A fire drill, a blustery day and a GRIT class that learned the meaning of deviation. Mondays are usually a music appreciation day in GRIT, but the I in GRIT stands for investigation and with the windy weather on Monday, class plans changed quickly. After being outdoors for the fire drill, the wind provided the best teachable moment for kite construction.
Pulling together random materials, students were challenged to design, build and test a kite. With only 3 of the students having experience with kites before, quick lessons of weight, wind resistance and balance happened. Without research, the classroom supplies were swiftly constructed into potential designs for a kite to fly on the wind gusts of the day. Some had some success at maintaining some height. All gained some experience in creativity, working on demand and the art of kite-making. Thankfully Mrs. Cox in the hs office always contrives the Cadillac News newspaper string that arrives daily to the classroom’s supplies. It would be difficult to fly a random kite on a random windy day without string. Life lesson: sometimes you have to deviate from the plan to learn more.
