Monday, February 6, 2012

Pinteresting Stuff: Ring Around the Dendrochronology

I'm a recent convert to Pinterest.  I battled myself on it for awhile:  "Like I really need another addiction."  Of course, I said that too with Facebook, Twitter, "Words with Friends," and now "Scramble With Friends."  I should know by now I don't ever win that battle.

Anyhoo, it was through my Twitter PLN (Personal Learning Network) of folks I follow, that I saw that Pinterest actually had an educational element to it. This I have verified, through finding all sorts of educational boards and neat teaching ideas. (There's a ton of stuff on there for Homeschooling too, a few pals have told me!)  It's also a great place to go for arts and crafts, many of which use recyclable items. 

It reminds me of my reading (years ago) of Sarah Ban Breathnach's book "Simple Abundance" and her urging to make visual visionary boards.  Pinterest is most certainly a digital way to do that.  Being highly visual myself, it didn't take long before I was sucked in.  So much for that aforementioned-battle!!

But it is interesting...my fullest board so far is my "Good Brain Space" Board.  Finding quotes seems to be something that is not my quest alone, I have discovered.  Qutoes are all over Pinterest!!  One of my favorite lately, I think in part because of the organic nature of it (but moreso due to the actual quote itself) is this one:

Pinned Image
This quote truly has been staying with me for days.  Maybe it has in part since my 3rd graders were talking about tree rings and how botanists use them to for dating the tree in science just a week or 2 ago.  Dendrochronology.  It has been leaving me to ponder my "educational dendrochronology."  For my class.  For my own children who live in my house.  For myself.  It's made me curious about what my own rings reveal in each of these categories.  It has made me want to notate it... draw it out... label it up, almost like a science diagram.  I think it could be revealing to see in each these circumstances:  my class, my kids, and most certainly for me.  Where are  the rings wide?  Where are the rings narrow?  How are my 3 "tree maps" mentioned above the same, and where are they different?  Where am I most proud?  Where do rings need more attention?

In pondering it, I do think I'm quite proud of my own li'l little Math Month Tree Ring as of late.  I have mentioned ECS's Math Month a bit in GTG here lately--see here or here).  The Pasadena Patch online newsletter focused on Eagle Cove School's Math Month this past weekend (click here for the article).  As the head cheerleader for that month-long event, I feel like I've created a nice, wide "love of math" ring for my students...and that most certainly feels good!

Yes...the making of my own visual tree rings might indeed make for a good brain space exercise!!

(Interesting too, as an aside:  Dendroclimatology is the study of tree rings to learn about global climate and climate change.  Who knew?! Not me... yet, as my son told me after his first day of Kindergarten science this year:  "Physics!  It is all Physics.  Nature likes circles.  Circles are physics."  Irony, synchronicity, and tree rings are too--circles that is!  But herein lies the connections of cool quotes, tree rings, good brain space, eco blogs, and physics!! I love it when that happens!!)

Book image for "Simple Abundance" from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/, Tree Ring Image from ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com, and of course, my Pinterest Boards.

3 comments :

  1. We have just started exploring Pinterest, too. I love the quote, and the concept of a map...so many great ideas, and idea-sparkers going around on Pinterest!

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  2. Thanks Laura...I totally agree! Timely, too, this just posted today in the ASIDE Blog of Innovation Design of Education: "In the Pinterest of Education" http://theasideblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/in-pinterest-of-education.html

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  3. Here's another great article too about incorporating Pinterest in the classroom: http://www.pearsonschoolsystems.com/blog/?p=424

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