Class Engaged!

Today, I had the honor and pleasure to be invited to give a Zentangle lesson at a local elementary school by a friend and neighbor who teaches there.  She had taken my very first Zentangle class a few weeks ago and wanted to share it with her fifth graders.  This was the perfect time, as school is winding down and kids are getting antsy to be indoors.

And it went wonderfully well.


I gave them each a kit with tiles, a pen, pencil, and a special Zentangle bookmark.  And then I began drawing on my easel.

We started with the word "Zentangle"--a combination of Zen (which refers to Japanese meditation--I didn't mention Buddhism) and art, or a tangle of lines.  Zentangle drawing is an art in which you can elicit meditative feelings of calm and focus by creating repetitive patterns in beautiful works of art.

I started with some questions:
Have you ever felt angry, sad, scared, nervous, tired, bored, frustrated?  How did your body feel when you felt those emotions?  How is it different when you are happy or satisfied or excited?  I told them that meditation was a way to transcend some of those emotions, especially the negative ones, a way to rest and calm their bodies and minds--by using their breath!  Everyone breathes, you can do it anywhere, without any supplies, like when you're tired of waiting in line or scared to go into the doctor's office.  And so we tried a short breath meditation--in through your nose, out through your mouth.  Feel the change in temperature, the breath over your lips, the rise and fall of your chest.  A few of them giggled, some huffed and snorted and sighed, but they tried it for several moments.   I tried to stay away from cliches like "being grounded" and "center yourself."

And then we started.  They pulled out their kits, with the tiles, pen, pencil, and bookmark.   I worked through the steps at my post-it flip pad and easel (with big black marker and gray shading marker)--gratitude and appreciation, corner dots, border, string, tangle shade, initial and sign, and appreciate again--while they followed along on their tiles.  We did a pretty typical first tile--z-shaped tile with basic strings crescent moon, hollibaugh, florz, and printemps.  I told them about a lot of variations (which only make sense if you know Zentangle)--drawing squiggles or loops in their borders, putting dots between auras in crescent moon, shading the spaces behind the lines in hollibaugh, shading the lines of hollibaugh, putting dots in the spaces behind the lines of hollibaugh, drawing printemps or crescent moons in the spaces of hollibaugh, putting other shapes at the intersections of florz, making big and little spirals in printemps, connecting the lines of hollibaugh to the lines of florz, putting a few printemps in the spaces of hollibaugh or florz.  Several of the kids gave the variations a try.  It's a lot like the first tile I ever did in my own first Zentangle class last year on retreat.  While they drew, I kept a somewhat constant Zentangle narrative going, while I walked around the room:

• If they can write "iSCO," they can do most of the strokes in Zentangle patterns
• No eraser = no mistakes (but, just in case, I pretended to mess up and then showed them Bronx Cheer to cover it  up)
• What does a "hollibaugh" really look like?  Nobody knows!  There is no right or real in Zentangle.    The names are non-descriptive, just a way to give us a shorthand for talking about the art and to each other
• Shade as part of the design (not trying to create consistent internal light source)
• Look at tile at arm's length
• Turn it around to look at it from several angles--no right side up!
• Go your own pace
• Everyone is different so make it your own
• Go back to your breath meditation if you get frustrated
• Borders are made to be crossed
• Lines don't have to be straight 

While they finished up their first tile and placed it on my tablecloth for the class mosaic, I  showed them the Apprentice video chapter 6 of Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas talking about how they were inspired to create the steps of Zentangle.  I then explained that Maria and Rick didn't invent patterns (those are everywhere--in nature and human-made items), that they came up with the list of steps to access meditation through art.  We looked at the class mosaic and saw how the tiles were all different, all creative and all individual--with same instructions!  Then I distributed Apprentice letter to parents and announced that they were all Zentangle Apprentices.  Harkening back to the beginning, I asked them how they felt now.  "Good," they yelled.  I told them they could tap into this feeling, creativity, and beauty whenever they needed or wanted to.

      

I was there about an hour and they were so focused, curious, and excited.  I even gave them two extra tangles (zander and pokeroot) because they wanted to learn more, even though I had to rush them.  I pointed to the tangled border of their Apprentice letter to parents and said there were so many patterns--they could even make up some!  (If they'd name them after me.)

