The last day of our Odyssey was extended into this week due to inclement weather, but boy was it a beautiful experience to drive up to Maple Lake and farm for Mr. Jim and Mrs. Audrey Hennen. This piece connected us back to our Erdkinder experience in the fall, working with the soil and coming full circle back to the planting season of agriculture. We arrived early in the morning and Jim had the boys jump right into planting their plot of land. Mr. Hennen owns over 60 acres of land but keeps only a couple acres for his personal garden. From onions to peppers to zucchini, the boys were instructed on how to plant, how far apart to plant the seedlings, and the growing process. He told them how he grows his seedlings indoors first so that he can prevent them from being affected by frost that extends into spring. He let the boys use his hot digging invention to expedite the planting process. The boys got dirty, worked hard, and completed in two hours what would have taken the Hennens over a week to plant! What a blessing not only to see the beauty of Jim's farm but to see the mentorship of this elderly man to these teenage boys.
After our time planting, Jim and Audrey fed us a lovely lunch, with their dog Oscar jumping around. Once we got in the car, I asked the boys what they thought, and they asked when we could go back next.
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On the fourth day of our Odyssey excursion, the theme for the adolescents was Handiwork and Mentorship. These are two fundamental pieces of the Adolescent program - working with their hands to make something and also mentoring between other planes and levels. The boys worked on their woodworking and painting for their mother's day projects. They independently figured out how to cut apart a wooden palette, sand the wood, clean the wood, and stain their pieces before problem solving how to nail them together. It was so valuable to see them independently figure out what they wanted to build, how to follow multiple steps to prepare all their materials, and then work together to create something they had envisioned. Not only did it help them in their multi-step processing and planning, but it gave them the pride and sense of accomplishment of finishing something that they made entirely themselves. In the afternoon of that Thursday, we went to South Campus to help Miss Novak's E1 class make THEIR mother's day projects - foot soak. Myself, Matthew, and Sam took a group of children and helped them through the multi-step procedure to make their gifts. Not only did they combine epsom salt, baking soda, and essential oils, but they had to measure and beautifully contain their foot soak and wrap it in tissue paper and place it in a bag. Seeing the Adolescent boys in this environment, their confidence glows and their leadership is evident. The younger students love having them come in and it seems like it is a mutual feeling. We completed the mother's day gifts in an efficient amount of time and I believe the E1 students were grateful we came and sad to see us leave. What a beautiful day of handiwork and inter-level mentorship and leadership! On the third day of our Odyssey Excursions, we visited the Missionaries of Charity house in Minneapolis. Accompanied by Mr. Steve Willems, the boys had a chance to visit with one of the Missionaries, see their chapel, and help take care of the home of the sisters and many women and their babies. Sister had us jump right into cleaning the house: from mopping to cleaning ALL the windows, we all got sweaty and used our elbow grease to perform the chores that would make the home more beautiful for its residents. The women that stay at the home are either pregnant or have just given birth. Many of them are either homeless or left their home because of difficult circumstances. It was such a gift to meet each of them and see their newborn babies and pray for the ones that had not had their babies yet. Following our time cleaning, sister shared with us the map of all of the Missionaries of Charity sisters around the world. Many of them had been martyred and some had been martyred very recently by ISIS. Sister shared with me the hardship of leaving behind her family, that she visits her family in India once every 10 years, and every time she visits them, someone has usually passed away who was very dear to her. Sister shared with us also the struggle of the women who are residents in the home. Many of them are young moms, a few of them teenagers. They can barely take care of themselves let alone new babies. The women are asked to follow certain rules and protocols in the home and Sister shared about how one of her hardest jobs is telling a woman she needs to help herself and find somewhere else to live so that they can give a bed to another women and baby in need. This time in the home allowed for us to discuss the difference in lifestyles between the residents and ourselves. I think it was eye opening for the boys to recognize that people can have such difficult lives only 25 minutes from their own homes in the suburbs. We talked about Mother Teresa and her mission and how we can emulate her maxims in our own lives. Not only did the entire day inspire gratitude, but I heard them say that they want to go back to help the Missionaries again! On our second day of our Odyssey trips, we went rock climbing at Vertical Endeavors in St. Paul! Not only was this a good day of personal physical challenge, but it also involved learning about the parts of our bodies that get especially strengthened during rock climbing as well as discussing the problem solving necessary when finding your route up the wall. The boys seemed excited as we drove to St. Paul on Tuesday morning. We talked and read about the certain muscles that rarely get used in our bodies that would probably be sore after we left the facility. These parts included the muscles in the forearms, the back of the calf, as well as their biceps and lats. I did not have to encourage the boys to jump on the wall and give 100%, they did that without any prompting! Both Matthew and Sam began climbing the walls together, starting at the kid's wall. By the end of our time at Vertical Endeavors, they were venturing to different routes up the wall, challenging themselves personally, not creating competition between each other. They even took a stab at bouldering and did very well! The boys challenged themselves personally and seemed thoroughly empowered and exhausted by the time we were done! I know Ms. Post sure was.
