Tuesday, March 28 We started the day with breakfast as usual, which consisted of scrambled eggs, ham, guava juice, freshly brewed Cuban coffee, bread, butter, and peanut butter. They also provided a native fruit spread that included juicy mango, succulent pineapple, and tangy guava. As usual, they set out pots of hot milk and...
Continue readingQuilting: Binding it all Back Home
We spent most of our day using our sewing machines or hand stitching the binding onto our quilts. The pressing of fabrics and cutting of cotton also occurred at various points during our day. We were rewarded in the end with pretzels and Starbucks from Main Street....
Continue readingQuilting, Quilting, and More Quilting
Today was our third day of quilting. We spent most of the time working on our fidget quilts. Using our newfound knowledge of sewing, we were able to finish most of our projects. Some people even started new quilts for themselves! Unfortunately, it was raining the majority of the day. Let’s just say, walking...
Continue readingBayshore: The Sun Appears!
Today at Bayshore was extremely productive. Upon our arrival we proceeded to remove the winter cover from the Meerwald. We removed the cover and took away the pipes holding it up. We then proceeded to paint a glossy white coat on the Meerwald’s cabin and rails. It was absolutely beautiful later in the...
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Going DEEPer into Design Thinking through Prototyping
The Design Thinkers started out the day by enjoying a bounty of beautiful bagels for breakfast to get started and energized. After that, the groups reviewed their work from the day prior on their MoVE worksheets, analyzing their “what if … ” questions and the task at hand. Building off that, the students presented their...
Continue readingHard Work, Rewarding Work
Monday, March 27, 2017 Today was a great day for the Cuba trip! We began the morning at 8:30 with a breakfast of bacon, eggs, bread, and cheese, along with fresh fruits and guava juice. At 9:30, we were off to a Friends Church in a coastal town of Puerto Padre,...
Continue readingLet’s Sew for Babies, Day 3: Work Day
Today we continued working on our projects. Almost all of us are at the stage of working on bigger projects such as rompers and dresses. We went to Passariello’s for lunch and came back and kept working!...
Continue readingHope & Dreams
Day 3 started off bright and early. The gang left no time to dilly dally and was on our way at approximately 7:15. Naps were an absolutely necessity on the way to the food bank. When we all arrived at the 2nd Harvest Food Bank we checked in and were guided to a break...
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Rain, Rain, Go Away!
On the bus, it was stormy and rainy. We were all anxious to go blacksmithing and have a lot of fun. Soon the clouds parted and we were able to strike up a fire (albeit with some struggle) and continue our projects. The first hour went rather smoothly, with everyone working on their projects....
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OUR SNOT IS BLACK
The weather this morning did not want to cooperate. Thick fog slowed our journey back to Harriton House. Once back at the forge, we learned the proper way to start a blacksmith fire, complete with acetylene torches. Five fires were blazing by 10 so we spread out and got to work on our projects....
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Bayshore: The Work Begins
Ship-Shape? Not Yet! Today, we got into the real nitty-gritty of the work getting the A.J. Meerwald ready for her 2017 sailing season. Scraping, Sanding and Painting.. We stepped out of the bus, and were once again “delighted” by the salty smell of rotting oysters and the Delaware bay. It was a little chilly,...
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First Full Day in Cuba: Service & New Friends
Saturday, March 25 Today was our first official, full day in Cuba! During our first day here we worked in the church, doing different jobs. Some of us helped clean up by sweeping, cutting vegetables for dinner, and also doing construction. For the construction, we used a pulley system to hoist sand up...
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Community Empowerment at the Camden Children’s Garden
March 24,2017 We worked with Jeff and Pedro to ready the garden for opening day on March 25th. Inspirational words from Jeff — “Every day I tell myself, work hard, enjoy it, and make a difference.” “This was a hard working group of MFS students, and I was proud of their willingness to do...
Continue readingWhat Does it Take to Keep a Tall Ship Up and Running?
It started raining and thundering today, keeping us from applying the final coats of Penetrol to the spars. We were able to move some smaller pieces of the boat undercover, where some of us scraped some paint off the wood and then repainted it. Those of us outside got drenched in horizontally-falling rain water, so it...
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Quilting: The Final Day
Today was the final day for the quilters. Over the course of this week, we have learned many valuable skills. Students have learned how to use a sewing machine, hand-stitch, and even use a professional long-arm machine. It has been a wonderful and laughter-filled week for our little group of 6!...
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