A for Apple

It's apple season and we are celebrating!
At the start of the week Bekke told a story about Hercules 11^th labor and the golden apples.

Later in week I shared a Waldorf story about how the star got into the center of the apple.  The children delighted in the discovery.  (Did you know if you cut the apple in half across the middle you can see the star inside?)

On Thursday, we spent some time observing and drawing apples.

And cooking apple butter with BJ.  

The recipe is as follows:

• 6 large apples peeled, cored and finely chopped (we used gala in one batch and granny smith in another)
• 1/3 cup       raw sugar
• ½ cup          light brown sugar
• 1 tsp             ground cinnamon
• 1/8       tsp        allspice
• 1/8 tsp        nutmeg
• splash          apple cider vinegar

Instructions

• Place the apples in a slow cooker: Top with sugars and spices.  Mix well.
• Cover and cook high 5 hours on low 10 hours stirring once halfway until the apples are tender and dark brown.
• Uncover and puree with an immersion blender.
• Cook on high, uncovered for 2 hours stirring occasionally until thickened.
• Spoon into jars or containers, cover and refrigerate.

A wonderful time was had by all.  
Happy Fall and enjoy the harvest, the changing temperatures and the colorful leafy display ahead.
See you next week.

Figure in drawing...

Toddler's create, bake and discover in the studio

What will it become?

 "What kind of flower do you think these bulbs will become if we plant them in the ground?"

I asked the children on Tuesday afternoon and the children had fun considering the options... " a tree", "a tulip", "a daisy", "a rose".

They recorded their hypothesis with markers and paper.  These drawings will be revisited in the Spring once the bulbs are grown.  

Planting was wonderful! 

The children worked, quiet and deliberate, kneeling in the dirt, carefully laying two bulbs in a hole and coving them with soil.  When I asked the children to tell me what their bulb might need to grow.  Some answered "water, air and soil", clearly schooled in the science of gardening but others suggested that the bulbs would need happiness, love, mama's and families in order to grow, illustrating their experience that human growth involves more than food, water and shelter. 

Their names and thoughts were recorded on wooden sticks to accompany the bulb through the winter.

And we are looking forward to the spring when our bulbs will push forth in new life, proclaiming their color and petals for all the world to see.  We will share or predictions and results then.

Light and dark as elements of art

Light and shadow are essential elements in art.
Of course we know that shadows are caused when a light beam runs into an opaque object and can't pass through but children don't necessarily know that AND let's face it, explaining things rather than discovering them is a droll way to learn anything.  Explanations often fail to convey the shadowy beauty all around us on a sunny day while art attempts to communicate the beauty and mystery of our experience in new and sometimes surprising ways.

Currently the studio has both direct and indirect introductions to light and shadow.  Together we look at the evidence of light and shadow around us and are beginning to communicate these observations in graphite, chalk, charcoal, ink, water and more.  Here are a few examples. 

Similarly, the toddlers began looking at light and shadow with the help of our light projector and the wonder in the room was palpable.

You can join us by looking at the shadows in your day and how light and dark contribute to the experience of beauty in the world around you.  When you notice something, take a moment, however brief, to breathe it in and then share it with your child.  

Have fun and we'll see you back next week!

Structure and Freedom: risk taking and the art of not knowing

The school day begins.  Children enter the gate, peek through the round window, bid a final farewell and walk into school.  There are a few tears.  There are confident strides and last looks. They are beginning a new school year, meeting new teachers and peers and leaving the comfort of a familiar summer behind.  In classrooms they discover new things daily, attempting new works, adapting to social expectations and honing self regulation skills. They sit cross-legged in a circle, wait in turn to speak and navigate the various routines and spaces of our school.  As adults we often overlook their resilience and courage, taking for granted how much newness a child encounters daily and how willingly they do so.  

To reproduce a taste of this newness, I set up a provocation for our teachers to participate in.  I offered them a wide brush and some sumi ink with which to create the impression of a body and hair using the simplest of brush strokes.  Details were added later. As we worked, our discomfort, resistance and vulnerability became obvious. “Will other people judge our work?” “Am I doing this right?”  To counter this discomfort some announced, “I’m not good at this” or “I’m not an artist”. For others this activity was well within their comfort zone and they completed it sweat-free. By the next day our work was available for all to see in the school lobby.  

This week, I invited children to participate in the same activity and wasn’t surprised when they eagerly began to paint.  So eager in fact that parameters were harder to maintain. I noticed this. But continued to ask each child to use a simple brushstroke to express the body and another for hair. Art involves structure and freedom.  Both are necessary. Children typically embrace the freedom while adults cling to its structure. We need them BOTH.  

Children help us rediscover freedom and curiosity.  Adults have the ability to mindfully offer a structure to support growth, learning and skill development.   It’s a good balance. I look forward to learning and teaching alongside the children this year to discover the joy of not knowing, the power of risk taking and art of making mistakes.