Thanksgiving Feast is beloved tradition at St. John's, and the children are involved throughout the process -- creating centerpieces, chopping the veggies for the soup, stirring the soup, setting the tables, etc. It is memorable for them and all of us as well. Below are some highlights from all of these steps and photographs of their reflection drawings -- reflections of their Thanksgiving breaks. Also, we love a good flashback, so we've included some "then and now" images! Chopping Vegetables Then (Brown Room): Green beans and spinach Now: Celery and Zucchini Stirring the soup Then (Brown Room) and Now: Rainey Room Stirring: Our clay work becomes the centerpieces The Thanksgiving Feast is part of the life of the school, and clay work has become a huge part of the life of the Rainey Room. Each year, we create beautiful centerpieces for our Feast tables, and this year we thought it would be a great opportunity to display all of the work the children have been doing at the open clay table and within more focused clay experiences. Below are some never before seen photos of them working with the clay. Setting the Tables The children were incredibly thoughtful and intentional about the placement of their clay. They cared for each other's work and were proud to show each other where they could find their clay pieces. The joy and pride they displayed were infectious. This was hands down my favorite Feast table I've (Elyse) been a part of!
Chapel Feast Then (Brown Room) and Now: Reflection DrawingsOn Monday, the children were eager to tell us about their holiday weekend. Many of them told stories of getting Christmas trees and eating pie at Thanksgiving. Below are their reflection drawings as we chatted.
Please take some time to tour around the classroom! We've changed some photos, added documentation, displayed a lot of the children's clay, and would love for you to see it and offer questions and feedback. Also, remember that you are always free to browse through your child's portfolio drawer during drop-off.
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"It's my favorite bowl ever!" - Caroline, 3.5 years "I want to make clay swirls like that." - Adaline, 4.0 years Jen joined us at morning meeting to share how she uses paper to create 3D forms and templates for some of her clay work. While there can be different ways to do it, we started with flat paper (cardstock and graph paper), scissors, and tape. The children were invited to make "slits" in the paper where they would then make "criss-crosses" to tape together. As you cross the pieces, the paper begins to stand up -- we were moving from 2D to 3D. Will began to notice the properties of the paper: "The graph paper is a little bit wiggly." - Will, 4.1 years
The children seemed to love this process. They were excited to make multiple forms - some made up to four different forms. They were also eager to translate this into clay - the next step in our process. Translating to clay "Paper is different than clay because you need different tools." - Will, 4.1 years The idea of The Hundred Languages is that children have many ways to express themselves, to learn, to create. While we were not asking the children to create a direct translation of their paper template, we were using the same process. We know that they can use these techniques for this process, but that it will also show up in other work that they do. We started with a clay slab (= flat paper), fettling knives/exacto knives (=scissors), and score/slip tools (= tape). We discussed this translation of tools and techniques with the children and they were eager to get to work. Adaline, Will, Georgia, and Lillian Many children had to resist the urge to cut the slab in half, but they remembered the slits they had made in the paper and did the same with the clay. Some made slits that were far apart, while others "fringed" the clay just as they had done with the paper. The position of their slits determined the number of "criss-crosses" and shape that the form would take. Again, the fettling knives in clay require a strong fine motor grip and gross motor strength (arm/shoulder/core) to push the knife all the way through the clay. We will continue to work on this and offer additional opportunities to do this - though the clay is always available at the clay table. **Note that we have been referring to them as "forms" instead of "bowls" because, as they children pointed out, they do not all resemble bowls -- nor do they need to.** Henri, George, and Caroline Henri, 4.2 years "Look! It's standing up now." - Henri Caroline, 3.5 years Caroline created two. On the first one, she expressed some disappointment in the shape, so we tried again with a round clay slab that was similar to her round piece of paper that she had used the day before to create her paper template. When she finished her second one Elyse asked, "Caroline. Are you so proud of the work you did?" Caroline responded by saying, "Yes! I'm so proud of myself!" Zoe, Gracie, and Eliza Eliza, 4.0 years George, Christopher, and Win These pieces, and more, will be at the Thanksgiving Feast as part of our centerpieces. Using what we know
Glazing ClayIn Brown Room, we only introduced glossy glaze. A few weeks ago, we introduced underglaze. We also know that the glazing process can be a bit tricky - you have to cover all of the clay that you want to have color or gloss, but it can be difficult. We wanted to slow down the process and give them a chance to plan out what they might want their pieces to look like.
