impact in the future. Oftentimes, in the past,  buildings that were supersized for a single family, were eventually converted to apartments, condos, boarding houses as the economy evolved. Emergency means doing everything we can, as soon as possible, to secure our beautiful planet for our children. 
Next Saturday is the Maker (Craft) Fair at Waters . I will have a spot selling my little book "The Fight Between Quiet and Noise", a fable about simple living, 
to support the Ecology program. ($10)
Please consider buying some for holiday gifts. I will do a reading on Saturday as well. 
December! What happened? Last Thursday when the winds were howling, tearing free the sad grey leaves from trees, 
I remembered the Robert frost Poem:
Oh Hush October morning mild, 
thy leaves have ripened to the fall, 
tomorrow's wind, 
if it be wild, 
will waste them all"!
I saw them being thrown and "wasted", 
and I felt the very real shove of north wind at my back.
I saw three crows flying valiantly into the wind,
and....!!!!
going backwards!
Such a metaphor! 
Are we going forward?
Or are we stuck in a relativity where we just think we are?
A song lyric I wrote long ago:
"We are going forward, 
but we're not going nowhere (repeat many times)
(add on top)
the rain falls down, 
then it goes underground, (repeat many times)
Keep singing till we find a solution, 
Mr. Leki