¡Libera las hormigas! ¡Libera las hormigas!

🐜 Guiding Ideas 🐜
With lessons learned regarding structure, we went into our second all- school Lab. We invited another ant colony ( the school leader from anther school) to participate, as we continued both with the ants themed lab and the Brainstorm Food & News Hotel.

Ingredients for today’s lab

Brown paper to rip, white paper to glue, on, black paint, and flower collage materials, our very sad ant farm with too many ants who did not survive the week, tape, the Snack Kiosk and snack labels, envelopes, surprises, stickers, the individual letters for the Brainstorm News & Food Hotel sign, and ¡Oye Hormiga! A great book never gets old.

Jen Sunderland from PlayLab Group was invited to join. We introduced her as Aunt Ant Jen from another Ant Colony. With her, she brought an life cycle of ants puzzle, the book 100 Hungry Ants by Elinor J. Pinczes which she read to the amigues, and gifted us Si fueras Hormiga which in English is called Thinking about Ants by Barbara Brenner.

What just happened?

While we waited to Tia Hormiga Jen to make it from Manhattan, the amigues speculated whether she may be coming by plane, train or bus from Manhattan, meanwhile Nicole re-read ¡Oye Hormiga!, as great books never get old. Last time she read the book, which ends with a questions to the reader: “¿Deberia aplastarla o dejarla vivir? Eso sólo el niño lo puede decidir. Dejémoslo ahi con el pie alzado. ¿Te parece a ti que debe bajarlo?” While Nicole engaged the amigues in the question, Jen arrived, and Eva brought what was left of last week’s sad little ant farm (with all its carnage and a tiny few survivors) to the front of the class. As much as we love seeing the ants create trails and tunnels (a seed “pantry” and the cemetery) , it didn’t seem right keeping the ants in this sort of teeny enclosure, when just last week the Tulip King and Wendy had gifted the school what could be a HUUUUGE outdoor ant colony with flowers in the tree beds. Together we decided that perhaps it was best to free the ants, and chanted: “¡Libera las hormigas! ¡Libera las hormigas!¡Libera las hormigas!”

After the chant, some kids decided to go with the maestres who would be serving snack in the Brainstorm Snack hotel, complete with money and a brainstorm pad, other amigues followed Wendy to draw ants, some amigues went to glue letters to the sign with Nicole and others went with Camila to glue the snack hotel kiosko with all the wrappers we have been collecting over days and a few stayed behind to unscrew the ant farm with Jen and Eva. Once the ants were taken to their new home in the tree bed, we went back inside to make presents for the amigues of Jen’s school.

I smush ants when my partner doesn’t snip- Levi

I am going to make a mega ant -Claudia

This is called Ant Town with all kinds of insects. Ant town is perfect because they are always home, and you can also paint. We’re making tunnels or anything you want-Livneh

There is a black hole in Ant Town- Rey

Claudia : After a story that was excited yet difficult to decipher, Claudia ended with: “… and they were happy again”

Iris : I love my mommy

Ollie : a dart they got really sad it was black it was electrode!

Livneh : the unicorn fell into the whole cause she wanted to go away somewhere that was dark. Eva is the unicorn okay? Ya did they save her? Ya Who? Another unicorn

Levi: someone stepped on my hand and it’s not okay. Now I have to go to the doctor. My hand is starting to broke. Now I’m starting tog en sick. Inwilll talk to sunny.

Camille : yo recibiera mi mamá el trabajo de mami va a regresar del trabajo de mami porque va a volver de mi cole.

Jude: con las hormigas they fell into a hole in the desert and then the big ant helped them get out.