It’s Montessori Education Week! So to celebrate, this Wonder Wednesday activity is adapted from my book Wonder & Wander: An Early Childhood Nature Connection Guide. And of course what more favorite topic to focus on than nature journaling! I first began nature journaling with children in my own Montessori classroom, so I
“We are experiencing sublime conditions of horror, you know?” ~Erica Moiah James, an assistant professor in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Miami, founding director and chief curator of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. (citation) In light of the past week, this quote, and last month’s blog series
Floral and geometrics combine super powers in the turn-of-the-century art work of Stanisław Wyspiański. The turn of the 20th century that is! Self Portrait, (1869-1907) Today, the designers and trend forecasters call this blending of organics and geometrics “floral clash,” but this technique is anything but new. A quick search will reveal countless
Happy Wonder Wednesday 75! We’re in the home stretch of 2018, and as the days of the year and the length of daylight dwindle here in the northern hemisphere, it can be tough to squeeze nature time into the daylight hours. So to help you fit some creative nature time into the day, I created
Today, a respected colleague said how as teachers, it’s important to get students thinking about what they are doing rather than offering a “Just Add Water” experience. She said she appreciated how my approach to teaching was not “Just Add Water.” What a timely compliment in a world of quick fixes, sound bytes, and
School is out (or nearly out), summer is officially around the corner and I imagine everyone is ready for the nostalgia that summer brings –watermelon, ocean breezes, and bare feet. Summer is amazing. It affords us the time to explore ideas and projects that we put off during the school year. It also offers
Today 2/13, at 1pm est, I’m live on the Montessori Foundation Tuesday Webcast talking Bringing Nature from Home to School in the Elementary Years! This talk is the 4th I’ve done in their program “Montessori Family Life: A Series of Weekly Talks For Parents Tuesdays at 1 PM” It’s a short 30 chat
Did you miss the live webcast? Never fear! here’s the replay! Get lots of super fun ideas on making your holiday shopping season fun, stress free, nature centric, and good for both people and planet! Give the gifts that build creative nature connections and memories that last a lifetime. The gift of your time and
When you hear the term fractal patterns, what do you think of? Me, I think of scruffy Deadhead kids in my college art school dorm spacing out to VHS tapes of swirling shapes, while their minds entered “alternate dimensions” we’ll say. But actually there is a much more interesting side to fractals. They are found in spectacular
A couple weeks ago I was visiting my good friend in NYC. Her kids are nearly aging out of average playgrounds, but I had heard about a special spot on Governors Island. Riding the Ferry adds to the adventure! It’s an adventure playground – not your average swings and slides by any