Year 1. Session 2. Week 5.

Week 5 marked the culmination of Session 2 and with that, the Discovery Studio’s second Exhibition of Learning, The Real-Time Lemonade Stand-Off! The early part of the week was focused on preparing their work to be at a level worthy of public exhibition and boy did these Eagles pull through! They were tasked with finalizing their company image, mission statement and marketing pitches as well as purchasing all of the necessary materials to set up their stand and prepare their goods for sale. The Eagles showed off the skills they cultivated over the session including imaging and branding, cost/risk strategies, gathering and utilizing market research, among others. This was the largest Exhibition of Learning to date as the studio hosted not only Discovery family and friends, but Spark parents as well!

After the Lemonade Stand-Off wrapped up, the Eagles joined Ms. Rebecca for a reflection discussion surrounding the various art projects created over Sessions 1 & 2. Various media, supplies and focal points were discussed before the Eagles answered questions such as:

What was your favorite part of the process?
How did you respond to “mistakes”?
Would you do anything differently with your piece?
Do you consider yourself an artist?

There were some powerful takeaways from the group after 10 weeks of very intentional, engaged work with Ms. Rebecca.

Perfect Austin weather helped to wrap up the session of Ultimate Football in PD. With both teams competing so hard throughout the past four weeks, it was only fitting that the final game ended in a draw!

The journey back in time and around the world saw the Eagles transported to the Far East to learn about Ancient China. They were told the story of Lei Zu and the Silkworm- how silk was discovered and its impact on Chinese culture and economy, and about her husband, Huang Di, who united surrounding villages to grow his dynasty. They learned about the rice fields and the hard work, often in very difficult conditions, it took to sow the seeds and harvest the crop.

These stories prompted deep discussions surrounding whether or not the principle of a dynasty is fair, and does the answer change if the family or leader is great and fair, or cruel and selfish? They also tackled whether or not children worked harder in Ancient China or today- was it more challenging cooking breakfast over a fire, or reading a badge book? Mastering 20 math skills or spending a cold day harvesting rice?

At the end of a strong last week, the Eagles were ready for their next adventure with The Expedition School on a trip to Westcave Preserve! They have been hard at work all session, not only on their Core Skills, Quest, Writers’ Workshop and Civilization, but also on their Hiking and Geology Badges. This field outing consisted of learning about watersheds and how the geological features were formed. They conducted field observations of various rock, stalactites and stalagmites as well as wrote, directed and performed short skits surrounding the principles of Leave No Trace. Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to earn their badges!

Finally, we hope all our families enjoyed this break to spend time with family and friends celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. We are so grateful to be able to work with each of you and be part of everyone’s own Hero’s Journey. Onward to a short but meaningful Session 3!