Tree Octopus, Netball and Rugby

Yes, I know, that might be the most unique title I will ever have for a blog. :)

Once a week, I am teaching a technology class to my form class.  This is something I've really never had any experience with.  Now at home, of course there are times when I have used the computers with my class, but as far as teaching them about technology, that is something I leave up to the fabulous Mrs. Miller, aka "computer girl."  I'm thankful now for all of those times that I stayed in the classroom when she was teaching my students so I could pick up on a few things, like the website that I used today.  The lesson today was on web-browsing.  We talked about pros and cons of using the internet to search and the students went through an activity where they helped someone who was researching online.  The students, for the most part, are pretty tech savvy and so they knew about dangers on the internet and how anyone can publish things on the internet, so not to believe all that you see.

I did manage to shock the children a few times though, and I must be honest, with technology, it is always nice to be able to shock children.  I wanted to show them a little about refining their searches.   In history, they are studying ancient Greece, so we started by putting that into the search engine.  First, I asked them to guess how many websites might come up with this search.  Most students guessed between 10 and 100.  They were shocked when the answer was actually in the millions.  I was able to show them a trick or two about refining their searches.  Then, I told them about this really cool animal I found when I was doing some searching last night.  A tree octopus!

Despite the fact that we had just talked about how anyone can make up a website, the kids were fascinated by the photos, information, map on where to find it and even a video.  Don't worry, I did tell them in the end that this website was totally made up and that there was no such thing.

After school today, I decided to leave the papers behind to be marked (they are still sitting there) and go outside to watch some UK sporting events.  The kids at Fulbrook are very into sports, and many children are at school before and after school, even giving up their playtime to play an organized sport.  I know that our middle schoolers at home are like that, but elementary kids back home don't play sports associated with the school.  

At home, I love going see my students in activities outside of the classroom whether it is a soccer game, a piano recital or even a church play.  Seeing the children outside of the classroom seems to help you see a complete picture of the kid.  Although the games that I watched this afternoon were all older students, of whom I knew very few, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and I was thrilled to watch some new sports.

Netball is a girl's sport.  It is similar to basketball in some ways, but in other ways it is very different.  Once the ball is in your hands, your feet cannot move.  Each girl has a specific position to play and is only allowed on certain parts of the court.  And in my opinion, one of the biggest differences, that seems to make the game a little trickier is the absence of a backboard.  People here, both boys and girls, do play basketball, so this is not a replacement at all, just a another one.

Then there's rugby.  I really do love the sport, for lots of reasons.  When I was in New Zealand, both of the families I stayed with loved rugby and I had the chance to go to several matches of the Crusaders based there in Christchurch.  New Zealand is famous for it's rugby, the All Blacks especially, and although I never saw them play as a team, I did get to see several of the All Blacks play on the local team.  I was always amazed that the guys came out of the game with all of their teeth, and even more surprised that one of them was a model on the side.  Rugby brings back great memories of watching my "little brothers" play, cheering from the sidelines with all of the other family members.

And of course rugby reminds me of my beloved American football.  No, it is not the same thing by a lot of standards, but I do miss football (although, as an Auburn fan, it seems I picked a good year to be away...) and this is just a taste of home that I love.  Rugby is a tough game though, and just as in football (and perhaps even more so), I am always so impressed with how they pop back up after a hard hit or a hard fall.

As with any event, I can always find a Friends connection and well, you've got to love watching Ross play rugby... Ross Plays Rugby

Overall, it was a good Wednesday mixed with wonderful memories and connections.