Hello Families,
As we near the start of the last unit of inquiry of the "school" year I am reminded how fast time seems to move for me. I wanted to reflect on how I perceive time and in doing, came upon this:
"We usually think of time as a river, a river like the Nile, with strong, swift current bearing us further and further away from what we have been and toward the time when we will be not at all... But perhaps we should think of time as a deep, still pool rather than a fast-flowing river... Instead of looking back at time, we could look down into it... and now again different features of the past --different sights and sounds and voices and dreams--would rise to the surface: rise and subside, and the deep pool would hold them all, so that nothing was lost and nothing ever went away." -Meghan O'Rourke
This led me to think about how the children help us stay present in a place where time almost fails to exist when we gaze at them in awe as they learn and inquire into the world at their disposal. I hope this next unit which begins next week brings us all opportunities for connection to one another and to our immediate environment. The title of the next unit is Plants in our Midst and the concepts that frame our study are connection, responsibility and function. We welcome your thoughts and, as always, your stories about how the unit is supporting you and your children to act with care in the world.
Wednesday 25 April 2012
Tuesday 24 April 2012
With thanks for parent help
Hello Families,
I just wanted to say thank you to Henry Au for his work today with the teachers. Last week he did some careful reading of a blog we posted and noticed some flip chart paper on the SmartBoard...
He quickly figured out that a refresher on the use of the board might be helpful and offered to assist us.
Thank you Henry. We will continue to learn how to make this a useful tool in our work with the children.
I just wanted to say thank you to Henry Au for his work today with the teachers. Last week he did some careful reading of a blog we posted and noticed some flip chart paper on the SmartBoard...
He quickly figured out that a refresher on the use of the board might be helpful and offered to assist us.
Thank you Henry. We will continue to learn how to make this a useful tool in our work with the children.
Every action in our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.
~Edwin Hubbel Chapin
Monday 9 April 2012
Take Another Look: Family Time in the Forest
Here's a chance to play and discover together. We hope to see you all there. Kathryn took a significant role in this and I'd love to support her efforts.
Level 3 - Blue Flags
Family Event
an Ecological Treasure Hunt
Saturday April 14 1-4 PM
co-produced by PSPS, Metro Vancouver, and Creative Minds
Take Another Look
Discover where forest creatures eat, sleep and just hang out.
Test your skills on this ecology treasure hunt with
three levels of difficulty suitable for everyone!
Level 1 - Yellow Flags
The youngest participants will search for toys placed in the forest. See the picture,
find the toys, maybe count them .. and talk about whether it really belongs here.
Level 2 - Red Flags
Look for where the mouse has been.
Its not so easy to find the right place to match the photo and the clue.
Talk about what the mouse might have been doing.
Adults and youth will learn about ecology as you match the clues to the photos.
Where?
The loop trail, which is a little over a kilometre through the park
begins by Southlands School, on Camosun St. at 39th Ave.
Thursday 5 April 2012
learning the aliveness of the world
So now that you have had a chance to think about the importance of gazing upon your children I bring you a title that you might want to pick up at the library...
'A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination in a World of Constant Change'
by Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown,
in which the authors say:
"The twenty-first century belongs to the tacit [as opposed to the explicit]. In the digital world we learn by doing, watching, and experiencing. ... In a world where things are constantly changing, focusing exclusively on the explicit dimension is no longer a viable model for education.
"The problem is that almost every technique and practice we have for understanding how we learn has been about the explicit - the content - in a stable world."
He's a link for the book
http://www.amazon.com/New-Culture-Learning-Cultivating-Imagination/dp/1456458884#reader_1456458884
So, while I don't want you to fear that things are so unstable, I want to encourage you to follow the inspiration of this poem that we have put at the on the parent bulletin board:
'A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination in a World of Constant Change'
by Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown,
in which the authors say:
"The twenty-first century belongs to the tacit [as opposed to the explicit]. In the digital world we learn by doing, watching, and experiencing. ... In a world where things are constantly changing, focusing exclusively on the explicit dimension is no longer a viable model for education.
"The problem is that almost every technique and practice we have for understanding how we learn has been about the explicit - the content - in a stable world."
He's a link for the book
http://www.amazon.com/New-Culture-Learning-Cultivating-Imagination/dp/1456458884#reader_1456458884
So, while I don't want you to fear that things are so unstable, I want to encourage you to follow the inspiration of this poem that we have put at the on the parent bulletin board:
I tried to teach my child with books,
He gave me only puzzled looks.
I tried to teach my child with words,
They passed him by oft unheard.
Despairingly I turned aside
How shall I teach this child, I cried.
Into my hand he put the key,
Come, he said, play with me...
Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Tuesday
Kate
Tuesday 3 April 2012
Having Genius
Hello Families,
I have had many conversations over the last few weeks with new-to-Creative-Minds families and with current families about the process and meaning of knowing and knowledge. There is too much to say in a short blog such as this but I would like to share a poem and a TED link with you to consider. We have also put up a wonderful poem in the entrance of the room about our relationship with our children that we'd like you to consider.
Each day we work to create spaces where your children are awakened to their genie/genius.
Here's the poem by the late John O'Donohue
I have had many conversations over the last few weeks with new-to-Creative-Minds families and with current families about the process and meaning of knowing and knowledge. There is too much to say in a short blog such as this but I would like to share a poem and a TED link with you to consider. We have also put up a wonderful poem in the entrance of the room about our relationship with our children that we'd like you to consider.
Each day we work to create spaces where your children are awakened to their genie/genius.
Here's the poem by the late John O'Donohue
- For Presence
Awaken to the mystery of being here
and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.
Have joy and peace in the temple of your senses.
Receive encouragement when new frontiers beckon.
Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to follow
its path.
Let the flame of anger free you of all falsity.
May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame.
May anxiety never linger about you.
May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of
soul.
Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek
no attention.
Be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul.
May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven
around the heart of wonder.
Here's the TED talk worth seeing/hearing:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MA
Eat, Pray, Love" Author Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.
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