It’s January, and it’s finally time for the 3rd graders to have time in the Wonder Studio during recess. They are beyond excited. I look out onto a sea of eager faces, and they are literally bouncing with energy. I gather them on the porch before we venture inside.
Category: Art
Christmas Zen: Shed Some Holiday Cheer
During the weeks before Christmas, I enjoyed frequenting local garden shops to take in the smell of pine and look at all the holiday decorations. This year, one neighborhood garden shop had several sheds set up covering their extensive grounds.
Inspiration and Handiwork
My latest spark of inspiration comes from Adam Zucker who blogs at Artfully Learning. Last week, Adam wrote about Black Mountain College in North Carolina and its founders, teachers, and alumni. He wrote about the life and art of Ruth Asawa.
Forest Bathing: Autumn Plunge
I could not wait to get into the woods, to surround myself with color, with the natural signs of the changing seasons. As I walked, I took photos and wrote poetry in my head. This is what my Autumn plunge created.
Small Wonder
Every day there is a new surprise. Every day, something I didn’t expect happens. This is sometimes positive and sometimes negative, and whichever it is – it is always a learning experience. My days are electric, and that’s how I like them. This is not to say my day are frenetic and haphazard. No, the electricity comes from learning alongside children. I get to see the world again through that childlike lens of wonder and discovery. It fills me with joy, and I am reminded how exciting learning something can be.
Forest Bathing
I need this time to relax, heal, and ease my pain. I am so grateful for this place. As soon as I see the Green Mountains in the distance, I breathe deeply and feel something release inside of me.
Flowery Thoughts
Nature is always good medicine, and I seek to be among trees and flowers as much as I can. Nature makes me more mindful of the short time we have to enjoy this miraculous earth. It makes me grateful to be among the flowers.
Garden Harbor
On my summer travels, I found a garden of delight. To keep the memory I took a photo and wrote a poem.
Mindful Style
I have been traveling in southern Maine this past week. While photographing this beautiful landscape, I was struck by how the style of the homes, shops, and public spaces all keep a focus on nature. The seaside and its accompanying flora and fauna all become part of a peaceful natural decor. The colors: ocean blue, dune grass green, picket fence white, daisy yellow, azalea pink, and cardinal red are repeated in pleasing patterns so restful to the eye and spirit.
Be the Flower
I went searching for solace this week. I went hunting for answers. I found them in the form of flowers and poetry. Once destroyed, lives cannot be put back together. Some things cannot be made whole again. But I believe that the solution for violence must be in a turn towards nature, towards beauty, towards the preciousness of life. Consider the flower.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 