[Joe Baginski]

First off thanks to Jon Werner, Darren Myer, & Ken Davenport (Peace of the Tropics) for donating, or cutting major slack (school budgets are very small) on supplies for the vivarium class I'm doing at my school.

Second, please check out the website...it will change as I play with it a bit, but I posted some pictures of the student's progress so far.

They are totally excited about it...

http://www.nthurston.k12.wa.us/educatio ... 1106796347 Thanks, sorry if this should have...n to get some "props" (kid lingo for thanks).

 

[mydumname]

I think my grade school forgot to include this in their lesson plans.


I wish I had a class like this. Keep us posted with the pics.

 

[addam4208283]

Cool post, and great idea for a project. How old are the kids that are making these tanks?
ADAM

 

[Joe Baginski]

The students are...

7th & 8th graders at the middle school where I teach. Its through a special program called SEARCH which caters to students who want to take extra classes and have a 3.0 GPA or better. If it is successful I may teach another class in our BD Program for kids who are not quite as successful as the other students, but who we're trying to get hooked on education, etc. It is usually the BD kids who are most interested in the frogs, snakes, and tanks in my classroom anyway.

 

[Guest]

Can I be in your class? LOL I wish they'd taught something like that in at least one of the 10 schools I went to.
Have you thought about teaching them how to control humidity or build a lid or the difference between regular lighting and full spectrum lighting?

 

[Joe Baginski]

Humidity, lighting, lids, etc.

I built the lids...they are helping siliocone the the acyrilic hinges and pulls.

We are building the tanks according to the "Dart Frog" styles (i.e. false bottom vivaria).

As far as humidity and other specifics, we're not going to indepth. The students are aware that dart frogs can be kept, however I'm not providing them with animals, rather if they are intersted they will need to attend a WADs meeting or prove to me that they are for sure (not to mention get their parents on board).

I'm hoping they start with collecting species from our area (catch and release) and then move to darts (which are a bit more specific in their needs).

We're also going to have some frogs in the classroom so I'll be able to model the type of care they need, which will either discourage students from wanting them or show them proper techniques so that when they do get into dart it will be a successful situation.

 

[Guest]

I'm jealous of those kids, I wish i had good teachers who care more about learning than getting thier paycheck.

Looks like an awesome class:!:

 

[mbrutger]

Lucky kids. Oh well, the middle school at my school had some fun electives. I was in boat building (yes, we were in groups of 3 building 12' row boats) and outdoor skills (camping, fishing (my school is on Saint Johns University's campus, and we have 3 lakes on the property)

 

[Joe Baginski]

Website is updated...

Only 1 more day to go...hopefully I'll have some finished pics after today.

http://www.nthurston.k12.wa.us/educ...sectiondetailid=18149&sc_timestamp=1106939416

 

[Joe Baginski]

Last update...

Class is done...on the site you'll see pics of the student vivariums. They did a great job...some may even become long-time viv-keepers. Anyways, I learned a lot and next years class will be even better!

 

[Guest]

Wow, I wish my school did that. BTW, Mariah is a little hottie. Ohh, and her viv is cool. :twisted:
-Paul

 

[mbrutger]

I think Pauls parents are going to have to keep an eye on him :wink:

 

[Guest]

LOL, youre right about that! :twisted:
-Paul

 

[StevenBonheim]

Looks like this vivarium class turned into your own personal frog tank sweatshop. Look out for the next post "My new frog room".....with dozens of racks, stocked with 10 gallon tanks, with custom lids and foam backgrounds. Jeez the things people do when they want more frogs but dont have any more tanks.

 

[mbrutger]

Lol.

 

[Joe Baginski]

Frog Tank Sweatshop.

:lol: I'll admit I did have 2 tanks left-over that will be put in my classroom to house some class pets, probably tincs of auratus.

 

[Reptiledan]

Joe looks like a pretty cool class. I have been working with a teacher up here in ND doing similar projects. The whole scenario seems to keep the kids attention and promotes a valuable learning experience. One of those kids may come up with a cure for cancer. Keep up the great work!!!!!

 

[Joe Baginski]

Thanks.

Ya absolutely if we can get them hooked now, on learning, science, art, anything educational, then hopefully they will become life-long learners and productive/functional citizens.

I work at a school where learning is not the most important thing in most kid's home...and generally the students don't respond well to "normal" types of educational practice...but they loved this class.

Next year I hope to expand the class and teach it in our SEARCH program (for excellerated students) and our BD program (behaviorally challenged students). I think the kids at the dysfunctional end will be best served with a class that is as non-typical as possible.