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!

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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!"

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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

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

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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