Ecology Workshop by SFU

The children had a wonderful time at an Ecology presentation by SFU Science Alive.  Mary brought a few children to the SelfDesign Learning Centre on 4th Avenue where I held a presentation for some school age learners.  It was delightful to see our little ones moving so confidently in a space with children ages 5/6/7.  At first they were tentative but they participated well and a couple of them also played the ecology movement game outside on the grass.  They are shown here completing the survey about the session and were very able to give descriptive feedback.  It was great also to have the connection with outside communities.

Authorization Visit

Hello Families,


We had a bittersweet day today.  The Authorization team left with the comment that our program is one that exemplifies an Early Years IB program.  The children were enthusiastic learners and did a wonderful job demonstrating their reading of the musical score for the song we are doing for the concert.  The teachers explained in clear and concise ways how they improve the planners we develop for every unit of inquiry.  The parents shared their enthusiasm for the excitement that their children display at home as a result of the units of inquiry.  They shared that the children were being supported to be life-long, internationally-minded learners.


At the end of the day the team met with the Principal and the Co-ordinator to share some general comments.  The Authorization team did not share the outcome of the visit but the school will be made aware within 90 days.  There was some sense of hope shared so they feel they are on their way to making Southlands a strong IB Programme.


Creative Minds' position in the Authorization has been challenged however.  It appears that there were some irregularities in the first application 4 years ago (we may not have been adequately included).  Further, the fact that we are an independent body from the school poses the IBO some problems as far as who governs what.  I am not quite certain how this will play out and I have to say that I was rather taken aback by it all given that I provided the information for the final application and it was made clear that we were requesting Authorization as PART OF the school application.  I am disheartened by the lack of systems or policies to support such public/ventureventures especially ones that are in the best interests of all children.  


I don't know what will come of this I am reminded of the message in this quote:


We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~ Frederick Koenig


I appreciate that we have parents who are as wonderful as you all are and I will gaze upon the roses we just got from Caroline knowing that we will continue to see the beauty in all of this.


Kate

Mindfulness and the Care of the Centre

I spent time in the Centre this weekend polishing the floor with my son.  The easy rhythm of our work compelled me to go back in the evening and do some simple tasks.  When there, in the quiet of the evening, I experienced an awakening to the space and to my senses within that space.  It was a reminder that in the care of the toys, the windows, the floors, I am showing the children my care for them.  It made me think about all the hours parents of Creative Minds children have given to the care of the building.  From plumbing help and the scrubbing of windows and walls to the organizing of the 3000+ books and the sorting of all that Lego!  Each of you have given so much to Creative Minds and the importance of the time you have given has not been overlooked.  In fact, each time we have a collective gathering to care for the space we, as teachers, experience a reawakening of our senses in that space.  As  Kabat-Zinn puts it " ...our primary connection to life is through our own interiority — the experiencing of our own body and all our senses, including the mind, which allow us to touch and be touched by the world, and to act appropriately in response to it."  Thus, our care of the space supports our care of the children in ways that go far beyond their safety and the programming.

I felt you might like to know that Tuesday is not just a work party, but an opportunity for us all to celebrate our care for the children.  

Kate

The depth of learning

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.

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.

Every action in our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity. 

~Edwin Hubbel Chapin

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.

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.

Level 3 - Blue Flags

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.

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:

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