UMdWP

So, I just finished graduating from McDaniel College with my M.S. in Curriculum & Instruction! I'm really excited.

On the horizon this school year:
I'm considering going for the MAEOE environmental certification (http://maeoe.org/eecertification/)

And I'm definitely working with the University of Maryland Writing Project on a project called 21st Century Teaching and Learning.

For this project I'll be exploring using a classroom blog to help with parent communication -- to help parents better understand the Montessori method in particular and alternative education in general -- as well as having it be a place for students to publish written pieces or share photos of their artwork. We use digital media very rarely in the classroom as a student learning tool, because I don't think it's developmentally appropriate, but I think it's worthwhile to explore how to use it in adult learning (i.e., parent education).

I do also like the idea of sharing with parents classroom communication -- like what we do, what we are excited about, and interesting links -- in a way that is separate from email. Email fills your box and overwhelms you. It's also not the most efficient approach. For example, if I email out a great weekend field trip idea that is totally tied in with what we are learning about, and then a few years down the road they (or I) want to remember what it was, I think a blog is easier to search. It also is interesting to explore what parents chatting with each other, via the comments box, might add to the conversation about what happening in the classroom.

I'd like to create a survey to ask parents what their impression are of Montessori, and whether they feel like they understand what their child does in the classroom, and pass it out at back to school night. Then, after using the classroom blog as a parent education tool during the year, I'd like to give the same survey again.

This idea is not Montessori specific; it could certainly be used with a Waldorf classroom as well, to help parents have a peek into the classroom. I think it would work, with the exception of having students publish their written work there. Photos would be great! I do think that, since Montessori kids are always writing reports on topics that interest them, that this makes sense as a way to publish.

• An informational report of a few paragraphs could be shared as a blog post.
• Short stories, and other creative writing, could be a post.
• A classroom newsletter: We tried to have a newsletter that the children wrote themselves a few years ago, and it was wonderful, and a great way to teach the writing process, but the files got to be HUGE and were hard to email. A blog could be nice for this! (My professor is right that, for some reason, publishing online makes the revision process more fun.)
• It would be a great way to publish poetry. Or speeches.
• Photos of artwork
• Photos of kids working in the classroom. Short videos of the classroom environment.

And, in terms of parent education, links to articles about alternative education, or great YouTube videos or websites. I love Sir Ken Robinson, for example! Also, if we DO show a video in the classroom (The Story of Stuff is one we did in Philosophy last year), to give parents access to that link means that they can watch it at home and then talk about it with their child.

Anthroposophy.org

Eastern Region events calendar

Central Region events calendar

Western Region events calendar

This is an amazing resource; definitely something to bookmark on your computer if you're interested in pursuing a study of anthroposophy further!

Waldorf Kindergarten Curriculum - Cheap!

When people are starting out with Waldorf they are often overwhelmed at the apparent cost of it all. If you are trying to implement a Waldorf kindy "curric" -- remember, a Waldorf kindy is simply trying to recreate the home environment -- and you have a tight budget, here's what I recommend:

• 1. FREE - Read The Education of the Child in the Light of Anthroposophy by Rudolf Steiner. This will explain WHY the kindergarten curriculum is the way it is. If you don't like what he has to say, stop here. Waldorf isn't a good fit for your family. May as well get that figured out right off the bat!

• 2. FREE - Join the Waldorf Today weekly newsletter. Join Suzanne Down's Juniper Tree Puppets monthly newsletter. Join Marsha Johnson's waldorfhomeeducators Yahoo group. She has a lot of helpful files and concrete advice.

• 3. FREE - Read back issues of the Waldorf Clearing House Newsletter -- a newsletter TO and FROM Waldorf teachers. Spring 1978 focused on preschool/kindy. What you'll find there is what you would find in any authentic Waldorf curriculum for that age. NO day to day specific suggestions. NO lesson plans.

4. If you want some more specific suggestions on what to do with your child, this is where I recommend some titles.


out of print - available used from $8.89



$23.50


$17.10

That comes to $50.00, not including shipping.

If you can go a little higher than that, and you want more support for creating rhythms (both daily rhythms and seasonal rhythms), I suggest adding on:

$13.18


$23.40

Rah, Rah, Radishes!

I'm taking the first course for my School Librarianship certification, Literature for Children.  This first assignment is to read 21-30 current (within the past four years) picture books and create annotations for them.  The annotation is the short blurb that makes you want to read the book but doesn't give away the ending.  It's a challenge for me to find recent books, because I tend to hang on to old favorites.  But, I have my pile and I'm ready to dive in!

Rah, Rah, Radishes!: A Vegetable Chant
by April Pulley Sayre

The first thing I thought of with this book is how cool it would be to do papermaking with vegetables with the kids (The Gourmet Paper Maker by Ellaraine Lockie comes to mind) and then have a special display in the library of great picture books about vegetables. Or, if you're a homeschooler, you could go to the library and ask the librarian for recommendations and check out a whole bunch of books.

Here's a start to a list like that; feel free to share!

More thoughts (and if I spend an hour being inspired by every book in my box, I'll never get my homework done in time...)

Her website is here: http://www.aprilsayre.com.

She also did a companion book on fruits called Go, Go, Grapes!: A Fruit Chant

This would be fun for older kids to go into art lessons like watercolor paintings or sketching veggies. We are doing a residency with a local artist as part of our Local Lunches cooking lessons where we photograph the produce and then will make oversized paintings that celebrate their colors and textures. This book is a great intro to a concept like that! Someone also does funny art where veggies are made into animals... I have to see if I can find it. Ah! Here it is.

Of course, then you could always go in the direction of Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo...

The Chisel-Tooth Tribe

Just updated the page on Class 4 with a great recommendation for a read-aloud for the Zoology MLB!

Wilfrid Swancourt Bronson also wrote lots of other well-researched and accessible books, including volumes on Cats, Goats, Coyotes, Grasshoppers, and Ants.

Painting with Children in Waldorf Schools

Fantastic Waldorf painting course available this summer that I thought I would pass along!

http://gallery.mailchimp.com/a0ce04e5a70babb8ef1330163/files/Painting_Course_Flyer_13_color.pdf

"An intensive course for Waldorf teachers and parents with Gail McManus"

Date:  August 12 - 17, 2013

Location:  The Arteum School of Painting in Ghent, NY 

Cost:  Tuition (including materials) is $450. Some tuition assistance may be available. 

Lodging: Assistance with lodging can be provided. Camping is also possible. 

Gluten-Free Playdough

GREAT recipe for gluten-free playdough from http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2012/09/gluten-free-playdough.html.

We made this in my classroom on Monday.  The pink color is perfect for Valentine's Day.  Smells yummy too.  Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Playdough
Ingredients:
½ cup of white rice flour
½ cup of cornstarch
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
½ cup of salt
2 teaspoons of oil
1 cup of water

1. In a small pot, combine the dry ingredients and give it a whisk. Add the water and oil, and whisk until smooth.
2. Put over low heat on the stove, and stir with a wooden spoon. It will slowly thicken and start pulling away from the sides of the pot. You know it’s done when you lift a large spoonful of the playdough and it doesn’t drip at all, but remains a firm ball. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Once cool enough to touch, you can knead in more starch or flour to firm it up, if necessary.

Keep well wrapped, and it will keep indefinitely.

To color:
Pink: Add three bags of raspberry tea to 1 cup of hot water. Brew for ten minutes. Use in place of the water in the recipe.