Class 2 (Sept 11) Exit Slip

We went to The Orchard Garden for the first time today. I really enjoyed the Sit Spots activity. I’ve always been nervous to try charcoal because I didn’t like how it makes the paper grey, but in today’s class, I had so much fun experimenting with the thickness and the amount of force I put in each stroke. During the activity, I was able to slow down and take my time connecting to the environment. In fact, I got a bit too focused on the observing and drawing part of the activity, instead of the whole purpose of the Sit Spots, so I was walking around, drawing objects and scenes that I observed. I noticed that most of the artificial objects in the garden have sharper angles and are of more vivid colours, so that they stand out in the scene. 

I liked what one of our classmates said, that all the natural objects seem to coexist together. I really liked looking at Jimena's drawing of the picnic table in the woods, as looking at it gives me a sense of peace and serenity. I also had fun eating the pear and blackberries I picked from the garden. It felt extra juicy and sweet because I picked it myself. :) 

Applying it to physics classrooms I think I could bring students outdoors, or stay indoor, and ask them to observe their surroundings to see what forces are in play, for example, gravitational force keeping everything on the ground, normal force making sure that we don’t sink into the floor, tension force in the strings, friction force on objects leaning onto something else, etc. By noticing the objects moving or existing in equilibrium, students can be more aware of their surroundings and learn to take the time to slow down and observe what is around them, like what we did during Sit Spots.