Gomery12
Active Member
Love seeing this! Especially since I'm in Champaign as well! Wish Fisher Grade School would do something as cool as this! I at least have my kids interest at home! Is there a local Reef club in Champaign?
The Coral Reef Project At Stratton Elementary School
- Thread starter Brandon Rutherford
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chickofthesea
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You made it possible with this friendly place to interact.
Thank you so much for the hydrometer Cass.
It will help to test the salinity in my tank. BTW I added a chocolate chip starfish (Scientific Name : Protoreastor nodosus)to my tank. Thanks again Mr. Rutherford.
I like your tank.how many gallons is it?
NBcoralreef
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Brandon Rutherford
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We've also been doing a bunch of reef themed water color paintings after school. Aislin in particular is a great artist and her work is definitely wall worthy? Anyone want one? PM me your address and I'll mail one to your for free.
I just posted some of our paintings in the WTT (want to trade) forum. Free, shipping included, to the first person who responds.
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Brandon Rutherford
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Swapnil, you're on R2R too? This place will be crawling with 3rd graders soon. As your teacher I want to remind you to keep your writing meaningful by writing in complete sentences and make the subject/purpose of your posts clear to all readers.
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Brandon Rutherford
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Welcome! If Fisher wants to setup a tank I'd be happy to help. I have a tank and stand I can donate and can assist with setup and technical support. You just have to find a teacher with as limited a social life as me that wants to come in and care for the tanks every day over summer vacation.
And if you're in Champaign, please do come by and visit Stratton, your kids included.
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Brandon Rutherford
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I just stopped by Cornelius's house today to visit and check in on his tank. His 29 gallon only has 2 gold fish so far and I was about to bring him another one when I noticed a skin issue on his newest fish.
The fish was injured when it swam into an uncovered under gravel filter tube. It could be a bacterial infection but it looks like a parasite to me. Any advice from the R2R crowd? I think I should counsel Cornelius to keep water parameters stable and dose with prazipro
chickofthesea
Active Member
I think you are right. Praziprol is a great idea. I have never seen a parasite that big before. It also apears that there is some overfeeding? I say that because of the brown sludge under the rock line. I have never used an undergravel filter though. Maybe this is normal?
I just stopped by Cornelius's house today to visit and check in on his tank. His 29 gallon only has 2 gold fish so far and I was about to bring him another one when I noticed a skin issue on his newest fish.
The fish was injured when it swam into an uncovered under gravel filter tube. It could be a bacterial infection but it looks like a parasite to me. Any advice from the R2R crowd? I think I should counsel Cornelius to keep water parameters stable and dose with prazipro
Gomery12
Active Member
Thanks Brandon for the tour. It was nice to meet you and the kids! Tanks are great! You really are inspirational to those kids and they show the great things you have done for them! They really know their stuff! My daughter was actually impressed even though she didn't show it. Got to the car and she wants a Jelly-fish tank! She did like the rotifers! Good luck with the Cardinal project! If I can help out in anyway let me know, but it looks like you have it all under control!
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Brandon Rutherford
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My project has had a lot of impact on some of the younger students at my school. The kindergartners are some of the most curious about the ocean life we have and recently some teachers worked together to create a month long marine biology and art unit. We had a 'under the sea' gala last week and it was super cute.
Classrooms created an entire ocean scape from the beach to a deep water trench, representing animals from each biome through different artwork. There were pingpong ball turtle eggs on the beach with black clay turtles.
A coral reef area with paper plate corals and construction paper anemones.
I thought the balloon anemones were particularly cute.
There was an open ocean with jellyfish and sharks
I think one adventurous teacher used a real dead octopus to make this print with paint.
Classrooms created an entire ocean scape from the beach to a deep water trench, representing animals from each biome through different artwork. There were pingpong ball turtle eggs on the beach with black clay turtles.
A coral reef area with paper plate corals and construction paper anemones.
I thought the balloon anemones were particularly cute.
There was an open ocean with jellyfish and sharks
I think one adventurous teacher used a real dead octopus to make this print with paint.
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Brandon Rutherford
Active Member
Each class did art in different medias to learn basic marine biology. My three jellyfish art tanks were in high demand and I've been kept busy moving them between classrooms. Luckily they're easy enough to just pick up and carefully carry.
I think they made these on filter paper
I think they made these on filter paper
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Brandon Rutherford
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Some of the leaders of my coral reef project, Nipun and Swapnil came with their parents to help me man a booth showcasing some of the livestock I have as part of my project. Some of the adults from the local neighborhood were some visitors most interested in my project. Many of them have never seen ocean life before.
Some of the parents attending were school shopping for their young children. My town has a 'school of choice' policy were parents from any school zone in town can apply to enroll their pre-k child in the elementary school of their choice. More than one said they picked Stratton in part because of my coral reef project and our fine arts magnet program.
This brave girl is the cousin of one of my current students and will be in my class next year. I'm excited to work with her.
These two students got really into hearing the ocean in the conch shells. Pretty soon all of the kindergartners were holding up pretty much everything shell related, claiming they could hear the waves.
I set up microscopes with rotifers and artemia, copepods and tiny brittle stars and bristle worms. I find that some of the most magical things in the ocean is the smallest.
Some of the parents attending were school shopping for their young children. My town has a 'school of choice' policy were parents from any school zone in town can apply to enroll their pre-k child in the elementary school of their choice. More than one said they picked Stratton in part because of my coral reef project and our fine arts magnet program.
This brave girl is the cousin of one of my current students and will be in my class next year. I'm excited to work with her.
These two students got really into hearing the ocean in the conch shells. Pretty soon all of the kindergartners were holding up pretty much everything shell related, claiming they could hear the waves.
I set up microscopes with rotifers and artemia, copepods and tiny brittle stars and bristle worms. I find that some of the most magical things in the ocean is the smallest.
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Brandon Rutherford
Active Member
I also want to give a shout out to Mrs. Barber, Stratton's art teacher. She's the woman with the flowery scarf. Much of this gala is due to her hard work and overall artistic vision.
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Brandon Rutherford
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And then, just when I thought this week couldn't get any more busy, I decided to try hatching out my saddleback clownfish eggs for the first time.
It was mainly due to Aly's continual prompting.
After some advice from a friend, I positioned the eggs under heavy air flow to encourage the larva breaking free. Does anyone else do this?
About 20 hatched and about 200 kids have heard about it and are excited (no pressure Mr. Rutherford)
It was mainly due to Aly's continual prompting.
After some advice from a friend, I positioned the eggs under heavy air flow to encourage the larva breaking free. Does anyone else do this?
About 20 hatched and about 200 kids have heard about it and are excited (no pressure Mr. Rutherford)
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Brandon Rutherford
Active Member
And for those who want to see something super cute. Here's a video of the kindergartners singing an ocean song.
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OH my goodness! I wish I were closer to come into your school. Sounds amazing. I may use some of your ideas with the kids I work with too. The beach to deep ocean was a really wonderful art idea.
I love the excitement and your kids knowledge. Brandon, you inspire!
I love the excitement and your kids knowledge. Brandon, you inspire!
