Please Help Me Welcome...

It is my honor and privilege to announce a new addition to Terra Luz. Our escuelita is growing and I am overjoyed that Krista Phillips has accepted a position in our program beginning this Fall!

Krista brings with her many years of experience working with children, and a strong passion for early childhood education and yoga. Krista has high standards for preschool programs and a wealth of knowledge on the Reggio Emilia philosophy having worked in a Reggio-inspired school in San Francisco, CA. I have learned so much from her and we are all incredibly fortunate to have her as part of our growing community.

Krista will continue to offer yoga classes as part of the enrichment program at Terra Luz, so now all the children will be able to benefit.

Please help me welcome Krista!

Power and Potential of Exploring & Using Recyled Materials

The Power and Potential of Exploring and Using Recycled and Natural Materials

Before I saw images from Reggio Emilia and toured the host Reggian-inspired school during the NAREA conference, I didn’t realize the full potential of using recycled materials. I kept seeing these items placed neatly in baskets throughout the classrooms. When I spoke with the Reggian teachers, I asked, “where on earth do you get all this stuff?” Their answer— “Just about all these materials here are donated from families.”

Items that many people (and companies) toss out, can be wonderful ingredients for the children to express their ideas. Often, businesses will toss out items and/or packaging they no longer need. Ex: one grandfather owns a masonry company and he donated a box full of these teeny tiny bricks, which have been wonderful for constructing. Another parent did some remodeling and had a dozen of these tall rectangular plastic [packaging] boxes from IKEA which were turned into reflection boxes filled with acetate for shadow and reflection study. I did some searching on craigslist a couple nights ago, and picked up 2 large bags of wine corks from a wine connoisseur, found 2 antique printer trays for organization (still need more) and am about to pick up 2 dozen empty baby food jars tomorrow. I wish I had pictures to show you all. Photography of the exhibit, the presentations from the Italians, and of the school we toured, was not allowed. So I frantically took notes.

Paper
Cardboard, corrugated cardboard, “Tetra Pak” cardboard, easter egg wrapping, boxes, etc.

Metal
Copper, aluminum, wire (various gauges), more WIRE!, plates, chains, pipes, mechanical gears, mesh, cables, etc

Wood
Planks, blocks, cork, plywood, wicker, etc.

Glass
Mirror, plexiglass in sheets (really need this!), containers, balls, polycarbonates, etc.

Textiles
Apparel, color swatches, accessories, yarns, bobbins, misc fabric scraps, burlap, muslin, silks, etc

Materials with Textured Surface
Soundproofing material, foam coverings, carpet, upholstery,

Plastic
Tubes, boxes, pipe fittings, funnels, springs, transparent coils, helmets, containers, press scraps, printed circuit boards, photographic film canisters, slide trays, bottle caps, spools.

Marble
cut for mosaic and in small slabs, stones, tiles

Ribbon
All types

Food Containers
in plastic, glass

Bottles
plastic and glass

CDs
blank or used

Buttons, Beads, Seashells

Wine Corks

Materials from Nature
leaves (crushed ok), bark, pebbles, stones, shelled nuts, feathers...

…and anything else you see that makes you think, “hmmmmm…I wonder if the Terra Luz children could use this."


Keep your eyes peeled and pass on the word.

Much Gratitude,
Andrea

Sunflower Shucking | Collage | Wire

Why Are the Sunflowers Droopy, Ms. Andrea?
Was a question that not only was asked of me, but also I asked of my husband. I was watering them, why were they droopy and dying?? Well, he informed me they weren't dying. They were just ready. Ready for what? Seeds! Our Sunflowers sprung to an incredible 8-9' feet tall, and their seeds were ready to fall. That's why they were so heavy. This morning the squirrels beat us to a handful of sunflower seeds, but we were able to grab the remainder of a sunflower for a lesson in botany. We stripped the over-ripe sunflower of its petals and soft plant fur (we had to be on the lookout for bugs too) to reveal the seeds--sunflower seeds! Just like you buy from the store.





Even some of the parents got in on the fun. We were all amazed by the size of the sunflower and the beautiful intricacies of the flower. When we discovered an interesting insect inside, Ayla's daddy gently pulled him out so we wouldn't hurt it.






We didn't get a chance to toast them since our summer camp has come to an end, but we will definitely be doing this again.



Collage



Snippets...








There has been some transition in the house over the summer camp, and one area that's been a bit difficult is nap/rest time for some of the children. I used to read this book to my oldest son (Domi) to help him relax for sleep. Kellyann has been reading a bit from the book to help the children relax and feel secure.

Yoga
The children are coming along wonderfully in yoga.















Collage Work



Introduction to Wire
I wanted to give the children an introduction to wire before camp ended so they would have some familiarity with it when we return. In a small group, we talked about how wire is formed from metal dug from the earth, and today we worked with 20 gauge wire. Wire cutters were introduced and Ayla was able to cut her wire on all on her own! The children began folding and twisting the wire and discovered how wire moves, bends, and straightens. This wasn't very exciting for one of the girls and as she was about to leave the table, I pulled out some unsharpened pencils and a dowel so we could shape the wire into coils and spirals, and brought out a bowl of natural beads and shells, and voila! They began beading and shaping immediately. As they worked with the wire, they did notice that it is a challenging medium. It was challenging for them to start the coiling on their own, so I did started that for them, and they were able to coil the rest independently. Some didn't want their wire coiled and opted to string on the beads, and then coil after.












"Now it looks like India"
-Anika


Today was a quick introduction to wire and those who worked with it began to understand the qualities and properties of wire, working through challenges. Wire lends itself to MANY investigations and possibilities! More of that in the Fall!

::

Lunchtime Exchange at my table today:

Andrea: "What do you have for lunch today?"
Ayla: "I have pasta and strawberries."
Anika: "I have strawberries too."
Corbin: "I have cheddar noodles."

Alaira: "I have a dog and a cat!"
Ayla: "I don't have pets."
Corbin: "I got cats."
Andrea: "What are their names?"
Corbin: "Whiskers and Barbie (??)"
Anika: I have a cat too. His name is Palu."

{more eating continues}

Anika: "My mommy has a baby in her tummy."
Corbin: "MY mom has a baby too. And he cries!"

::

After looking at Kellyann's clipboard, I saw this snippet and had to share:

"I don't live in North America. I live on Opal Fire Drive. That's where my house is."
-Mia

::

At the end of the day a few times during summer camp, the children got treated to some storytelling with Domi.

::

Parents,

Summer Camp has come to an end and I'll be taking some time for restorative rest, and also look forward to the time with my family, and my teenagers. I'm sure after a couple weeks, I'll be missing my Terra Luz family, but we will be reunited very soon! Check back in to read about my about experience at the NAREA Reggio conference. I'll be reflecting on that when I have some free time. After touring the host school, and receiving training from the Italians (who are still working in the schools in Reggio Emilia), I'm exploring some options for enrollment scheduling for my part time families. More to come on that, very soon....

So for now, I say Adios!
In a couple weeks, I'll be off to Mexico again, but this time to Cozumel!

Love,
Andrea