The World of Frogs

There are 5000 species of frogs. These amphibians; land and water dwellers, with all their beautiful coloring and habitats, provided the children with many months of discovery.

Time to Say Goodbye!

It is June again and as we prepare to say goodbye to another group of JK-Sk students we stop to reflect on the progress they have made over the last 5 years. It is a bittersweet time as we feel both pride and sadness. We release them into the world knowing that we will, most likely, never see them again. yet we are satisfied that we have helped to nurture their self confidence, inquisitiveness, courage and true sense of humanity.

And as we fade from their memories we hope that a lingering feeling of their time with us will remain embedded in their souls.

The Good Lord was creating teachers. It was His sixth day of 'overtime' and He knew that this was a tremendous responsibility for teachers would touch the lives of so many impressionable young children. An angel appeared to Him and said, "You are taking a long time to figure this one out."

"Yes," said the Lord, " but have you read the specs on this order?"

TEACHER:

…must stand above all students, yet be on their level

... must be able to do 180 things not connected with the subject being taught

... must run on coffee and leftovers,

... must communicate vital knowledge to all students daily and be right most of the time

... must have more time for others than for herself/himself

... must have a smile that can endure through pay cuts, problematic children, and worried parents

... must go on teaching when parents question every move and others are not supportive

... must have 6 pair of hands.

"Six pair of hands, " said the angel, "that's impossible"

"Well, " said the Lord, " it is not the hands that are the problem. It is the three pairs of eyes that are presenting the most difficulty!"

The angel looked incredulous, " Three pairs of eyes...on a standard model?"

The Lord nodded His head, " One pair can see a student for what he is and not what others have labeled him as. Another pair of eyes is in the back of the teacher's head to see what should not be seen, but what must be known. The eyes in the front are only to look at the child as he/she 'acts out' in order to reflect, " I understand and I still believe in you", without so much as saying a word to the child."

"Lord, " said the angel, " this is a very large project and I think you should work on it tomorrow".

"I can't," said the Lord, " for I have come very close to creating something much like Myself. I have one that comes to work when he/she is sick.....teaches a class of children that do not want to learn....has a special place in his/her heart for children who are not his/her own.....understands the struggles of those who have difficulty....never takes the students for granted..."

The angel looked closely at the model the Lord was creating.

"It is too soft-hearted, " said the angel.

"Yes," said the Lord, " but also tough, You can not imagine what this teacher can endure or do, if necessary".

"Can this teacher think?" asked the angel.

"Not only think," said the Lord,. "but reason and compromise."

The angel came closer to have a better look at the model and ran his finger over the teacher's cheek.

"Well, Lord, " said the angel, your job looks fine but there is a leak. I told you that you were putting too much into this model. You can not imagine the stress that will be placed upon the teacher."

The Lord moved in closer and lifted the drop of moisture from the teacher's cheek. It shone and glistened in the light.

"It is not a leak," He said, "It is a tear."

"A tear? What is that?" asked the angel, "What is a tear for?"

The Lord replied with great thought, " It is for the joy and pride of seeing a child accomplish even the smallest task. It is for the loneliness of children who have a hard time to fit in and it is for compassion for the feelings of their parents. It comes from the pain of not being able to reach some children and the disappointment those children feel in themselves. It comes often when a teacher has been with a class for a year and must say good-bye to those students and get ready to welcome a new class."

"My, " said the angel, " The tear thing is a great idea...You are a genius!!"

The Lord looked somber, "I didn't put it there."

Author Unkown

The Path in the Forest

"The path in the forest is filled with trees. In the springtime the colors come out because in the winter when it's cold the trees sleep. The ground is green and covered with moss. Underneath the worms and slugs are crawling.  The sky is blue and the sun is warm. It is spring!" ~Madison

Malleable Materials

I'm certain that you have all worked with clay, play dough and many other molding materials. Each one provides its own challenges and does not always turn out the way we intend. This can be frustrating for both teachers and students who invest a great deal of time in working with these products.  We recently introduced a wonderful malleable product in our classrooms. Of course, as with all new materials, the children required instruction. Here is a look at what  happened with fondant and gum paste when it was used for making flowers as well as decorating cupcakes.
We continue to experiment with it.



How Sturdy is this Bridge?

