Photos from the Classroom

a practice bin of flour

and my two year old learning how to use a flour sifter

hmmm... this is making a bit of a mess

using the washboard to full her wet felted egg
wet felting is wonderful handwork for Early Childhood

watercolor painting time!

Zac wants to paint too

everyone is working on the first painting in our Norse Mythology series

Muspelheim, world of fire

Niffleheim, world of frozen fog and ice

Ginungagap, the void in between them

potholder loops galore!

my new coordinate graphing work from Clocca Concepts

examining the Biomes of the World canvas map from Waseca Biomes

a new challenge... painting Muspelheim and Niffleheim again

with just a warm red and a cool red

vermillion, a warm red, is closer to yellow

carmine, a cool red, is closer to blue

where the sparks and ice crystals meet in the void

LIFE begins

our third painting in the series presents even more of a challenge 

in terms of form and controlling the paint

the forms of the first humans, Ask and Embla, on the seashore

and the three Aesir gods Odin, Hoenir, and Lodur standing behind them

the painting book which inspired us, Painting and Drawing in Waldorf Schools

my chalkboard drawing of the Nine Norse Worlds

learning about the difference between phrases and clauses

the Montessori grammar symbols help us to really see the structure of a group of words to decide if it's a phrase or clause

deep in her chapter book, Becca refuses to be photographed

the grammar symbols help us in the Dictionary Game as well

joyful preschool wagon play

tugging it up the hill, one child pulling it down the hill and one child riding, 

working together to turn the wagon around, and going back up again

our list of fruits for the Citrus Sensory Bin!

plant dissection drawings in Science Club journals

Zac's new gardening sensory bin is a perfect use for the plant parts and soil

pipe cleaners, straw pieces, a colander -- a Threading Station!

the joy of turning 13... 

and getting a hieroglyph rubber stamp set!

organizing supplies for the watercolor resist map of Egypt
inspired by this map in Gods & Pharaohs in Egyptian Mythology

I find that watercolor resists work better with oil pastels than with crayons

marble mazes... 

once again the "hot new thing" in the classroom

I never would have guessed that this old Christmas popcorn tin would become an essential classrom item in the study of Ancient Egypt!

covering our chicken with salt after soaking it overnight in rubbing alcohol

the first time, it took 2 1/2 boxes (7.5 lbs) of Kosher salt

R.I.P. Cluckopatra

"Do Not Disturb

Chicken Mummy Underway"

cutting out pieces for the jester pattern from Feltcraft

Flags of the World:  Europe

from Montessori Research & Development

a marble maze extraordinaire

Leah's jukebox-inspired design holds four possible pathways

organizing beads for the Timeline of Life Bead Chain work

from Clocca Concepts

the finished bead chain, which is then taken apart and the beads, string, and cards are placed neatly in the box for the next child

"Mom, take a picture!"

the Yoga Pretzels deck and yoga mats are always available to students

paper weaving... another big trend in the classroom right now

Natalie's lovely loaf of homemade Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread  

a snowy day gives her plenty of time to make a yeasted bread

"Look at my snow art!"

painting on a dish of snow

deciphering a note from a sister

this is the BEST use EVER for my old box of fax paper rolls

making two numbers with the stamp game material

to play the Crocodile Game (<, >)

which quantity is greater?

a visit to the local art museum, Artspace 304, for "Sandwiches and Strings"

looking up close at a violin... handmade by the musician!

getting the chance to play the harp

our dried pinto beans (which the kids were surprised to learn were seeds) germinated beautifully in their moist folded paper towel inside a closed Ziploc bag... so simple!

creating a design to trick a plant into growing down instead of up...
inspired by The Curious Kid's Science Book

planting it in a watermelon

and inverting the watermelon

why not try the same idea with a banana?

after requiring each student to draw a design and write a materials list, I provided the supplies and let them build their contraptions

this clever design uses a soda bottle cut in half horizontally.  

the student then removed the top half, flipped it over (so the cap was on the bottom) and filled the top half with potting soil.  he then covered it with saran wrap.  we cut a small hole in the middle of the saran wrap and put the root of the bean through it into the soil, then flipped the top half back over.  the saran wrap keeps the potting soil in place.  the stem and leaf part of the bean plants hangs down and will --  hopefully -- grow downwards into the empty space in the bottom half of the bottle.  

to water the top half, which holds the soil and roots of the plant, simply unscrew the cap!

after watching other students water their plants, this child decided to cut a small hole in the top of her watermelon so that she could water her plant too

we can't wait to see how our baby bean plants fare!

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