Our 1st Year, Session 4, Week 3
Into the woods
We decided to take a walk in the field behind Active to explore and before more aware of our surroundings.
Some of the Eagle’s interesting discoveries:
- Different color plants and elevations indicated the presence of water – and wet feet!
- The presence of other travelers – hitchhiker plants that left seeds on them.
- Which plants were edible or could be used to make cordage/string for necklaces or rope.
- Cool insects and plants – and which ones were dangerous!
- Following a rabbit’s trail – and identifying tracks
- How to tell time with the sun – in order to get back on time.The Eagles had so many questions about the natural world!
When they returned they began researching answers and dove deep in preparation to present their fascinating discoveries to the group.
They created power point presentations and presented their findings on subjects like; how to identify poison ivy, what certain types of plants were and their uses, etc…
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” -Henry David Thoreau (Walden)
Good Sportsmanship
We have been practicing and learning about good sportsmanship from the world class examples of olympic champions.
Little Eagles have also been learning about responsibilities.
Distraction Free Work
Eagles can choose their personal work environment to maximize their productivity depending on their freedom level.
Freedom levels are earned through points, hard work and responsibility.
Edison’s Lab
Eagles are preparing to present their findings, inventions, and understanding of electricity to their parents and guests at our up coming electricity exhibition!
Eagles are learning how electricity gets to our homes via the power grid and the security problems that come along with that system.
They had lively discussions and debates about whether invention or innovation was the answer.
If you were in charge of the budget, would you put more money into security systems (such as walls, alarms, and guards) to protect against saboteurs, or would you put more money into funding innovations that would make the grid more resilient if someone got to it who intended harm?
Placing them in real world scenarios and in the shoes of heroes that make critical decisions is an every day occurrence at the Active Leadership Academy.
These are the leaders of the future; and critical thinking, communication, active listening, analyzing different viewpoints, and respectful debate are much needed skills!
Friday Town Meeting
An Eagle stepped down from the council due to complaints that it was too much responsibility.
Who will fill the power vacuum?
In civilization this week they studied and discussed the birth of democracy in Ancient Greece being the first to decide matters by vote.
One of the key points they discussed was that a democratic society must be educated in order to work.
We have a new council member who was quickly voted in without much vetting or discussion.
Will the new leader be up to the responsibilities of the job?
What will happen when this new leader has the power over others to make the final decisions on their Eagle Buck appeals?
We shall see…