"I remember something about the glazes - making them colorful." - Gracie, 4.0 years Pierce, 4.2 years George, 4.2 years
Gracie, 4.0 years "Look at Gracie's pumpkin. It's pretty." - Eliza, 4.0 years "It's like a pattern. It goes orange, blue, orange. This part will only be orange." - Will "I love clay. It's kind of like muddy." - Zoe, 3.10 years Thank you to all of you who were able to take time to look at their clay this morning. We were so excited to have it unloaded in time for them to share it with you. Their work is amazing, and being able to share it with you in the morning is very special and valuable. We encourage you to take time to do this during drop-off. You are free to open portfolio drawers and browse around the room - remember that you are free to take down conversations or flip through "books" of images and drawings. We will have more clay coming out of the kiln on Monday morning, and it will be featured as centerpieces on our Thanksgiving Feast table.
"It's almost winter, but it's already cold," shared Will. Gathering at the picnic table outside for morning meeting the children shared conversation around the it being fall and about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, followed by Santa Claus coming. "Other people not Santa can give you presents too," Will said and then we sang get up and dance. The children have been noticing the changing leaves and their transitioning color. The leaves have been appreciated and lovingly arranged into a variety of ephemeral arrangements lately during our time spent in the outdoor playground. Our Attention is Drawn to Sunlight on the Wall"And then if the shadow fell down, it would not hurt." -Georgia
Conversations, explorations, and wonderings about shadows, what they look like, and the sun continue!
During our Professional Development week before the school year started, Orly Zimmerman-Liezerov came to speak with the staff. We found her to be extremely helpful in our work with the children and even for our own lives. We highly recommend taking advantage of this opportunity:
We welcome Orly Zimmerman-Liezerov, Child and Family Therapist with Growing Minds Therapy, on Tuesday, Nov. 14 from 9 - 10:30 am in Blake Hall. Orly led a phenomenal and informative session in August for the faculty and we are very excited for her to return to St. John's to dialogue and share with all of you as well. You can rsvp HERE so we know how many chairs we will need. Immediately following our time with Orly, we will host our monthly PTC meeting, instead of the scheduled time on Monday, Nov. 13. Recently, we added some new materials and tools to the light/construction area. One of the most prominent changes was the addition of the clips that you see hanging from the ceiling. Our intention was to support the children's interest and questions about spinning shadows, but also to support their use of cloth, sparkly/shiny objects, and finally, to encourage more vertical work -- we encourage you to ask your child about the word vertical because we have been using it a lot lately. Today, we want to highlight a few of the ways the children have been using the light/construction area. A few different experiments: Experiment #1 "Let's make an experiment. Good idea, Adaline!" - Caroline, 3.5 years Does it [overhead cover hanging from clip] catch the light? - Elyse "Yes! I can see it over there!" - Adaline, 4.1 years Experiment #2 Zoe and Will experimented with hanging sparkly papers/fabrics. Zoe would cover the surface of the overhead with the sparkly side up, look to the wall, turn the paper over [sparkly side down], and then look to the wall and at Elyse. She seemed to be asking, "Where are the sparkles?" Elyse suggested that she hold it in front of the light. She layed it down flat on the floor in front of the sunlight. This still did not seem to produce the effect she was trying to achieve. Will, who had been nearby and also moving the sparkly materials around in front of the light sources, suggested that we try to get the sparkles to reflect on the wall. With this suggestion made, we had a mission. This peek into this process reflects a 45 minute experiment on the first day and additional work on a second day. “This is sparkly.” - Zoe, 3.9 years Our first hurdle was getting the sparkly materials to be vertical in front of a light source. Zoe tried holding the paper against the wall, but her arms quickly got tired of adjusting it. So, we looked for ways to prop them and to also have a wall/tube nearby to test out the reflection. “I thought if we added light to that piece of paper, that it will shine on the wall.” - Will “Maybe I see the shadow here.” - Will But you said you wanted it to sparkle on the wall. Is that working? “No.” - Will What could we change about our setup? - Elyse **thinking** Are the lights in a good place? - Elyse “No, because they’re way behind.” - Will [Will shines the spotlights at the wall] Where do you need to put the lights? They’re facing the wall and the paper is facing the wall. - Elyse “Let’s try that again [propping up the lights].” - Will Nearby, Zoe and Elyse achieve a few sparkles on the white tube by standing up the paper, shining the spotlight on the tube and paper at the same time, and moving the paper very close to the tube. Will and Zoe are unable to repeat this phenomenon with the sparkly materials, clips from the ceiling, and spotlights, so they enlist Caroline's help.
