Some things to consider

In researching this topic I have encountered a number of interesting theorists and studies.  Lee (2012) suggests that children have a basic developmental orientation toward nature, further suggesting that theoretical models of child development have focused on sociocultural perspectives and could therefore benefit from the addition of a nature orientation.  Kahn, Severson and Ruckert (2009) have provided research that underscores the benefits of experiences with actual nature to human wholeness and “what counts as a full measure of human experience and human flourishing” (p. 37). Researchers studying the lives of environmentalists discovered they all had childhood experiences in wild places which may have supported their development of ecological values, in fact many of them contributed their commitment to a combination of “many hours spent outdoors in a keenly remembered wild or semi-wild place in childhood or adolescence, and an adult who taught respect for 
nature." (Sobel, 2008, p. 9)  It is an exciting field of inquiry with much to learn on all sides.

If you know of some interesting research to add to the discussion, please post a link to extend the conversation.

Kahn, P., Severson, R. & Ruckert, J. (2009). The human relation with nature and   technological   nature. Association for Psychological Science, 18(1). 37-42.

Lee, P. C. (2012). The human child’s nature orientation.  Child Development Perspectives, 6 (2). 193-198.

Sobel, D. (2008). Childhood and nature: Design principles for educators. Portland, MA: Stenhouse.

Re-invisioning professional development together

Often when we think of professional development we think of classes that are taught by informed others, disseminating knowledge to a receptive audience.  

I want to challenge that assumption.  

All of us... children, parents, families, teachers, administrators, community members... contribute to the evolution of our understandings about education, nature, childhood and so much more.  

When we extend a hand in welcome toward one another, regardless of our training, age or specialization, we expand the possibilities for our own understanding. Freire (1998) wrote, "To teach is not to transfer knowledge but to create the possibilities for the production or construction of knowledge.” (p. 30) Together we can construct a deeper understanding of education, nature and childhood.

A colleague recently shared these questions after reviewing some of my current writings on nature and children:

What is the culture (or cultures) of nature in our society, and how does it impact the children with whom we work?  

Further, How do we as teachers tap into the children’s perspectives around nature, not only valuing them, but inviting them to impact our own perspectives as educators and as stewards of the natural world?

Please feel free to add your own thoughts here or jot them down to share at our upcoming all school dialog:

September 11, 2014 5:30-7:00 at Children's Garden Montessori School 444 Detroit St. Denver, CO, 80206.

Freire, P. (1998). Pedagogy of the Freedom: Ethics, Democracy, and Civic Courage. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Lanham: MD.

2014-2015 Studio Research Questions

Welcome to the 2014-2015 Studio Year at Children's Garden Montessori

As adults we often struggle with direct connections.  

We label something as “tree”, “leaf”, “rock”, “flower”, and all too frequently, we dismiss it.  

It’s as if we live our lives in a sort of experiential short hand, eliminating depth encounters in favor of expedited cognitive constructs and established schemas.  We seldom challenge ourselves to become deeply immersed in the unpredictable landscape of the present.  

This poses a problem in how we interface with the natural world and one another.  

If we continue to see the natural world as separate from ourselves we will continue to degrade it and suffer for it.  As educators it is our responsibility to prepare children for the problems they may encounter while nurturing in them the capacities to create a better world. 

Therefore during the 2014-2015 school year (and quite possibly longer) the studio will be addressing the following hypotheses:

• How can creative expression and forms of representation be used to deepen the process of relating with the natural world? 
  • (I intentionally chose relating rather than relationship because it better communicates the process of connecting which is a verb- dynamic and rich with possibility.)
• How might educators connect observers and artists, young and old, directly to an experience and thereby deepen sensory engagement and potentially alter perception?
• How might these depth encounters with the natural world support child development, wellbeing and promote stronger ecological values into adulthood? 
• How might public opinion on the value of early childhood education, art and nature be elevated through research and ongoing family and community partnerships around this topic? 

Please join us as we embark together as partners in research and please join in the conversation!

With Enthusiasm, Respect and Gratitude,

Your Studio Teacher, Angelina

NOTE:  On September 11, 2014 from 5:30- 7:00, there will be an all school meeting to explore together the possibilities for this year in the studio and to dialog about nature and childhood.  Current families, please plan to attend.

Some of the literature these hypotheses are drawn from include:

Aimone, S. (2009). Expressive drawing: A practical guide to freeing the artist within. New            

     York: Lark Books.

Barone, T., & Eisner, E. (2012). Arts based research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications,   Inc.

Brown Jr., Tom. Grandfather. New York, NY: Berkley Group, 1993. Print.

Fox, Jill E (2013). When Children Draw vs When Children Don’t: Exploring the Effects of 

     Observational Drawing in Science. Creative Education, 4 (7), p. 11.

Imm Kang Song, Y. (2010). Art in nature and schools: Nils-Udo. The Journal of Aesthetic Education, 

     44(3), 96-108.

Lee, P. C. (2012). The human child’s nature orientation.  Child Development Perspectives, 6 (2). 193-

     198.

Louv, R. (2008). Last child in the woods. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin.

Sobel, D. (2008). Childhood and nature: Design principles for educators. Portland, MA: Stenhouse.

Strauch-Nelson, W. (2012, May). Reuniting art and nature in the life of the child. Art Education, 65(3), 

     33-38.

Wahl, D. C. (2005). “Zartre empire”: Goethean science as a way of knowing. Janus Head, 8(1), 58-76.

