Changing Our World

"We're making a clay shop!"

"Look at our cabbage garden."

"We need some bark for our fairy house."

"Let's dig out more of this mud so we can make a Cheeser home."

Our kids were busy at work in the mild weather of this past week. They were reshaping the stream's flow, digging in the dirt, piling up rock walls, and gathering dried grasses to make brooms. When they are all engaged in this meaningful play, I wander and listen and am occasionally drawn into their play for a few moments. I'm always happy to be an audience to their discoveries, but it's even more satisfying when I get to just watch them at work.

Working with Phoebe, two of our students called the Animal Shelter of Schoharie to arrange a time to drop off the $400 they raised from their bake sale. Four of our students headed over there, met some of the animals, and were inspired to volunteer their time for the shelter. This kid inspired, kid run, kid accomplished project has been something to witness!

Morgan's PK and K Class

*worked on the letter "Ee"

*worked on the number 17 and the different ways to count to 17

*listened to songs and stories from Reggie Harris then worked on thank you cards for him

*planned out and made a Leprechaun trap

(no luck catching one....but he left some gold for the kid's hard work)

*enjoyed the nice weather!

The Civil Rights Movement and Reggie Harris

We were so honored to have Reggie Harris visit us at school this past week. He did a wonderful job of putting the Civil Right Movement in context. He helped take the children from slavery to the Underground Railroad to freedom to the fight for more freedom. For each step of this journey, he had a song to share. Reggie told the children that history is happening now, and we all have a role to play in its making. The children listened and sang, sending their voices out into the world.

In our afternoons, we have been talking about nonviolence and strategies to try to de-escalate a situation. We have worked to define racism and talk about what that can look like. We read As Fast as Words Could Fly, Child of the Civil Rights Movement, Nina: A Story of Nina Simone, and Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down. All of these books help us to appreciate how many different people worked for civil rights and the wide range of actions they engaged in (marching, sitting in, boycotting businesses and buses, being brave enough to help desegregate a school, singing, speaking). Some of our third through fifth graders have been wondering about the why's of slavery and segregation. I am so proud of the way they are grappling with these challenging ideas and thinking about the ways that they want to change the world to make it more fair.