Tag Archives: learning

Jan13

under the rainbow.

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my classroom is chock full of

multi-age kinder (3s-young 5s)

who stay with us for two years.

one of the very best things

is watching the older kinder

who were the younger kinder

just one year before

as they quite naturally and organically grow

to become the leaders/teachers/helpers/mentors

to the new group of younger kinder

who were at home

just one year before.

what a joy it was to watch someone older

spend a very long time

finding all the special markers she needed

to create an easy to see linear rainbow

for someone younger

who wanted to create

her very own rainbow picture

in her very own style

using all the special colors.

judging by their faces

when she finished her very own rainbow

they were both equally proud of the results.

 

—

“nine tenths of education is encouragement.”

-anatole france

Dec27

house of cards.

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learned a new card game
while hanging with family at christmas
when someone reads the rules
it does nothing for me
i learn best by trial and error
lots of trials
lots of errors
but i did somehow win my first game
with a combo
of good luck and a happy accident
nothing to do with strategy
 i’m fine with that
then got slaughtered in the next five games
by the kids
my hot streak might be over.
—
“You’ve got to know when to hold ’emKnow when to fold ’emKnow when to walk awayAnd know when to runYou never count your moneyWhen you’re sittin’ at the tableThere’ll be time enough for countin’When the dealin’s done.”
-kenny rogers, the gambler
—
photo credits: universal studios, facebook
Dec7

hunters and gatherers.

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they quite naturally

are always busy

little hands

hunting and gathering

collecting, counting, carrying

organizing, sorting,

moving, lining up

until it feels and looks just right.

or until recess ends.

whichever comes first.

and then there is a mad rush

to fill pockets, and mittens, and hands

with as much as they can hold

treasure to be transported home

to go through the whole process again.

—

“we used to be hunter-gatherers, now we’re shopper-borrowers.”

-robin williams

 

Sep30

in it.

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with the return of the school year

comes the return of our outdoor adventure days.

 

—

“we could have never loved the earth so well if we had had no childhood in it.”

-george eliot

 

 

Sep23

steggy.

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when you mix a scientist who loves dinos along with little people who also love dinos

you get bursts of curiosity, awe, and excitement on both sides

especially when one the of the kinder mentioned

it was ‘from the jurrasic period’ and another asked if it was ‘an omnivore.’

perfect match.

—

“did you know that the stegosaurus lived further away from the t-rex than we are from the t-rex in time?”

-johan peretti

 

Sep9

beginning.

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the little ones came to school

most for the first time ever

 filling our room with emotion and energy

a few minutes into our day

one had me write

an urgent note to her mom

that read:

“bring the car!”

we’re all tired and mostly all happy

tomorrow we begin again.

—

“be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”

-meister eckhart

Apr28

into the universe.

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heading out on a rainy day

to explore, discover things, and learn

in the much larger classroom of the universe. 

 

—

“the universe is a great university.”

-sai baba

Apr22

on earth day, and every day.

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kinder in their natural habitat capturing the ever-elusive giant stick

 

—

“live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink,

taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the Earth.”

-henry david thoreau

Mar15

rocks.

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it took a while and a team of busy gatherers

but the kinder were happy to announce

they had collected and lined up

79 rocks

and that equals 1 museum. 

 

—

“as with other phases of nature, I have probably loved the rocks more than I have studied them.’

-john burroughs