ABC Writing

The Octopi were issed the challenge of writing a story where each sentence began with a letter of the alphabet in sequence. This made them really think through how they started a sentence and the results were pretty cool. Here's a few:

By: G.B.

As usual he was late. But I didn’t mind he had been my business associate for 12 …..or was it 13 years? Central Park Mall was very busy this time of year. December 24 is almost the busiest time of the year. Eager to get this meeting over with I called him but he didn’t answer and I realized that I couldn’t call him while he was driving so I decided to get some coffee and donuts. Gratefully the coffee was so relaxing that I decided to sit back and read. Hopefully he would be here soon. It had been about an hour until I had checked my phone and that was when I realized that he had texted me an half an hour ago and called off the meeting. Joyfully I was free to do my Christmas shopping. Kneeling down I grabbed my bag and dashed out of the coffee shop.

Luckily I had time to get all of the gifts on my list. Mainly I was focused on gifts for my kids and the rest of my family. Never in my life had I seen the mall so crowded. Over on the other side of the mall was where all of the stores I needed so I had to hurry over there. Please, please, please do not be out of what I need I thought to myself worriedly.  Quantity wise I had a lot of gifts in my kart. Red was my nephew’s favorite color so I got him a red D.S case. Soon I was done and I got to go home. Tomorrow would be very exciting and my kids would love me. Usually my kids woke up very early and I wasn’t ready but this time I was. Vanilla was my kid’s favorite flavor of ice cream and I bought some so as soon as I got home I hid the ice cream in the freezer.

When my kids woke up in the morning they were very excited and so was I. Xylophones for the girls and legos for the boys. Yellow wrapping paper was all over the floor. Zebra print throws from the couch were scattered all over the floor along with the paper.

And that was how my merry Christmas went.

 

By: S.C.

A long time ago, I heard about a holiday called Christmas. Boy, I wish I knew what it was like to live back then. Christmas is a beautiful time of year. Dunking marshmallows in hot cocoa, having fun with friends and family, and opening presents. Even some guy named Santa keeps the season warm and jolly. Fun is the basic definition of Christmas. Green wreaths hang on people’s doors, I just absolutely love Christmas. However, I am allergic to the some of the fibers in the wreath. If you enjoy Christmas then your thoughts make complete sense to me. Jesus was born on Christmas and if he wasn’t, then Christmas wouldn’t exist! Kindness is spread all over the world on Christmas. Love and happiness are also spread. Money and wealth do not matter on Christmas, for it is a day of giving. Naughty boys and girls go on Santa’s naughty list, and get coal instead of presents. On Christmas Eve, Santa sneaks through your chimney and gives you presents. Presents are fun to get. Quantities of people who love Christmas outnumber the amount of molecules on a tree. Rushing from store to store to shop a few days before Christmas is common. Sales come all over the place! Toys are being wrapped and stored until Christmas Eve. Under the tree, tons of presents sit, waiting to be unwrapped and see happy kin. Visions of sugar plums dance in kid’s heads while they are asleep. Xylophones can be heard in Christmas music. You probably agree with me, that Christmas is the best holiday. Crazy would be your new name if you hate Christmas.

By: R.J.

Las Vegas is a great place for a vacation. My family and I went there. Next to California my favorite place is Las Vegas. Our family went to Las Vegas in the summer when it is really hot. Perhaps we should go in the winter next time.

Quenching our thirst, we grabbed a bottle of water at Starbucks. Rather than going to the Hoover Dam we went to the game store. So we got two games one was UNO and the other was Monopoly.  That Uno game was really fun.

Usually we would order food in our room but we went out to eat this time. Voraciously we ate our food at Red Robin.   We then went to the hotel we were staying in. Next my mom said, now we will take a nap. Yes, I can take a nap. Zooming into my bed I fell asleep. At 6:00 pm my mom woke me up.  But I did not won’t to wake up. Cause I was tired and wanted to sleep more.  Darn my mom got me up any way.

 Everyone went downstairs, ate dinner and liked it. For dessert we had ice cream with a cookie. Gosh that was a cool and fun day.  How did the day pass so fast?  It was morning and we were eating breakfast. Just as we sat down the sun came up. Keeping our family tradition we will return to Las Vegas again for vacation.  

By: S.L.B.

Once upon a time there was a boy named Prancer. Prancer’s father hated only one thing. Questions.

Rather than avoid asking questions, he simply avoided asking his father. Sometimes, he couldn’t avoid asking his father a question. To do that he checked if his father was in a good mood. Usually his father was in a bad mood. Vern’s Violins was a very stressful job, and it tended to leave his father in a very bad mood. When he came home happy, it was usually because one of his customers tipped well. X-mas was one of the best times, because people tended to tip well. Yes, Prancer thought, X-mas was definitely the best time of the year. Zany presents, Dad in a good mood, what’s not to like?  

And this Christmas was going to be the best ever. Big bundles of presents under the tree, fun with the family.

“Christmas rocks don’t you think, Dad?”

 Dad paused before answering the question, a very unusual occurrence, “Except when it snows. Frankly, snow only makes it hard to drive.”

“Gosh, what makes you say that dad? How could you not like snow? I love it! Jolly good snowball fights can only happen in the snow. Kate’s starting a snowball fight want to come?”

