By Krestin Bahr
Rain, rain go away, the Eatonville kids, staff and community want to come out to play!
Welcome to spring, the time for students and school staff to shake off the
winter blues and look at the school year coming to a close in the next few months.
I went to the experts to find out how to account for and address the fact that this spring we have had excessive rain. I ventured to Weyerhaeuser
Elementary School to discuss the practice of trapping leprechauns and the link to our rainy weather pattern.
As a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) school, the task of the day for Ms. Zurfluh's kindergarten class was engineering the perfect trap in which to capture a leprechaun. This had been a focus for a couple of days. I had no knowledge of this invention and little understanding of leprechauns. In fact, I knew nothing. Did we have an infestation? How do they know? How were these things connected?
I entered the class with much anticipation. I asked many questions and was impressed with the level of sophistication of the leprechaun traps, knowledge of rainbows and spring – fascinating work for
these inventors.
“How do you know there are leprechauns in your classroom?” There are small accidents like green trails of glitter, tipped-over books and pencils, and footprints on the window. There was even green in the bathroom.
“What do they look like? And how do you know?” They are really tiny men with funny coats and pants. They always wear hats. They are about this high (showing me a two-inch space) and can become invisible. I know they are there because they leave kisses (chocolate, I infer).
“How do the traps catch them?” They can't really swim, and they will like their traps so much, they will forget about leaving.
“What is inside them?” The traps will be made of all kinds of materials like cargo nets, hidden pools and gold – lots and lots of gold.
“What will you do when you catch them?” We will catch them and make them give us three wishes. We could also chase a rainbow, but the trap is easier.
After we discussed this, I asked if they had caught any. They all agreed it was more difficult than it looked.They had no leprechauns. However, they weren't deterred or sad about this fact. They just turned back to their designs with earnest anticipation.
The process of discovery and engineering seemed to be the highlight of the designing process. The students continued amending and finessing their traps.
Later that week, I visited Mrs. Painter's class at Eatonville Elementary School and viewed their wonderful traps as well.
I left both buildings thinking deeply about what lessons these children taught me. Children take time to dream and learn. They dream about how the world works, learn about physics, and cause and effect. Children seem to take for granted that the world works for them alone.
As scientists know, a rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction, and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicolored arc. Rainbows caused by sunlight always appear in the section of sky directly opposite the sun. It ranges from red to violet and can be seen in spring. Yet every time I see one, it stills seems like magic. How is it that the colors are always the same ROYGBIV? I still feel like I could drive to find the end of the rainbow and find the pot of
gold. No wonder children believe in leprechauns and the power of wishes.
Look into the sky and look for the silver lining or rainbow during our terribly rainy spring. Like the kindergarteners, think about how to "trap" your positive dreams and make plans of action for the remainder of the school year.
May you take the time to celebrate your family and explore nature – even when the weather is dreary. Go even if the sun hides behind the clouds, because kids don't seem to mind the rain. They only know that there are dreams to be made, gold to be gathered, and the perfect
leprechaun trap is out there - “somewhere over the rainbow.”
Krestin Bahr is the superintendent of the Eatonville School District.
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