Date: Fri 14-Jul-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: AMYD

Quick Words:

a2-summer-school-

Full Text:

SUMMER COURSES, SUMMER FUN with photo

B Y A MY D'O RIO

Jordan has a surprise for his grandfather.

The eight-year-old boy is learning to work with his hands.

He is building toy boats and bird houses, and at the same time, introducing

himself to the basics of woodworking.

Jordan is learning when to use a big-tooth saw, as opposed to a fine one as

well as how to use a plane and make joints.

By the end of Introduction Into Woodworking, Jordan will be better able to

help his grandfather build boats.

"It is a surprise," he explained Wednesday, three days into the course.

Each year, the school system's continuing education department offers numerous

summer courses for students. One of its programs, Summer Shorts, started this

week and consists of week-long courses for Newtown's kindergarten through

fifth-grade students.

The courses, conducted in the morning, range from woodworking, to clown school

to painting.

At the beginning of each week, a new session of classes is offered. The

program runs until Friday, July 28.

Second and third graders can take Young Scientists or The Great Kapok Tree, a

course that explores the rain forest. If those don't interest them, the

children can look into wordsmithing or math. Writing Express encourages them

to submit pieces for publication. Math Explorers is numbers fun and attempts

to turn those who loathe the subject into fans.

For kindergartners and first graders, there are three different courses in

three consecutive weeks.

This week, Newtown elementary teacher Kirsten Budge is teaching Carnival

Cajolery. The children are making finger puppets and edible sculpture from

pretzel dough. In following weeks, they will explore space and dig for

dinosaurs.

Summer Shorts also includes an array of arts and crafts courses for first

through fourth graders and computer courses for second through fifth graders.

Introduction to Woodworking is new to the course listing.

The teacher, Will Sampson, is a Newtown parent who is launching his own

woodworking magazine and is a former editor for Fine Woodworking at the

Taunton Press.

During the school year, some parents asked him to consider teaching the young

children about wood, hammer and nails. Due to his flexible schedule, he said

he was able to do it.

On the first day of class, Jordan Rancourt brought in a toy boat he had made

with his grandfather.

"And it doesn't sink," Jordan noted.

Mr Sampson said his four students, Dan Agius, Alicia Rogers, Brenton Squiers

and Jordan, all have some woodworking experience. However, they needed to

learn the basics, he said.

On Wednesday, Jordan and Brenton declared they hated knots. It was hard for

them to plane the wood with a big pine knot in the way.

Mr Sampson explained to them that knots are difficult, but woodworkers like

them because of the designs they make in the wood. He said he recently made

some furniture with birds eye maple, which has dozens and dozens of tiny

knots.

The boys looked incredulous.

Brenton said the course has not been easy and gets harder all the time.

However, it is apparent they are having fun too. The four are industrious

workers, and Wednesday, were engrossed with bird-house building.

"Frequently, they don't want to take the break," Mr Sampson said. "It is good

summer school class.