“Let’s.”

 My dad having a snowball fight with us kids. Now, this is what I call an awesome dad and an awesome Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Microscopes Rock!

The Octopi began their work with microscopes by studying prepared slides. It was frustrating at first but then they saw all sorts of amazing things including critters swimming around in aquarium algae. More fun to follow as they are growing bread mold and bacteria in petri dishes.

Creative Writing

The Octopi's buddies the Ladybugs were ready to try their hand at their first book so the Octopi came to help. Each Octopi paired up with a Ladybug and helped them write and illustrate. The results were great and everyone had an awesome time working together!

Baking Tarts

The Octopi used their baking skills to make tarts for Seabury's annual Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Each class makes a treat to share and we eat together, sharing what we are thankful for before leaving for Thanksgiving break.

Alchemy to Chemistry

After reading about alchemy and how it relates to modern day chemistry the Octopi tried writing out a "formula" in the symbols used by medieval alchemists.

The Elixer of Life

by S.L.B.

 

Put Tuesday in the baths. Mix the black raven and bone of whale, so that a black cow may be created. While the Stag is in the trees to egg itself, drink some whale to create a crown, when dragons lick at your feet, dowse you’re self in whale. Then, you will be crowned. And you will have crowned the first Elixir of Life.

To Create Pi
by F.B.

Pour your heart and stag into this substance and in your work take the virgin and Gemini the twins with Venus. Then have the dragon and the eagle create a fire. Take a Sunday mixed with cancer the crab then melt the hand mirror with the lion add the red rose and hatch your egg to the public.

 

To Make a Pink Rose

by G.B.

Take sophic sulfur and bathe it. Then take sophic mercury and bathe it too. After that you mix them together and put them in an egg made of Wednesday. Take the egg and hold it over a fire. Mix it until it is a bone of whale with a (n) tint of pink it is ready. Take a (n) sophic mercury and pour the mixture on to the sophic mercury. Then take the sophic mercury (which should now be tinted pink) and hold it over a fire until it is dry.

The Elixer of Life

by M.J.

To create the elixir first take the gray wolf and the black cow and the eagle and the dragon and once the serpent bites its tail all will be well.  Then take the stag and the black bird and make the serpent bite its tail you will be fine.  Finally take the bone of the whale and trees and you are done.  

 

To Create the Sun

by N.E.

Step 1: To create the sun is to burn lead into a liquid make it in to a ball drop a 5,000 pound ball on it put the little smashed pieces in a steal bowl. Step2: put burning sulfur in the bowl with it, put liquid gold in the bowl as well. Step3: put a block of burning wood and last but not least put 1 drop of iron in the bowl.  The bowl will explode a giant ball of fire will fly in the sky and you made a sun if this didn’t work then the whole universe will explode.    

 

To Create a Panacea

by R.J.

Step1:Take the whale and the lion and put them in the baths.Step2: Then mix them together and it creates silver with the crown.Step3: Then you put the crown on the silver and the egg comes out of the crown and makes the silver powerful. That’s how you make silver and a crown.

 

To Create the Elixer of Life

by S.C.

 

Take the winged lion and a whale and put them together, then add Saturn and a red rose. Then it will slowly begin to catch on fire. When the fire is done, add the ancient wolf. Then put Aquarius the Water carrier in the mixture. Then you must add the dragon that is in flame. Then add Leo the Lion when the dragon is done. The Queen will need to be added before you come close to the crown. Add some Jupiter before continuing. Put in a little bit of Venus, and you will once again notice the trees. Then add the lion and the mixture will become water. When it is done, you have ouroboros.

                 USE WISELY!

 

To Make the Sun

by M.T.

 

1. Put lion and Venus together and once Venus had been eaten by lion on a Friday go to tier two.

2. Jupiter with the lion from the Friday on a Thursday then go to tier three.

3. Put Mercury with the lion from the Thursday on a Wednesday go to tier four.

4. Put Mars with the lion from the Wednesday on a Tuesday go to tier five.

5. Put your chemical from tuesday and put it on a fire. On Sunday you will have the sun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Busy Week

As part of our chemistry unit one of Seabury's parents volunteered to come in and do a crime scene investigation. The Octopi learned how to test objects for the presence of blood, how to determine if it was human or animal and then how to type the blood. It was an amazing lab and the Octopi learned a great deal about how chemistry is applied to forensics.

 

Halloween!

Great costumes, a parade and party. During the party the Octopi were caught dancing to a video of a singing Halloween house. It was a lot of fun!

The week concludes with a day of self management when the Octopi have a list of things to do and decide how and when to get it done then the conclusion of our political campaign and a trip to the beach with our Navigator buddies. A busy week filled with great learning activities!

Learning About the Political Process

The Octopi and the Creators continued their study of elections and the political process with a visit to the Pierce County Republican Headquarters where they were told about how political campaigns are organized and run.

 

 

They then went to the Tacoma City Council Chambers and met with Jake Fey who is running for legislature and Senator Debbie Regala. They asked great questions about the issues and the politcial process.

The field trip ended with lunch at the Farmer's Market with their middle school buddies. It was an awesome day and a great learning experience.

(Where else but Seabury do kids read the Constitution on the bus?)