Just back from Dawson, MN. Two weeks of Family Stories – funny, sad, crazy, moving stories…brought to life by 2 classes of terrific sixth graders. A baby squirrel clamped to a dad’s finger, kids lost in the cornfields, a brother brought over from Russia, a cousin’s leap out of a barndoor, a horse and buggy taken apart and reassembled atop a school (by a great grandfather), a kid’s hand rescued from a meat grinder, a mom eating mangoes as a girl in Guatemala… so many stories, so many unique objects created for telling them.
At the end of the project we had a community celebration, with students showing off their work and telling their stories.
One parent said: I just got off work and I’m so tired, but I could sit all night and listen to these stories.
And the art! So fun:
By the way, this year I heard lots about the BAD BEHAVIOR of Dawsonites across the generations. Who knew?
Talking Suitcases™ Project 
I love to see my students’ big smiles as I relive the weeks you were here. You’d never believe they were in a frenzy hours before the evening presentation! Thanks for including these budding artists!
Susan, I think these stories are so funny. Thank you for the blog post.