Whale Week at John Muir

Our inspiration for the Community Science Workshop model started with a collaborative effort from JME PTA's Wendy Dexter & Mission Science Workshop's Dan Sudran who put together Whale Week at John Muir Elementary in Martinez. 5th graders at John Muir helped assemble the grey whale skeleton before school in September. This display was part of an interactive science lesson sponsored by the PTA and facilitated by Dan Sudran, executive director of Mission Science Workshop. Wendy spearheaded the project & created a 68' model of a baby blue whale. Kids from all over the district & even kids outside the district came to John Muir for this exciting free event. 

The excellent turnout told us that our community is excited about science & that opportunities for hands-on science are rare around town. At any given time during this free  five hour event, there were 20 - 30 kids inside the blue whale model learning about whales from one of our volunteers, and another dozen or so kids looking at the grey whale skeleton display. There were also a few other interactive opportunities like a blubber experiment that received nonstop attention. This event started a conversation that we hope will turn into our very own community science workshop. 


Here's a short video clip of puttting the whale skeleton together
http://bcove.me/87taublk