I was surprised with how hesitant they already were at 10 - 11 years old to make a mistake; most of them admitted being very hesitant when looking at a blank piece of paper and asked to create something.  But once we got the dots, borders, and strings on the tiles, they settled in.  Still, at each step, they wanted reassurance that they weren't "wrong" and that their designs were "good."  Both the teacher and I kept reiterating that there were no mistakes, that they made the creative choices, that different was okay.  Even still, at the end, a couple of students wouldn't join their tiles to the mosaic. 

But they begged the teacher to do more Zentangle patterns.  I left the Apprentice DVD with the teacher and two extra tiles for each kid (plus some extra pens in case some broke.)  I told them they could look up Zentangle online and find all kinds of patterns, that they could make greeting cards or pencil cases or whatever they wanted.  The teacher said it was the most focused her class had ever been all year.

Maybe next year, we should offer the lesson in the beginning of the year, and then the teacher can introduce new tangles as they go and the students can add them to projects at Valentine's Day or Mother's Day; they can tangle when they are anxious about a test or done with their work.  I know I would have loved it when I was a student, just like these kids did.  Just like I love it now.

The Show Went On

I can't even put the wonderful experience of the weekend into words.  The kids' elementary school musical was phenomenal!

Well, for an elementary school production.  But I'm a proud mommy and I thought it was marvelous.

Way back in January, they had been nervous about auditioning for the show, even though everyone gets a part.  Still, standing up and singing in front of people is very intimidating.  But they did it and both got into the ensemble.  Bud had a callback and had hoped for a small speaking part.  Instead, he became one of the dancers.

For months they practiced every week.  Hours.  The last week, they rehearsed until 8 pm on Tuesday, 6 pm on Wednesday, and 9:15 on Thursday.  And behind the scenes, many parents were busy.  I stepped in to coordinate the healthy snacks for the performers during the show (the last person left no notes and, of course, I wasn't involved last year so it was a steep learning curve all the way through the weekend.)  Mama served as a backstage runner/stage door manager so someone else could see the show on Saturday.  I bought make up, found the right shoes, filled out forms to buy t-shirts and DVDs, and designed our congratulatory ads for the program.  We did a lot of driving back and forth.  Other parents spent everyday at the rehearsals and nights making sets and costumes and props.  So much hard work by so many dedicated and enthusiastic people.

We were all atwitter on Friday for the hour or so between their arriving home on the bus and their needing to be back at school.  It was a long wait for all of us.  Finally we got the kids freshly showered and deodorized (imagine 80+ sweaty kids without deodorant under hot lights with no air conditioning in rooms together.)  I got the snacks and paper goods into the car.  Off we went.

After getting them where they need to be and setting up the snacks in the cafeteria, Mama and I took our seats for the first show.  So excited for them, so nervous for them.

And they both shined!  Lit up the stage!  What can I say?  I only watched them.  Sis was in a flowery dress with a pink bow on her head.  Being shorter than almost everyone else, she looked about five years old.  Sweet and cute.  She doesn't like dresses, being "sweet" or "cute, though she likes pink but not bows.  We told her she was a great actress to pull off the role!  Bud started in a dark suit with a cap, then removed the jacket to show his suspenders and hiked his pants like knickers (with this handy little elastic thing.)  Later, he'd put on a band uniform.  And he danced and danced with great expression and joy.  Of course, I got all teary.

We saw them perform twice--Friday and Sunday--and spent Saturday helping backstage.  The kids got into costume, then went into hair and make up, and then waited in the cafeteria for their various cues.  They ate fresh fruit and veggies, had lots of water, and talked relatively quietly with their friends.  Sis played UNO and read.  Bud ate lots of fruit.

After each show, we went out, mainly to a late supper at a local place.  Just like real Broadway stars!  They told stories with their friends, wolfed down fries and shakes, sang songs together, gave one another back rubs, and signed each other's special shirts.  The adults sat, ate, and marveled at the kids' energy.  Bud especially talked and talked about the whole thing; I wish I could remember everything he enthused about.  (If I do, I'll insert it here.)

