Capturing Dreams!

When a group of children were asked to collaborate on a year end mural, interesting things happened. The piece of art intended to portray, The Hundred Languages of Children by Loris Malguzzi, took on a form of its own as the children added segments that depicted their aspirations for the future,

the places they'd travelled, their school, homes, friendships they'd formed and "dreams for tomorrow".

Come Fly with Me!

In the Light, What did I see?

Teachers often ask me how we assess the children in our schools to ensure they are meeting the criteria for development, milestones etc.  Here is a wonderful opportunity for a teacher to check off a few.

What has this child mastered?

Children are the best Humanitarians.

When you ask children what they want to be when they grow up, they usually choose a career that supports the well being of the human race; a policeman, a firefighter, a doctor, a teacher, an environmentalist, a veterinarian, a forest ranger.  They've only been here for a short time yet they seem to understand, sometimes better than adults,  that people need to support one another and have care for the earth.
Of course some people will argue that they make these choices because they are the people that children most often encounter in their daily lives. I like to believe that children just get it!

Henry wants to be a Needle Doctor, not the kind that only takes blood, but one that will discover "new medicines to make diseases go away!"

The Final Product

Paula's Strawberry Plant is completed using watercolors.

Flutter and Fly

And yes, the child does work in a hundred languages!

What Vegetable Plant Yields this Flower?

Not only does the garden produce delicious vegetables, it also yields magnificent vegetable plant flowers. Do you know what this one is? If you guessed a zucchini then you're  correct.

Bianca began with a photograph of the zucchini flower in the garden.

She drew the plant and flower in pencil and then used acrylic paint to complete her work.

The tiny ladybugs added just the right touch of color!

Sand Winged Butterfly

A child's drawing, loose materials and a few containers of sand can produce magnificent art!

Why do we love Butterflies?

A trip to Blue Willow Butterfly Conservatory always leaves us feeling an affinity for these lovely insects. A childhood myth kept us believing that most butterflies only lived for a day when in fact most live for a week and some up to a year. One year we discovered that monarch butterflies migrate from Canada to Mexico in the fall. Image!

The Sweet Taste of Strawberries!

Have you ever stopped to look at strawberry plants? Not only do they produce sweet succulent berries but they're equally as beautiful.

Paula excersized patience and precison when she captured the plant on canvas.

When we witness this type of work we ask ourselves, is a child a born artist or does this type of work come after many years of thoughtful attention and instruction? Can every child be taught to produce such beautiful work or does a child require an inate talent.

Our experince has show us that all children have artist ability. Given the proper guidance they can all work in this fashion.

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