Hopefully everyone is enjoying their summer and looking forward to the start of another school year. Campus is relatively quiet, and we have been busy working on accreditation, building upgrades and repairs, and all the usual preparations for welcoming new and returning families and staff in August. The office is open daily, so if you have any questions, paperwork to return, or just want to stop in and say “hi” we are here! Home visits will be taking place soon.
This year during Maymester session, the Butterfly and Seashells classes decided to do a three week exploration of folk arts. It began with study of cave art as historical evidence of humans’ desires to represent their everyday lives through art. The children examined, researched, discussed, experimented with, and produced a lot of art! The study culminated in a Folk Arts Festival opening attended by many families and campus/community friends. As docents, the children shared decoupage, stenciling, tin ware, paintings inspired by Grandma Moses, silhouettes, a wooden village, and painted furniture and toys they created. Probably the most challenging of their efforts was a collaborative reverse painting on glass that will now become part of our permanent collection!
As the introduction of a long-term study on folk arts, our teachers used the smart board to take the children on a virtual tour of the caves in Lascaux, France. As ‘anthropologists,’ they theorized that Ice Age humans created art to (a) make the cave look nicer, (b) share their ideas and tell stories, (c) make gifts for their family and friends, or even to (d) sell for money! After spending several days examining the compelling murals and images in the caves, they created many interesting images themselves. They were so surprised when they returned to school and a cave had appeared in the building with all their drawings!!!! It was originally supposed to be available for just a few days but has been so popular that it remains open for tours probably until the end of summer session!
Gardening is becoming an increasingly important part of our curriculum. We find the process of imagining, planning, working together, monitoring, and a lot of waiting very important to a child’s understanding of long-term vs. immediate reward. Last year they chose to plant vegetables and a pole-bean house grown around a bamboo frame. This spring they planted tomatoes, basil, and a circular ’sunflower house.’ Sunflowers are great because they grow so quickly from seed to seedling to plant and their growth is measurable on a daily basis. After all their work and careful tending, they can now enjoy lunch or just a casual visit in the house. 
We use our blog to post current news, information about activities, and mini-documentations of project work.