So Many Things to Learn; So Many Ways to Learn

Learning is such a fascinating journey, and it's such a pleasure to watch children walk it out. It's so much more than just "read this text" and "answer that question." Here are just a few of the ways that Mr. Bill's crew has experienced growth in understandings and skills in the last couple weeks:

Learning math through hands-on activities such as the "drop-it" gauge and measurement challenges:

Learning math through games such as "Top-It," "Factor Bingo," and good 'ol cards:

Learning math through students presenting their own problem-solving strategies to the rest of the crew:

 Learning about a fellow crew mate's culture of origin through his mom's presentation:

Learning about basic energy concepts through demonstrations and experiments (with help from parents):

Learning about renewable energy by building mini solar houses and monitoring temperature data:

Running mining simulations to learn about the difficulties involved in balancing our need for natural resources with the need to carefully steward the Earth. (Students were probing and mining for tape-wrapped pennies, which they refined by removing the tape. They could increase production and earn money to buy extra equipment, but they always had to keep a careful eye on their property in case the EPA inspector showed up, ready to levy fines for poor land management):

And, of course, learning through the manifold experiences and challenges that an adventure ed voyage presents.  To see LOTS of photos (3,009 to be exact) from our trip to Educo Adventure Camp last week, check out http://educoleadership.wordpress.com/ and/or http://educoadventures.smugmug.com/Other/Renaissance-School-Mr-Bills/25581942_4WSd7b#!i=2110693916&k=VP2hv78)