Arts, Environment and the Child: Walking the Wheel of the Seasons

School: Confirmed with Sheri Watts to particpate in the afterschool program at Boistfort Elementary from 3:30 to 5:00 for at least 4 occasions this quarter and discussed what might make good Winter projects for the students.

CRW Purchased variety of herbs from radiance to experiment: Kava Kava, Red Clover, Valerian, Skullcap and Vervain. Prepare tea with Chamomile and Kava Kava. (Playing around)

Boistfort School

After School Program

School: I am working with the Boistfort after School Program 2-7-06 was my first observation.  It was quite the experience.  I have never had the opportunity to participate in my children’s schools as a parent helper or such.  I have only a couple of times been able to participate in field trips.  The manager of the after school program shared with me that the program has become much more geared to academics.  In fact it is almost all related to helping children get their homework done.  She said she thought the funding of the grant is now tied to the WASL and the scores of the children in some way.  We spent about .5 hours talking about the program and which classes could really benefit from extra project time.  She recommended the 2nd graders for activities related to measuring.  I’m looking at some projects that connect natural science (water), winter and measurements together for a class project.  Mrs. Watts is so excited to have me come in and participate with the class she even took the liberty of checking out 3 books related to science and projects to help me identify appropriate projects. 

• Goddess Circle- Demeter and Hestia

I was not able to attend the Goddess Circle on Sunday, however I did take some time to read up on Demeter and Hestia and give some thought as to how the Archetype relates to me:

• Demeter:  Last year during the last harvest my friends and I cut Oats, Barley, and Rye and flowers that dry well and made grain goddesses to bring forth abundance into our homes.  Mine hangs on the trellis on the front of the Processing House.  When I think of qualities within me or ideals I believe in that relate to Demeter I think of how protective I am with my children in particularly.  I am also very protective of animals and the environment.  My desire to work in the Gardens and to promote local agriculture is another of how Demeter resonates in my life.
• Hestia:  A framed ink of Hestia blesses my Dinning Room and Kitchen amid half a dozen house plants.  Her relationship with the home and hearth or the center of the home is an ideal that I totally relate to.  We often refer to our home as the Hub and our primary source of heat is a wood stove in the middle of the home.  The fuel for which comes from managing the tree farm, or fruit trees here on the farm or wood that washes up from floods. Every day each of us go off everyday collect what we need and bring that back to the home, whether it be education, a pay check, food etc. 

After School Program

Boistfort School

Today was my second classroom visit to the after school program, I will be working with the Second Graders.  They were just finishing up their homework when I arrived.  We waited for one young man to complete his before we began our exercise.  There were four children usually there are about 10.  They told me their names and a little bit about themselves.  I shared with them that I too am a student and that I will be attending the after school program with them on Tuesdays.

 They were excited about the title of our class “Arts the Environment and the Child walking the wheel of the seasons.” I shared with them that we would be discussing winter and the element associated with Winter Water.   They shared with me there experiences in winter, what they liked what they didn’t, how it made them feel, and what they noticed going on in nature around them.  After our discussion we did some water color to illustrate their impressions of winter. 

It’s very noticeable that we live way out in the country, each child owns a Quad ATV, two of them hunt with their parents, one little girl even owns and cares for her very own 22 rifle.

I shared with them a few bits of what we would be doing in class on the next Wednesdays, they were excited.  We will be performing some water experiments as well involving both weights and measures.  They said they were looking forward to it.  I’m also looking for some poetry related to water to share with them and possibly write a poem for the web page.

Goddess Circle- Persephone and Hera
I was not able to attend the Goddess Circle on Sunday again, however I did take some time to read up on Persephone and Hera and give some thought as to how the Archetype relates to me:

• Persephone:  I was thinking about her giving up a 1/3 of her year to be with the dead and how often we choose to do things for the good of others and think beyond our own personal needs for the betterment of others.  It made me think about a year or so ago when I participated with a group of citizen activists to prevent the growth of urban sprawl and promote compliance of the county with Growth Management.  I had to take several days off to testify in court and my children asked why I would take my time to do such a thing instead of taking time off just for me and them.  I responded that sometimes one has to do things that are beyond oneself and family for the greater good of humanity.

Boistfort School

AfterSchool

Program

Today was my third classroom visit we had a wonderful time.  We focused on Water, drops of water to be specific:  We talked about them in general how they:  Evaporate, are liquid, come in Spring and or Winter, can cause floods, how they covered the road near the Curtis Store, how they slide across objects, cause Rainbows, ice crystals, hail, snow, cold, come along with thunder and lightening, are part of the air, they fall from the sky or come from dew, they can appear to be blue, green or any array of colorful, are big and small, sparkly are pretty on leaves and webs, wet and moist, warm or cold, one drop in a puddle can make waves as big as the puddle, they make sounds, noise and music some of the noise is pretty and some is annoying.

We experimented with a single drop of water:

• 5 tooth picks broke in half but not separated, they formed a perfect star when a single drop of water is dropped at the point where the toothpicks are broken and set next to each other.
• We then used an eyedropper to count how many drops of water it took to fill a ½ teaspoon it took about 61 drops.  We summarized that it took a lot of drops of water to create one drink of water.
• We guessed how many drops of water could fit on a Penny, and a Dime, 21 drops of tap water will fit on the dime and 17 drops of saltwater.
• We then used the dropper to drop single drops of water color on paper and blow them around with straws to create beautiful artwork.

I received in the mail an experiment related to water from one of the children she thought I might enjoy trying on Thursday the 2nd.  I am truly enjoying a rich experiencing participating with the children I have made friends that I likely would never have become acquainted.