A Quick Update

Two things. First, I have been trying to plan for my Mantle to fit with Science (living world) and make it link with EMR (Experiencing Marine Reserves) and I keep changing it! I lie, I only changed it once. But it's still incomplete and I guess it will change as I go. I originally planned to set up an advertising agency, and the commission would be to create an ad for kelp shampoo, and the client would be a health and beauty company, and they would MOW the kelp forests for kelp and this would upset the balance of things in the ocean. But then I tried planning a different way after being shown at staff meeting. And now I have a publishing company (but they write and illustrate as well as publish books) and the client is a company like Learning Media, and I am thinking the commission will be something along the lines of writing an accurate, culturally sensitive picture book to educate children about the effects of overfishing, and the book must appeal to primary school aged children.
And my theme is kina! I remember my nana, when I was a kid. She would find kina, crack them open, and eat them there on the beach. I have been vegetarian all my life, so I just thought it was gross, but I was happy to have the shells! Is that like liking leather? From a dead cow? I miss nana. Anyway, kina barrens are created under the ocean when the kina eat all the kelp. Overpopulation occurs when no one eats the kina, so when snapper and rock lobsters are taken from the beach then the kina get a bit out of control. I think I have a lot to work with here, and I am still at the pre planning stage but I sure am thinking a lot! And waffling... sorry, gosh I do go on once I start. I don't do that in real life!
Second. Today we had to bring along some drama games to share for staff meeting. I have tried out a few. I really like www.dramaresources for ideas, and also www.bbbpress.com. So I am trying out the ones I think look fun and relevant, and getting feedback from the class as we go. So far we have tried: Half a Minute Handshake, noisy but fun, and it's only 30 seconds of loudness. Grandma's Footsteps, which they adapted and added putting on jandals, hat and cardi, then changed again because of lack of space in the classroom, and so went up in groups.  This was similar in a way to Keeper of the Keys. Follow Your Nose was a bit weird, maybe we will try it again later, it was kind of more like a dance thing, with space and movement... I don't know. Mirror was super cool, we tried it in pairs and we tried it in fours, and we all really liked it. Morph the Movement was fun but we need to try it again and make smaller changes each time a new person takes over.
Now I am reading this, wondering how the heck I can talk so much (typing with 2 fingers no less!) and thinking maybe I should make those two website into links. But I am pretty sure anyone who is into drama is already going to know about them.