The Studio

We are back!
Thank you so much for your patience last year as I postponed blogging in favor of completing a Master's Degree in Educational Psychology.  With that done, the blog is back and I am excited for this year!  I have some wonderful ideas, theories and research to share and of course I look forward to learning from and with each of you and your children in the year ahead.

As many of you know the studio at our school is a wonderful hot spot of collaboration, creative expression, investigation and much, much more.  This year we look forward to forging more dialog between the studio environment, classroom environments and outdoor environments.  We also look forward to nurturing connections between home and school environments within the broader community context.  It is an exciting year!

Please bookmark this blog and feel free to share it with family and friends.  It is an invaluable resource and tool for you to have the inside scoop on what takes place in the studio and how the children's research and inquiry evolves throughout the year and mine as well.

And as always, please contact me if you have any questions, comments or ideas at:  lloydangelina@yahoo.com

farewells and new beginnings

It is here.  The end of another school year and I can hardly believe it is nearly over.  It has gone by so quickly.  Not long ago Kathryn Ross and I were seated at the large wooden table upstairs, enjoying a lunch together when she said to me, "As teachers we get very used to saying good-bye". 

It gave me pause. 

She was right of course. 

Each year I fall in love with the unique beauty inherent in each and every child.  Each year they inspire me and astound me and teach me.  And each year closes with a quiet, understated farewell. Some children will return again next year while others will spread their wings and soar into new hearts and horizons.  It is bitter sweet and exactly as it should be.  My parting hope is that every single child who passes through our care and hearts will flower and bloom into the fullness of who they are.

And to all the families who have entrusted their children into our care... THANK YOU.

---Angelina

Annual Festival of ART

 On May 9th we hosted another wonderful art show!!! Here are a few pictures to share the festivities with everyone who may have missed it!

Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this year another success! 

What is a Dollar?

Most days in the studio are very busy.  I can often be found at the head of a long line of children, each eager to share a story, or to have something attached with hot glue, or to procure a newly threaded needle, or to plan their latest creative endeavor.  Today was no different.  As I worked and listened and assisted, I glanced around the room and noticed a fair haired boy seated at a remote table.  He colored and glued in peaceful solitude.  Satisfied, I returned to the line of eager children. 
At the end of the day, I glanced up to see the fair haired child waiting patiently and proudly to share his art with me.  I approached him and he handed his piece of art up to me with a gesture of confidence. 
I responded too quickly and without reflection.  I responded with the unquestioned bias of a "grown up".  I looked at his collage and the crisp dollar bill glued to the front.  I inwardly gasped.  I calmly explained why we couldn't use money on our art pieces and carefully began to remove the dollar bill.  His eyes welled up with tears and I stopped myself.
I took a deep breath.
I crouched low and with great care, I apologized. 
I explained that I was worried that I might get into trouble for allowing a child to use money in this way but I wanted to understand his art. 
His face cleared and he slowly explained how he had made this picture for the art show. 
I smiled and asked him if he would tell me more about the dollar he had used and he said:

"A dollar is something that you earn for doing something. 

It's made out of paper, but it's just paper. 

I use paper to make art.

I got this dollar from a person. 

They gave it to me, just because, and now it's a picture."

I told him that I would be proud to hang it in the art show and he smiled broadly at me before returning to his class. 

I stared after him, amazed and humbled by the beauty and wisdom of children.

A dollar IS paper after all and it is hardly worth the price of a child's belief in himself as an artist with a right to express and be heard.

collaboration and scaffolding

This week Amy and I collaborated in the studio.  We worked with our extended primary children to further explore ideas, interests and questions that have evolved during the year.  We identified several topics of interest: volcanos, animals, people, planes and toys.  Each child joined one of these groups based on observed engagement over the year.  The groups met with both of us to implement their ideas both individually and collaboratively.  As the week progressed, it was clear that scaffolding is a vital part of what we do.  Scaffolding refers to a practice of providing the necessary support and guidance to help a child progress from one level of competence to another level.  For instance, children can conceive of great heights and grand ideas but their capacity to implement those ideas is often limited by present abilities and experience.  One of the roles of the teacher is to build the necessary framework for each child to climb his or her mountain, no matter how high. 

Volcanos have been erupting in the studio for weeks and as a grand finale, the volcano team created a paper mache' gorgeous volcano and made several smaller volcano maquettes in clay to be fired and used on another day with red food coloring, baking soda and vinegar.  Stay tuned for more explosions to come.

A few children explored transferring a drawing on paper to a clay surface and then personalizing it using a additive and subtractive method of sculpting, creating a relief tile.

With one-on-one assistance and lots of conversation and exploration the children realized their vision in style.

Some children explored translating a drawn image into a three-dimensional form. 
The child who did this drawing has been exploring self portraits throughout the year and he chose to make another one in clay.

As we worked we explored joining techniques and how to make various three dimensional forms and patterns.

When it was complete, he beamed one of his signature smiles at me and said, "I MADE ME IN CLAY!!"

Amy did a similar process with this child who chose to make a leopard-chaun and a pot-of-gold.

With every child we witnessed a few things: first, at some point nearly every child hit their threshold and became somewhat overwhelmed by the many steps involved in actualizing their vision, next, with our continued support and occasional help they were able to move through that frustration and when finished, every child without exception was extremely proud of his or her work.  Now, their eyes light up whenever they see us and yell reminders like "HI! remember my plane I made?", or "I can't wait to see the volcano again!" or just a warm hello and hug.  Scaffolding is important to the process of creating AND it also deepens our relationship with the children, reminding them just how much we value and honor their voices and ideas.