Expressing Themselves By Sea
Already three weeks into the Expression Phase, the Teal Band is full steam ahead on their projects. We've experienced chemical reactions, learned research techniques, discovered how helpful handwritten notecards are on a day when the internet is down, crafted, experimented and done a lot of writing.Piper: So far I have made things--sea themed stuffed animals and soaps with little turtles in them-- to sell to raise money for sea turtles. And handed out flyers so people know about it. I have worked on making a book that's going to talk about sea turtles and what they do. I hope that everyone will come to my craft fair at Umpqua Bank (24th St - Noe Valley) this Saturday. The banker is buying enough ice cream for 200 people, and says he'll run out and get more if we need it!
Nora: This morning, I was going over my paper and was disappointed to find it was way too short and I did not have enough information on the fish that lives in sargassum (if you want to learn about that you can read my research paper on expo night,) So, Melissa found some information on it which I looked over and we figured out the Sargassum fish is related to the angler fish (which i am kind of obsessed with I did a blog post, a model and a Prezi on earlier in the year) so I was very excited about that turns out I really like that kind of fish.
Huxley: I have done the chemistry and figured out that my super-corroding alloy has (in terms of the hydrogen it can produce) an energy density 13 times than that of a non-rechargeable lithium-ion battery! I have also created a design to implode hydrogen safely.
Selina: My algae seem to be growing according to my expectations. I had a jar of plain seawater that I put a little fertilizer in. I checked on it today and it there was algae growing. This proves that if we were to dump iron ore into the ocean, as I am theorizing, algae would grow.
Jonah: I have been working on connecting my smaller gear to my big gear. The gearing is so that I can make it so that when the big gear that is connected to the water wheel spins enough to make the smaller wheel that is connected to the generator. I am going to work on the second iteration of the water wheel today.
Aurora: Moving forward in my project, I'm learning about the challenges of building shipping container homes. I would also like to learn about the different shapes of shipping container homes. Lastly, I would like to learn about how different architects are getting around the challenges of using shipping containers as homes.
Jared: I have done a lot of research and I have started to receiving emails from my experts. So far, besides doing research, I have begun working on my mini-documentary using iMovie. Melissa has helped me organize my notes and helped me a lot.
Patrick: These last weeks before expo are always the hardest because you always like "Oh, this project is horrible compared to everyone's projects." I think I did well, for something that I'm not good at focusing on. I still need to do 1/3 of my project in a week. So, this should be fun.
Freddie: I feel and little stressed but I am finishing up my research paper. I am going to have a talk with Willow to start to help me with my drawings as I have already sketched them out. I'm ready to be done but my research paper needs a little more work and I feel like I am having writer's block right now but hopefully I get it done in time.
As a little break from all their project work, the Teal Band enjoyed a lesson on dyeing natural fibers (silk) using natural dyes. They boiled cabbage and fig leaves to create their dyes. Exploring a bit of chemistry and pH, they played with their colors by dipping their dyed silks in different acids and bases.