On Monday of our Odyssey Excursion we toured both the Basilica of St. Mary and the Cathedral of St. Paul. Starting at the Basilica, we were guided by a very kind tour guide who was a plethora of knowledge about the Basilica, from when it was originally built to even some mistakes that the architect and stain glass window maker had made! She walked us around the outside of the basilica, showed us the importance of the Basilica's insignia, and explained the role that the Basilica has in the Global Church. She walked us through the story of Mary painted on the stain glass windows, she showed us the organ, the choir loft, and the designated side chapels and side altars. These altars were devoted to the Sacred Heart, St. Joseph, and St. Therese. The architect that designed both the Basilica and the Cathedral under the guidance of Archbishop John Ireland was very French and his taste and saintly devotions were evident. The architect, Emmanuel Louis Masqueray, kept all his blueprints so that when the Basilica was being renovated, they were able to return the designs to their original intent. After our tour, we took an hour to pray in the sanctuary. Either with a Scriptural Rosary or their prayer journals, we all took some time meditating on Christ's Mother and the beauty she holds. After lunch, we headed to St. Paul to the Cathedral. Knowing what we knew about the Basilica informed our understanding of the Cathedral since they shared an architect.
On Monday, the Adolescent students began their study of the circulatory system. Together, they dissected a pig's heart after learning about how the blood circulates through the body and is reoxygenated by the lungs.
They discussed the anatomy of the heart to identify the front and back, left and right sides. They dissected the heart laterally in order to find the four main chambers of the heart. They used blue and red straws to find the four entry and exit points of blood - using red straws for blood exiting the heart (red with oxygen) and blue straws for blood coming back into the heart (blue needing oxygenation). They pinpointed the aorta, pulmonary artery, the superior and inferior vena cavas, and the pulmonary veins. In dissecting the heart right down the middle, they were able to see the septum held together by actual heart "strings!" What a wonderful opportunity and hands on learning experience for the adolescents. While some of them were wary and nervous about dissecting something so "gross" - by the end they were fascinated and truly enjoyed dissecting the heart in order to see how their own functions. On Friday, April 27th, Miss Cassidy Sloot visited our Adolescent classroom to share her knowledge and experience. She graduated from South Dakota State University with a bachelor's in Nutrition and now she is getting a Master's in dietetics from the University of Minnesota. She shared how she wanted to become a dietician, her relationship with food, and helpful tidbits for the adolescents at this time in their lives.
Fun facts: BREAD IS NOT BAD. Our bodies need fiber and grains in order to for the bacteria in our bodies to metabolize the food in our stomachs. THERE IS MORE VITAMIN C IN 8 STRAWBERRIES THAN IN A ORANGE. SOME YOGURTS DO NOT ACTUALLY HAVE LIVE BACTERIA. OUR FOOD GROUPS DO NOT NEED TO BE SEPARATED ON OUR PLATES: PIZZA HAS GRAIN (CRUST), FRUIT (TOMATO), DAIRY (CHEESE), AND VEGETABLES (TOPPINGS), AND PROTEIN (MEAT). OUR BODIES ALL METABOLIZE FOOD DIFFERENTLY. We could have to people eat the same food every day, exercise the same amount, and their body types would be different because they are made differently and have different genetic makeup. It was a wonderful opportunity to really learn about what we need to put in our bodies and how to actually take care of our bodies with what we eat. I am so grateful she came to our class and hope that those practices can be followed at home! Last Friday and this Wednesday we had the opportunity to celebrate both Sam and Ava's birthdays. We do this in a special way by allowing each adolescent to choose a restaurant to go to for a special lunch. Their families are invited and asked to bring photos and key stories to share! What a gift to celebrate and hear about the early years of when each adolescent was growing up and how the way they were when they were little so affected and develops the way they are now!
It was such a blessing for me to go out with each adolescent and their family for their birthday. It has been a way to celebrate each individual, to reflect on the past year, and to celebrate God's care and particular love for each of the students in our Adolescent community! Thursday, April 12th the Adolescent community traveled to Park Square theater once more to see the play, The Diary of Anne Frank. This study aligned with our focus on nonfiction and memoir in literature and writing. The play explained (almost word for word) the events that occurred to Anne while she was hiding away with her family. This opportunity was beautiful in that it got the adolescents outside the community, exposed them to the beauty of the arts and culture, and provided a good discussion piece and reference as to why pieces of nonfiction are so important to the literary world and to history.
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Mrs. Goodwinand the Adolescent Classroom Students Archives
May 2019
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