The Meadowbrook journey is marked by many traditions and rites of passage. MWS students grow up watching the activities and accomplishments of the older students knowing that, one day, it will be their turn. In this very different school year, we are doing all we can to continue our best loved traditions albeit in new ways.
Each year, Grade Eight students choose something they would like to learn about and organize a project, with goals and deliverables, around it. They find an adult with the relevant expertise to act as mentor and spend several weeks immersing themselves in their chosen topic. Notes and progress are recorded in a project journal to inform their presentation materials. Usually the students set up exhibits of their work at school and invite the students from the other grades to visit and ask questions. On Project Night, the eighth graders gather on stage and present their work to their class and families. As they were unable to gather at school this year, our resourceful students made their presentations over two nights via Zoom.
Ian’s project was to create his own brand and design a clothing line. He writes, “One of the reasons I chose this project was because I like designing pieces of clothing and I wanted to learn more about marketing and running a startup business. My ultimate goal for this project was to develop my own clothing line and to learn how to market it. I also wanted to acquire knowledge in marketing strategies.” He designed a logo for his brand as well as different ways to apply his designs to clothing and shoes.
Whitman also worked with graphic design to create his own baseball cards. He says, “I chose this project because since I was seven, I started getting baseball cards and the cards’ different designs and artwork fascinated me so I wanted to make my own.“ “I love going to the baseball card shop down the road from my house and looking at all the different old cards and new cards. I love the thrill of opening a pack and wondering if you are going to get a rare card that other collectors would buy for hundreds of dollars or strike out. “
Whitman first drew the baseball players and scanned them into the computer before using Adobe Photoshop to format his designs into baseball cards.
Liam says he had always been interested in electronics, and likes taking watches and things apart to see how they work so, he thought, why not build a computer? “During this project I learned to be patient, not to rush, and that you can do anything if you just put your mind to it and focus. I think this project was also really amazing, because even though I built the computer for my eighth grade project, I can still use it at home. The timing was also perfect, because as soon as I finished building my PC, I needed it to do home-schooling. Overall I am very proud of my work, and I can’t wait to show everyone what I have built!”
Robbie also chose a project with on eye to building something he would like to own. He wrote, “Electric skateboards are super fun to use and have become a modern day mode of transportation. I chose this project so I could have fun making an electric skateboard but mainly I wanted the end result. I wanted to own my own e-board.”
As several of the students found, the COVID-19 social distancing rules presented a challenge to completing projects that needed the mentor’s presence to check the work or help with manufacturing. Robbie has built the electric motor with remote control that he needs. He looks forward to completing construction of the maple deck so that he can ride on his finished e-board.
Caitlyn’s project met a different need. “I chose skin care because I have yet to find a product that works with no problems for my skin. So I felt that by researching substances I would be able to create something that works.” Tracing the history of skin care back to before the days of Queen Cleopatra, Caitlyn learned how skin care has developed through the ages. She also learned about different oils and moisturizers, their therapeutic qualities, and the role of preservatives. Her family report that the skin care products she has made work very well.
Scarlett studied hairstyling. “I have always been interested in different braids and fancy ways to style hair and I wanted to explore and learn more. My goal for this project was to learn how to properly treat your hair, what products and tools to use, and I wanted to experiment and create different hairstyles. I enjoyed doing my eighth grade project, and I learned that there is a lot more to hairstyling than just a brush and some hair elastics. It takes a lot of practice and the right technique to create great hairstyles. I had a lot of fun and I am looking forward to using my new skills in the future.”
Shaw decided to learn guitar and he presented his new skills by singing and playing the Johnny Cash song, ‘Ring of Fire’. Shaw says that his years of strings lessons helped him with the learning process. “What I think I got out of in this project was, always trust the process. You can panic or be anxious but always stay on track no matter what. I’m especially happy about the way I improved as a person through this project with patience and care towards what I was doing.”
Julian also sang and played for his project presentation. “I decided to do a home audio recording of music. I chose to record a cover of a song that I really like and one that is not very familiar to most. It required me to work with vocals, guitar and keyboard, sometimes through a new and challenging way that was well worth it.” Recording at home provided lessons on acoustics and Julian also learned about the technology used to digitize the music.
Ellis really enjoyed putting her project together; a piano medley that she composed herself. “The goal of this project was to have three or more completed songs that I played all together as one piece. My first idea was to choose three different songs from different time periods, but in the end it became a Beatles medley.
“The main skill I learned while I was doing this project was learning many different chords. I learned how to listen to a song, play the base notes, then apply the chords to the base notes.” Ellis performed her composition for the audience from home.
Christopher presented his project from his uncle’s workshop. A keen baseball player, Christopher had decided to make a wooden baseball bat. “ I originally thought I would just get a chisel, sanding paper and go to work. I did not know that a lathe was even a thing.” He explained the bat making process for the audience and showed his early attempts before presenting the finished article. “I’m hoping when I go out into a game, I am able to use the baseball bat that I made. I look forward to hearing the sound of my bat when I hit the ball but I sure do hope it does not break.” Christopher says that his project has definitely sparked his interest in woodworking.