The bridge is one of the children's favorite places to visit. They are constantly finding new ways to explore and interesting theories to construct. The children know that the bridge allows them to get from one side of the stream to the other but just how does it support their weight?

They had some thinking to do and some bridges to make.

The first bridge was made using Popsicle sticks and dowels. It was able to support a bucket of rocks and small bricks as well as the weight of one child

How did it happen?

International Bullying Day

“Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun. Care for those around you. Look past your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices no more easily made. And give, give in any way you can, of whatever you posses. To give is to love. To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest than for how it is shared and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace.” Kent Nerburn

If someone asked me what would be the one gift I would bestow on the thousands of children who have passed through the door of our schools. I would say, "The gift of humanity!"

Teach your children to care for others. To accept that no two human beings are the same and that we are not defined by the color of our skin, the length of our hair, the clothes we wear or the riches that we possess.

Everyone of us is a gift. Born to leave a ripple in the waters of life. Will our deeds resonate thought the centuries like those of the greatest minds or the most gifted artist Maybe. But most likely  our contributions will be small yet still profoundly felt by the people who share our lives.

So instill in your children the ability to accept others, to value all human beings weather they are cool or nerdy, short, tall , overweight, rich, poor, black, white, yellow or even green!

The seed or disdain begins early in life. Find a way to sow the seed of acceptance.

The Shadow Screen

The shadow screen is a wonderful addition to a classroom. The children have opportunity to build and see objects grow and shrink. The possibilities are endless and when you add translucent objects, colors explode.

So Much More than A Train!

The Complexity of A Child's Thinking

Quinn began by placing the tubes linearly onto the projector; grouping them according to color and creating three sets of eight.

"I made a train!"

He then looked at the shadows his work had cast on the screen. They did not reflect the tall tubular design he was expecting. Instead, he saw circles which were the tops of the tubes only.
Disappointed he commented,  “It’s not a train.”

To assist him with his intention the teacher placed a table in front of the screen and invited him to make his train again to see if he could cast a shadow that would be long, "tubular." This time he lined the tubes in an alternating pattern. When he was finished making one row, he looked at the screen but did not see any shadows. The shadows of his tubes remained on the table surface.

“It’s on the table now,” he said.

“How can we make the shadows go onto the screen?” asked his teacher.

Quinn looked at the shadows on the table and then had a remarkable idea. He added a second set of (alternating) tubes, placing them at the point where the shadows of the first set ended: thereby extending the shadow length to reach the screen.

“Look, the shadow is on the screen now!”

As an alternate construction, Quinn used cups to attain a similar outcome. This time Quinn discovered that he would need three rows of cups to reach the screen. In this experience he also grouped the cups by color. Although the starting point for both experiences was the same, at the end of the first shadow, Quinn realized that he needed three rows of cups to reach the screen because of their shorter length in comparison to the longer tubes.

Good Morning

Dear Colleagues I apologize for the delay in posting these past few months. It has been a hectic time at Reggio Kids.

Please stay tuned for new and exciting work!

The Toronto Zoo Welcomes a New Baby Polar Bear

You can imagine how excited the children were to have a rare opportunity to see a baby polar bear at the Toronto Zoo.

Although he is safe and well cared for in his new home, the children did take note that the Zoo is not the real home of these magnificent creatures; The Arctic is where he belongs. How much longer can these creatures survive the challenges of global warming?

An Intimate Moment

 

It is in this intimate exchange between an infant and his teacher that we see the importance of slowing down, valuing relationships and giving attention to the child. Even in silence, a teacher who values a child, can have a powerful moment of exchange.

Carlo explores the Jello and then in an offering, without words, extends his hand and invites his teacher to do the same.

This exchange serves as a reminder for us to see the world through the child's eyes as he explores and builds knowledge. When a teacher is attentive, she will find innumerable opportunities such as this one. Often we are pressed to find that moment when a child makes a monumental discovery but the heart of our work lies in moments such as these!

Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.  ~Etty Hillesum

The Complexity of Design

This city erected by Henry and several other classmates was a engineering feat as they encounterd some challenges presented by the very nature of the materials chosen.

"Divine Nature gave the fields, human art built the cities." ~Marcus Terentius Varro, De Re Rustica