In the end, the children tried adjusting the light sources (adding and subtracting height, putting light on the wall and/or the sparkly object, moving the light closer and further away), moving sparkly fabrics and paper from one clip to another and/or a new spot to be propped up, and moving their bodies to look from different perspectives. They were patient with the process and themselves throughout the two day process. In the end, we still have not solved the "problem" of how to get the sparkles onto the wall. Their perseverance, team work, problem solving, skills, critical thinking skills, and curiosity were incredible to watch and so fun to be around. "We still haven't solved the problem." - Will, 4.1 years Experiment #3 Going Vertical"Vertical means it goes up." - Pierce, 4.1 years Colorful Shadows
Christopher and Zoe worked quietly side by side to create "colorful shadows" against the white tube while using two different spotlights as their light sources. Adaline shared her colorful shadows discoveries with Win. They sat together while creating two different small materials structures that created "regular shadows" and "colorful shadows". "Look at me!" - Georgia, 4.0 yearsThe old overhead projector covers are great for making silly faces, reflecting and refracting light, and for building structures. Let's take a moment to enjoy the silly faces though! A tea party for the Sugar Plum Fairy
Halloween - Mixed Age Walk and ExplorationsLast year, on Halloween, the Tucker Room (Sam and Ines as teachers) invited us on a Halloween Walk around the neighborhood. It was such a success, that we decided that this year it was our turn to invite the Brown Room out for a walk. It is a nice way to get to know the new Brown Room children while sharing our love for all things spooky. This year, we planned a mixed age group experience for Halloween. All three classrooms shared space in the Rainey Room, Atelier, and Tucker Room for a free flowing, mixed ages day of fun. Rainey Room: Light Area/Construction, a Halloween puzzle, and Halloween collage Atelier: Pumpkin gutting, drawing, and carving Tucker Room: Mixing "potions", Spooky Construction, and Halloween books It was a hugely successful day! The children were so excited to be together and move through the three rooms! "I can't believe we mixed up the classrooms!" - Will, 4.1 years Drawing People
Adaline's Family Portrait At the end of the first reflection, Adaline felt like she was not finished with her drawing, but it was time to go home. We made a copy of her original drawing so that the next day we could offer her the copy to add more details. As you can see, she added arms, hands, feet, color/pattern to Willoughby's dress, and the sky. Additionally, we observed that Adaline started her drawings with "stick figure" people, but as she continued working, she began to add dimension to the neck (Wilder), bodies (all 3), and legs (Wilder). Will's Family Portraits Will's drawings reflected his family, but also the context in which we had been working -- our "pretend people" will be proudly displayed in the windows of Blake Hall for Book Fair. So, when we sat down to think about the people we had made, Will took this information and drew his family members IN the Blake Hall windows. Will had a few versions of his family portraits. These two drawings are the bookends of his four portraits. In the first you will notice that he has included hair, facial features, ears on himself, bodies with belly buttons, pants, and legs. As he worked and drew inspiration from other children and our conversations, he began to think about how many people he needed to draw, the orientation of his drawing, and the addition of necks (as seen in the drawing on the right). Win's Family Portraits Win, 4.4 years The first day You ca"But where is daddy?" - Elyse For the second day of drawing, we challenged Win to think about how she might add her daddy to her family portraits. She started by drawing herself and her daddy alone - just as she had done the first day with her mom and brother, Maxon. Then, she drew a family portrait that included all four of them together. You can also see that she has differentiated her curly hair from Maxon's straight hair with the lines she has drawn. The second day Henri's Family Portrait
We have one more surprise for you all at Book Fair! We'll share more detail about it next week, but be sure to look for the Rainey Room "pretend people" and other Rainey Room work (it should be on your right when you enter Blake Hall). We look forward to seeing you all on Friday night, and the children on Saturday! There are some amazing books this year! Adaline's Birthday Committee Work and Celebration |
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April 2024
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