listening and students

i am listening today.

i will only say ugh. 

~~~

so i'll talk about my papermaking class.

eli likes to make things, 

he's taken to making tools like a duck to water!

 the big folder he fashioned from cow bones he sourced nearby.

he softened the edges and formed this tool. 

it's not exactly right for folding, so he made another tool, the small one above. 

between these two he can do a lot of book work.

and then he made four picks and one had a fault which he took advantage of.

he can tell you which one is best for his mandolin.

 so the Maiwa cloths, which sat patiently waiting for me to wash them out.

 there was very little dye loos and no color change that i saw.

ironing them was sweet.

 and another on my students, Roman, is a fiber worker.

he sourced nettles, t

hese arne't stinging nettles but a local unrelated nettle, 

but still a nettle (i am NOT a botanist)

 the first batch he brought was one thin strand, 

this is a bit more and such a glorious green

 he retted them i think he said not quite long enough, but was happy. 

i could barely keep my hands off eli's picks and roman's nettles, 

if they only knew how proud i am of their accomplishments!

these students are two of the handful from the Sustainability Program at SLU.

they live at a farm about 5 miles from campus and practice sustainability

as a house, a way of living for an entire school year.

Racheal is doing a second year I believe,

and my class is part of their program this fall.

they're highly motivated. 

these guys questioned me about the over-use of water for papermaking 

and the disposal of waste... 

they are thinking and doing young people. 

oh, and eli--he's onto making moulds now! 

i can't wait to see what he designs!