Sometimes, I think - "No one cares, this is a lot of work, maybe I should stop doing this." But then there are days, when I see fifteen eager faces at the front door clamoring to get in and start their work - their work of mess and industry and love.
Category: Project Based Learning
Sew Easy: A Heartfelt Journey
Many things that my mother loved, I love - teaching, making art, reading, eating cheese and crackers, putting on bright lipstick, and sewing. My mother was an amazing seamstress and dress designer well before she had kids and became a teacher. She would hold a piece of fabric in her hand, fold it, cut it without a pattern, and make something wonderful to wear. She had a gift, and it was magical.
Small is Beautiful
This week, the first week of my summer vacation, I have been thinking about embracing small things in life: small moments of joy, small moments of beauty, and small moments of gratitude. E.F. Schumacher, a British economist and writer, best known for his book, Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as If People Mattered, … Continue reading Small is Beautiful
Working in the Wonder Studio: Sewing up Some New Friends
The girls learn about sewing, making mistakes, and perseverance. I learn about how these students approach a task: how they plan, how they organize, and how they problem solve. I also learn how to help them when they are stuck and what motivates them. I have come to understand how important this half-hour is for them as students and for me as a teacher.
Celebration: Women’s History Tea 2.0
I love March and April because they signal the beginning of spring. All around us are signs of rebirth: budding trees, unfurling blossoms, birds gathering in song on still bare branches. Every spring, I celebrated the accomplishments of women with our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. I gave them a packets of ten women … Continue reading Celebration: Women’s History Tea 2.0
Tea & Empathy
I wanted to shine a light on those students who loved to read, write, and research. I wanted the girls to have an opportunity to learn about all kinds of women from all kinds of backgrounds doing amazing things.
Working in the Wonder Studio: The Play’s the Thing!
In the Wonder Studio this month, the 5th graders have been busy creating models of tree houses, ornaments, carts, and a sundry of child-generated crafts. The thing that all the students like best about Wonder Studio is that no adult is telling them what to make or how to make it.
Inside the Wonder Studio: Marvelous Mess
From this height, I also noticed what a great mess they were creating: balls of yarn rolled across the floor, bits of balsa wood scraps scattered over the rug, a trail of red paint crossed the room from table to garbage can.
Inside the Wonder Studio: A Space for Mistakes
When I conceived of the Wonder Studio eight years ago, I thought of a space where students could go to create and play with craft and building materials. I wanted the kids to have freedom to think up an idea and create it. Their projects were not made by following directions. They were made by experimenting and tinkering; trying out an idea and changing it.
Inside the Wonder Studio: Life in Miniature
This month in the Wonder Studio, the 5th graders have been working on a small scale. No one mandated that they do so. They all just started making tiny projects.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 