Week 26: Bones, birds of prey, and a break

Our last week leading up to Spring Break was action packed! On Monday we paired up into teams of two and tried our hands at dissecting Barn Owl pellets. The "ewwwws!" quickly turned into "ahhhhs!" as balls of hard fur crumbled to reveal hidden treasures inside. Skulls, teeth, ribs, vertebrae, scapulas, thigh bones....entire skeletons were uncovered and identified! Everyone participated and I was so touched when one of our older learners looked up from her magnifying glass with a big smile on her face and said, "Thank you so much for getting these for us!" These quests - these weeks long immersive, experiential, deep dives into a subject - are one of the things I'm most excited about in the Acton journey. Giving children time to really delve into a subject and providing them with exciting and engaging experiences along the way will deepen the learning. Maintaining that curiosity and love for learning is what life at Acton is all about, and the quests are key.

Part of this quest's work was learning about what different birds eat and how they catch or gather their food. We read about things we can do to help backyard birds and decided to make our own DIY Bird Feeders. We busted out the peanut butter, toilet paper rolls, and bird seed and got to work making simple bird feeders using common household materials. Then we headed out to the river's edge to hang them on branches and in forts, waiting for a hungry bird to discover them. It didn't take long!

The rest of our time was spent working on reading, writing, and math during our core skills block and finishing up our research on our bird of choice. There was lots of work to do - creating our quest photo collage, hanging our life-sized bird drawings, cleaning and decorating the space, and calming our nerves with a relaxing story and some deep-breathing meditation.

At 3pm sharp our greeters met families at the door. Entry was granted to those who could correctly answer some bird-related trivia! They were then led into the studio where they joined the rest of the group at the circle rug for more bird trivia as we waited for everyone to arrive. When the last guest was seated it was time to get started! Everyone went to man their display, ready and waiting with their bird calls cued up on their iPads and eager to share all they'd learned about these birds. One of these heroes even woke early to decorate an Eagle's Nest cake he'd baked and shared with the whole group at the end of the exhibition!

The next morning we gathered for Town Hall, a Friday morning tradition where learners get a chance to discuss challenges in the studio and offer solutions, which the group ultimately votes on. This week one of our heroes brought up forts - whether someone has the right to choose who comes in their fort or not. What followed was an impassioned discussion - the outcome of this vote mattered to everyone. This conversation took more than 30 minutes, with each hero having a chance to voice their choice and provide reasoning. There was plenty of back and forth, they disagreed respectfully, listened with very few interruptions, and in the end, with a 5 to 4 vote in favour of inclusion of all or none (the option to play alone, or welcome all), the decision was made. Despite almost half the studio not seeing the vote go in their favour, they were able to accept the decision with grace. It would have been much easier (and quicker!) for the adult to step in and create the rule, to solve the problem. The end result likely would have been the same, but the empowerment and deep learning these heroes gained would have been completely lost. By allowing this process to play out, these children are learning the importance of being clear communicators, of using solid logic to make your case, of listening respectfully, of being able to disagree with someone and yet still see them as a friend, to keep an open mind, to participate in democracy, and to think through complex problems. Some of the topics that were deeply discussed were empathy and respect - empathy for those who may be left out, respect for the hard work one put into building their fort, etc. These subjects were completely unprompted by the guides - the adults were mere observers who stepped in only to uphold the Rules of Engagement (raising hands to speak, only one person speaks at a time). Some children were near tears at times. Speaking up and disagreeing with your friends is hard. It takes courage and strength. Imagine the impact of practicing this in a safe space for 12 years, before being thrust out into the "real" world? Imagine the impact of this as they enter their teen years? This is the big learning at Acton, the thing that gives me goosebumps to witness. It's the secret sauce.

To celebrate the end of our Ornithology Quest we took a field trip to The Raptors Sanctuary, hitting the road as soon as Town Hall wrapped up. As we left the campus the skies unleashed a torrent of hail and rain, but by the time we reached Duncan we had bright high clouds and not a drop of rain in sight! Thank goodness, because our tour and flight show were entirely outdoors! The staff was incredible and happily answered the many questions our group had for them. The flight show was definitely a highlight and we were so fortunate to have front row seats, getting a chance to be up very close and personal with each of the birds. Some favourites for the group were the Marabou Stork, the Eagles, the one-winged Raven (who paints!), and the Peregrine Falcon (fastest animal on the planet!). One thing's for sure, after this quest and our field trip, I think it's safe to say we're all bird-enthusiasts for life!

We piled into our cars and convoyed back to the campus for Spark Play. Before we knew it, it was 3pm and time to say our goodbyes as we all head into Spring Break.

Leaving the campus that day I was reflecting on our Town Hall meeting. There's been such a transformation in these children in the past few months. Watching this hero who is so quiet, so accommodating, and so shy, speak up and voice her concerns to a group of her peers....the courage and growth that showed was not lost on me. Then to see another who is bold and commanding, humbled when called out for her leadership style, respond with such clarity and composure despite visibly being shaken by this feedback. As a guide or a parent it's incredibly hard to resist rescuing children from these difficult experiences and emotions, or solving their problems for them. Yet it's through these lived experiences they learn just what they're capable of.

In the wise words of Charlie Wardle, “A bird sitting in a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking because its trust is not on the branch but on its own wings. Always believe in yourself.”