Teacher Tuesday Week 22
~Ms. Andrea: Class 4
Why do I love Form Drawing? It is a beautiful exercise that gives so much to the student. It develops handwriting skills, special awareness, coordination, relaxation and a sense of security…and, it’s FUN!
Form Drawing is like a sport, as you move from one side of the paper to the other, zig-zagging, weaving, doing high jumps or low swoops as needed.
Form Drawing is like a dance, as you find that rhythm of over, under and back, moving the entire arm…and even the whole body for big outdoor or chalkboard exercises.
Form Drawing is like playing music, as the pencil drags across the paper, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. Listen to the sound of the form you are drawing, hear the rhythm of the form emerge.
Form Drawing is like a puzzle or brain teaser, as you figure out which way to go next, how it all fits together, and how to “solve” the form.
And, of course, Form Drawing is like a stunning work of art, as you stand back to admire the combination of your efforts and see an amazing drawing to proudly display.
I hope you give Form Drawing a place in your weekly rhythm, and enjoy this deeply rewarding experience!
Teacher Tuesday Week 21
~Ms. Jaia: Class 8
Artistic work, especially watercolor painting, has some miraculous curative properties. Spend some time truly lost in moving color around with your paintbrush, not caring about the outcome (that can be the tricky part!), and you will see what I mean.
Artistic work can also be curative in social units. In the classroom, when social discord became widespread, one of the tools that I used was social painting. Social painting is about building trusting relationships, and working together harmoniously, without having to talk about it. It’s about building community.
Social painting (or any other social artwork) means that several people (sometimes even a whole class!) work together on one artistic piece. You might have several children painting together on one paper, or you might take turns, passing the paper between each other. Most importantly, social painting emphasizes non-verbal communication! There should be no discussion once the activity begins. Allow the artistic work to do its magic.
Social painting can also be effective when things feel rocky in your home life. Perhaps you can tell that something is a bit “off” with your teenager, but trying to talk about it is met with dead ends. Perhaps your younger children cannot seem to play together without fighting over rules, or fairness. Give social painting a try!
There are many ways in which you can implement social painting with your family. Here are some ideas to help.
* If you are all painting on one painting paper, stick to 2-4 people.
* It is not about the outcome, it is about the process! Discuss this ahead of time. Some children (or adults) might become upset that someone “messed up” the painting. That’s part of the process for them. Don’t give up; try again on another day.
* The goal is to work together without communicating, except through sensing each other's artwork. Gesturing, talking, or any other communication about the artwork will shift the focus to thinking about the outcome. Allow the colors and forms to arise naturally between those that are working.
* Begin by filling the whole page with color(s). Don’t focus on form! Allow the “colors to play” and see what arises.
Here are some exercises that you can try:
* Choose a season to paint. Begin with the colors, not the forms! What colors represent the season?
* Choose a favorite poem, song, or verse to illustrate.
* Start with each person having their own painting board and paints. Sit a bit apart from each other, so that no one is influencing another’s work. Each person will paint a single color for an allotted amount of time (say 3 minutes). Then, pass your painting to the next person, and begin work on another’s painting. Once again, paint only a single color. Repeat this process until each painting is filled with color. Then, everyone should take back the painting that they started. Look at the forms that are arising out of the color, and, working with the colors, create a picture. The goal is to work with what is already on the page! Allow the form to arise out of the color. Don’t force it! Once again, this is about process, not the final product. (I have included a few examples of paintings that were done in this style.)
Teacher Tuesday Week 21
~Ms. Daniela: Class 3
Painting with children in the classroom is one of the many aspects of classwork that fills the room with a sense of sacred work while paintbrushes dance gracefully across the wet paper guiding the colors into forms in space. As the color is experienced through the feeling life; in the process of painting, the harmony between the colors and the feeling of inner well-being can be experienced. How far does the joyous yellow radiate? How safe does it feel to be surrounded by blue? How moving is it to see the brilliant green and a delicate purple and pink arise out of the colors that befriend each other?
We carefully choose the colors for the children to work with. For a period of time, we guide the children through painting exercises and experiences with only the pure primary colors available. They work to see the colors coming close together, befriending each other, dancing together, and in the process discover how the spectrum of colors comes to life as the pure colors mix. Later, we introduce premixed colors like green, violet, orange, brown, and so on. Soon, children are guided through exercises in painting gradations of various colors and all along they are learning to create a balance between water, pigment, and brush movements.
It is a great joy to see how these experiences reach into the feeling life of the child, yet, over the years open the windows towards a broad understanding of the world and the lawfulness that lives in nature.
We can write volumes on the topic of painting with children, but for today, I invite you to revel in the gifts this special work offers to the heart. Make time to paint with your children, and support them in creating time and space to be guided into the realm of color experiences through the realm of watercolor painting.
Teacher Tuesday Week 20
~Ms. Daniela: Class 1
Each week in our classes is woven together on a tapestry of stories. The power of storytelling is so expansive, yet, the inspiration and the capacity for storytelling live in all of us. Children reap so much from the storytelling moments that expand their capacities for imagination and visualization, but the gift of storytelling is much more than that. Stories offer soul nourishment to all of us, regardless of our age. As children, we revel in the imagery and collect the seeds of understanding and interest in the world which might sprout many years in the future. As adults, in stories, we find within ourselves gems of inspiration and encouragement or reminders of long-lost knowledge. As parents, we can find courage and insights toward deepening the family experiences for us and our children. As grandparents, we will be invited to share the stories seemingly ancient to the youngest members of our families, but also to listen to the stories they will invent and need an eager listener to share with.
While storytelling in the classroom is filled with the gifts that weave together the learning experiences, at home its gifts can multiply and reach our hearts as we find moments of connection and profound moments of pondering, learning, teaching, and inspiring each other.
At Seasons of Seven, the special setting created for the school journey connects not only teachers and students but also teachers, students, parents, and siblings; opens the path for the gifts of storytelling to exponentially multiply as families have many opportunities to connect in the story -telling or -listening together every week.
We would love to share the gift of storytelling with you, too.
Returning Family Enrollment is Open
Teacher Tuesday Week 23
~Ms. Maggie: Handwork
