Plant Scientists Session 6 week 2

“A good question is never answered. It is not a bolt to be tightened into place but a seed to be planted and to bear more seed toward the the hope of greening the landscape if an idea.”   – John Ciardi, American poet

There is nothing quite like the magic of watching a butterfly emerge from a chrysalis. It is maybe only topped by watching that same butterfly fly free or land on your finger! As plant scientists our heroes did a great deal of this close looking and observation this week. Heroes also felt worms wiggle from the mud into their palms. They watched one another other curl up on the floor pretending to be seeds,extending legs as roots and hands as leaves and petals stretching tall towards the sun- first on their own and then deciding they wanted to repeat it only together this time! They operated pretend restaurants called “Sunflower City” and “Blossoms” while other heroes acted as pollinators and ordered flowers that had smells, petal size and colors that attracted them.

This week heroes were inspired by stories of heroes like Jacques Cousteau who explored underwater worlds and shared his passion for protecting ocean life with the world. We all continue to marvel at the research done in Antarctica and the creatures in the deep sea regions all over. Spark Studio heroes methodically practiced measuring in centimeters and inches as our bean plants seemed to (and in some instances did) grow overnight! They continue to ask questions and share their curiosity with fellow travelers.

Our tight knit group works continuously to understand the needs of our community. Sometimes this takes the form of not telling a hero how to spell a word, but showing them where they can find it instead. Other times this means letting someone know that they are not being clear or that they are distracting their work. Such requests were met with flexible answers like “let me say it a different way” and “okay, we will roll the dice more quietly”. The days end in reflection and each kindness and character trait is called out and recognized as the heroes appreciate one another along their journey.

After exploring plant life, heroes are excited to dig in and begin our garden next week!