Welcome back to school everyone! I hope everyone had a restful summer full of fresh air and adventures. I enjoyed a few camping trips and many great wilderness hikes this past summer. Unfortunately, it seems that my year of living dangerously continued. Monday morning, while hiking East Sooke Park, my right foot got caught in some rocks and in what seemed like slow-motion, my foot stayed put while my body tumbled over the ankle.
I am very sad to be missing this first week. The first day back not only serves as a warmup day for everyone, but also as a transition to the new year, reconnecting with old friends.
I always look forward to the first day of school because I get to see how much my students have grown over the summer and to hear about their adventures. Before sending students to their new classrooms, I like to remind them that our classroom is a safe place, and that if they are ever feeling sad or in need of someone to talk to, they can drop by. I also encourage them to drop by and say hi once in a while, and to remember to get involved in school activities like sports teams, choir, lunch monitoring (in grade 5). I hope you will be able to pass this message along. I hope to be back at Willows real soon!
The following are 2 recipes from last June: one for silly-putty and the other for bread:
Silly Putty
Over the summer, Health Canada recommended to avoid using boric acid in arts & crafts. David Suzuki also addresses it here. Unfortunately the recipe used in class last June, which came from a visiting scientist from Science World, contained Borax. The following is a YouTube link to a Borax-free recipe.
Bread
500 ml of warm water
1025 ml of all-purpose flour
10 ml of salt
1. In a large bowl, mix the yeast and water.
2. Add the flour and salt. Mix until the dough is lumpy, but without dry flour.
3. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it rest in a warm spot until it has doubled in size (about 2 hrs).
4. Cover hands with flour. Pickup the dough and place it on a baking sheet, cast iron Dutch oven, shaping it to the desired shape.
5. Let the dough rise again for up to 60 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 375 F.
7. If making bread, slash the dough with a bread knife a few times.
8. Bake for up to 60 minutes. Your bread will be ready when it is golden on top and your kitchen smells like bread!
9. Move the baked bread to a cooling surface. If possible, avoid the temptation of slicing into it right away as it is still cooking.
10. Slice and enjoy!
Here are 2 more bread recipes.
Enjoy, and wishing everyone a great school year!
Note to future self: One batch would be good for 6 students.
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