Although Seth’s original goal of making an electric turbo fan was thwarted by issues due to the pandemic, he set himself a new goal of making a hand crank generator. He writes, “I did begin to dive deeper down the fascinating rabbit hole of how motion is related to electricity. I began to learn more about how mechanical movement can be used to generate electricity, and about how electricity can produce mechanical movement.”
Seth says that making a hand crank generator was easier than he had imagined. “The best thing I learned from doing this project was the knowledge that I gained about the fascinating world of electricity. I’ve only just begun a lifelong interest with generators, motors, electricity, engineering, and mechanical design.”
Andrew learned about mechatronics; technology combining electronics and mechanical engineering. The goal of his project was to make a toy car that moves automatically by working with both electrical and mechanical systems, as well as robotics, computer programming, telecommunications, systems control, and product engineering. “So, break all that down and its Hardware (Body) and Software (Program) combined in one. A major part of mechatronics is programming I used JavaScript.” After some challenges finding the right amount of voltage to make the motors work, Andrew changed the code and produced a car that worked just as he had planned.
Mary chose to make a baking recipe book so that she could collect together her favorite recipes as well as some that her grandma had been using for many years. “While doing this project I learned how to make new things and all new techniques.” Mary was awaiting arrival of the print edition of her book but her project exhibit included photographs of a mouthwatering array of treats. “This project was really fun and I will keep on baking and trying new things.”
Jack’s project was to craft a climbing wall and pull-up bar and he also learned to climb. “Climbing is a sort of adventure that when you climb up a wall you don’t know what will happen and where the holds are. Climbing also helps work your mental state in the way that being up high on the wall and relying on yourself to go farther is a large mental burden sometimes. When I first started climbing, I found it hard in that my physical strength was just as weak as my mental power. When you’re climbing it is good to have a friend or partner watching or helping you because it helps boost your confidence.” Jack built the wall in his garage so now, when he can’t go to a gym, he has one at home.
Caroline chose photography so that she could learn how to use a professional camera and become better at editing photos. She began by researching cameras to buy but then a friend lent her one that she didn’t use anymore. “I started playing with my camera a lot and kind of got the hang of it. I still wanted help with my camera so I started taking online courses to get the camera on manual mode and to get better at it. At the time I was just taking pictures of the beach and sunsets. Two days before the project was due my mentor reached out and asked if I wanted to go on a shoot with her. Luckily my subject was also free and could model for me. We walked around town and found cool places to take pictures. It was a really great experience and I think the photos turned out well.“
Congratulations to all of the students on their hard work, and thank you to the mentors and parents, and also Mrs. Goldman, who made it possible. As well as new knowledge of their chosen subjects, the students learned valuable lessons in perseverance and flexibility on the face of unexpected developments. Project Night 2020 was a resounding success – well done all of you!
Only days ago we were a small community, the little school in the woods. Now, as Administrator Jennifer Farrelly said, ‘Meadowbrook Waldorf School is no longer the best kept secret in Rhode Island’. So many people have come from near and far to offer their help. 
It becomes more difficult to make these choices for a child once they learn to talk and explain why they want to play with a lamp cord. It’s easy, sometimes, to forget you’re an adult and that young children need adults to make choices, authoritative choices without discussion or reference to an article on parenting. If you ask a five-year-old, ‘what do you want to do?’ every day, or present them with a continual array of choices, they’re bound to be anxious. Ditto for a 9-year old. Kim tried to help us realize that adults are not on an epic play date with their child. The loving adult that takes a decisive role that he calls the Governor gives the child a feeling that the world is good. It gives them a bedrock of will to stand on for the rest of their lives.
After the age of 14, as teenagers become more mature and not necessarily just older, Kim recommended that a parent gradually become more like a guide, or collaborator. At this stage the teenager seems more akin to lions, and tigers, and bears – oh my! They want to know what is true in the world and concoct grand visions for themselves. The role of the adult is to help the teenager create the plan they need to realize their dreams. The conversation would be more like, ‘What do you want to do? Okay, I’ll drive you there and drop you off’. Although the child increasingly decides on their course of action, they still need the adult to be an authority in their life rather than a peer.
Yet how much time each day does a child have to freely engage with these four realms? Kim said that, given time, a sheath can be created from a balance of the inner and outer worlds of a child that protects them, like their spiritual skin. The inner world is cultivated through creative play, projects, time with family, and time in nature. While the outer world is composed of homework, sports, screens, play dates, etc. When the balance is broken, anxiety results. Kim warned us that the level of anxiety experienced by present day humanity is unsustainable and we need to protect our children from it.
The experience of being at the farm planted seeds of understanding in the hearts and minds of my students. I look forward to watching these seeds sprout and blossom in the years ahead. I am grateful to Meadowbrook and to the parents of the third grade class for making this trip possible.
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