Hahaha!
I can’t believe it has taken me a month to get back to my blog!
This bird has been flying through the sky of creation at warp speed...
weaving movement studies
building peace garlands
telling tales
creating an iMovie
connecting diverse images of art with curious students at the Glenbow Museum through the Open Minds School
helping grade 1 and 2s read
AND building DRAGONS!!!
What can I say? I love to be busy!!!
Ambrose University students (Education Faculty) got a taste of emotional mapping as I entertained them with a story and then taught them how to put their own story into motion!
I met some wonderful people who will make awesome teachers one day.
My peace seekers at The Montessori School of Calgary outdid themselves this term. With painstaking commitment they made handmade poppies and peace doves.
We attached them to strings and the garlands draped the entire playing space. The first thing the kids did was lie down on their backs in wonder at the sight!
Then, with devoted hearts, they unraveled their doves and filled our Peace Gathering with beautifully executed movements and words that defined what peace was to THEM! Oh my heart! They invited the audience to consider that “peace IS possible”. No one doubted them by the end of the performance.
Picture children from 3 to 8 years old standing in respectful silence. It was absolutely riveting!
You see, if we invite children in....look what they can accomplish!!!
I was presented with a beautiful tropical plant that is flourishing like the magical souls that gave them to me!
Returning to Dr. Gordon Townsend School felt like coming home. In a matter of minutes we had transformed a classroom into a big blue sky with landscape explorations from the ancient time.
Our collective work was augmented by concentrated story box explorations where inspired patterns and natural set ups marked the land before humankind.
Just another day in creative paradise! Right? I know! Life affirming!!!
Still shots of the discoveries were gathered, voice-overs edited and the students’ images for the Land Acknowledgement were summarized in an iMovie format! WOW! This will be shared at the next CBE Principals’ meeting! Whaaaat????? So cool!
But that’s not all! I returned with boxes transformed into dragon heads! Students embraced the character for our twisted fairy tale study with their own personal stamp!
Our shy but kind dragon preferred fish and lots of vegetables. Unlike his red meat eating counterpart that terrified the land, he loved to be around children. His breath smelled like candy. I can’t wait to see what kind of adventure the dragons will go on!
In my “spare time” I like to help children with their reading. I have been honoured to be a frequent visitor at James Memorial School where young students are delving into stories with such hunger to learn!
Glenbow Museum School with the Open Minds Program rocks!!! I am having such a blast sharing movement possibilities to help students make emotional and intellectual connections to the artwork and artifacts!
The transformative time at the museum has opened an entirely new world for me.
I promise I won’t take a month to let you know what is up but for now, I gotta keep spreading those wings and aiming toward the many possibilities before me!
Much love, Lana
It's genius connecting learning with deep, meaningful creative action. Children often best understand their good fortune weeks or months later when they still recall with rich feelings, the concepts taught by a master teacher in this way. So much more than a) b) c) d).