The Toy Drive for Paul's Place

On Friday, the mountain of toys that the students brought in was delivered to Paul's Place. The workers there were overwhelmed by the generosity that the students at Calvert showed. The bottom picture shows our toys along with others that had been previously donated. 120 families will have a happier holiday season because of this wonderful ministry. Well done, Calvert family!!

History Test Study Guide

The history test has been moved to Thursday. The study guide can be seen by clicking here.

This Week's Composition

After a successful paper making activity we have launched into our composition about the history of paper. We learned many facinating facts about paper including:

In 105 AD, in the Han Dynasty a man named Ts'ai Lun invented paper
He used mulberry bark and hemp rags.
He chopped them up and added water to them.
Then he pressed it flat and let it dry.
This technique spread to India by 400 AD.
The Chinese kept it a secret from the west until 751 AD.
In a battle in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, some Chinese papermakers were captured.
In order to gain their freedom they told the Arabs the secrets of papermaking.
Paper spread across Africa and into Europe through Spain in 1150 AD.
So much paper was being made in Europe, there was a rag shortage.
Paper came to America in 1690 AD.
William Rittenhouse made the first paper mill in America near Philadelphia.

The video shows the boys hard at work with a water wheel similar to the one William Rittenhouse used. I made it a few weeks ago to illustrate the basic principles of how water can be used to create power. It has been a huge hit in class.

Some Holiday Visitors

We were treated to carolers from the Middle School yesterday. It is amazing how quickly my former students have grown up. The students really enjoyed the visit!!

A Successful Project

The paper project worked very well, and the boys were pleased with how it turned out. Here is a picture of the finished product.

Making Paper

We had a great time and learned about about making paper in class today. Half of the class ripped up blue paper and the other half ripped up yellow paper, so that our finished product would be a mixture of both. We ground the paper into pulp in a blender. Then we added the pulp to a plastic bin with lots of water and dipped a screen and deckle in. The last step was to put the screens above the radiator so that the paper would dry more quickly. I hope the paper is dry in the morning. I'll post a picture of the final product once it is finished drying. Check out the videos and picture below to see what we did.

A New Way to Post a Composition

After scanning and sending home many Thanksgiving compositions I wondered if this may be a better way to post students' work. I am giving it a try here. To see the composition click here.

Recreating a Chinese Invention

In history class today each boy made a compass using a needle that had been magnetized, a leaf, and a bowl of water. Some of the leaves sank, so the boys will have a chance to try again tomorrow during Corrections period at the start of the day. During study hall tomorrow we will be recreating another Chinese invention...paper. The paper making activity tomorrow will be used as part of our composition next week.

Our Classroom Door at Night

I was working late this evening and was struck by the beauty of the decorated door in the darkness.