And then it ended much more suddenly than it all began.  Three days, three performance, the end of the show and the weekend.  But we all made a lifetime of great memories and, I think, awakened a little bit of the performing bug in each of them.

I'm glad they have one more year in elementary school so they can do it all again.

Special Day

It's the end of an era as I know it:  I just gave the last official school tour at the historic house for my own kiddos!  Two years ago, I conducted an in-class visit at school and then led their class around house, talking about daily life in the colonial era (I think we strung up dried apples--it was before we changed that to making butter.)  Today, we talked about the Revolutionary War using both the house and My Brother Sam is Dead, a book they read about two brothers in Connecticut.  Their class is so bright, curious, enthusiastic, and chatty group--I veered off track several times (usually when they asked a question.)  But we had fun.  It hadn't started to rain yet, so they were able to play Graces and other games outside, plus the stenciling, paper cutting (papyrotamia), and seed packet activities we have.

A funny thing happened on the way to the tour.  I was picking up lunches for Sis and Bud at the deli and talking to the "deli lady" about butter, which she was scooping out.  A voice behind me said to me, "Don't you make that yourself?"  See, I was in costume.  I replied, "I definitely know how to--and I'll be doing that in about an hour!"  Okay, so that's the third grade tour in the fall, but he didn't know that.  Usually people just ignore my full colonial garb when I go to the deli or the coffeeshop or pizza place on tour days.  Nice to be noticed for a change.

Especially on this special day.

A Bee in My Bonnet

Yesterday was the 5th-grade spelling bee at the kiddos' school.  And they were two of the 12 or so kids to compete, having scored highest in the grade on the qualifying test.  They weren't terribly enthusiastic about it, didn't obsessively study or anything.

And I was a nervous wreck.

But there we all were yesterday--the contestants, the whole 5th grade, the parents, and several teachers and staff.  I realized quite quickly--actually, I knew it from my own elementary school class spelling bees--that these contests were as much about mastering your nerves as the English language. And so it proved.  The majority of the children (most of whom I know, being in the accelerated class with the kiddos) could spell the words they went out on.  They rushed or got lost in the middle or misspoke without realizing it.  Ugh.  Agonizing to watch, even after our two were eliminated.  Perhaps especially as it got closer to the end with four really confident and competent spellers.

And then, one by one, they went down and there was a winner.  And I think the majority of us were glad it was over.

I mean, really, when do you ever need to spell a word aloud?  Seriously, we're hardly responsible for our own spelling at any point because of autocorrect.  It's an old-timey skill that we still encourage in kids, despite the lack of necessity.  Interestingly, Mama's European coworkers say there aren't, for instance, German spelling bees (is that because their spelling makes sense??).   That said, the real skills--mastering a body of knowledge, keeping your cool under pressure, being a good sport even after you've lost--are very important.  And ones that I definitely believe should be encouraged.

I just don't need to watch it in real time.  I've already suggested they throw next year's qualifying test. But both said it was fun and that they'd be glad to do it again!

Fall Fun: A Mystical, Magical Weekend, Part I

What a weekend we had!  I'm going to post in two parts, as it is very dense with photos and texts and fun.

Friday:
On Friday evening, our school hosted it's annual Halloween festivities, this year outside as "Trunk or Treat."  Various parents volunteer to decorate their cars and pass out candy; there are also games and a bake sale.  We were there right at opening time--Sis as Black Widow and Bud as Link  (from videogame Zelda)--because experience has taught us that the check-in line gets long quickly.  The kids had 30 tickets for visiting the cars (this prevents multiple visits and un-registered visitors) and some tickets for games and such.  And I let them go . . . . they wandered around the school parking lot with friends, while I wandered around with the other adults.  It was chilly but not the worst we've had (one year it was cold AND so windy that we lasted about 15 minutes, enough time for the kids to make one circuit.)  There were lots of cool costumes--'50s waitresses, (too many) zombies, Katniss, various witches and princesses, a cute Barney, a chunky mouse, My Little Pony.   It was a great way to kick off our Halloween season.  Only one more year of this--I'm going to miss it.

Saturday, through the afternoon:
After our usual kung fu and ice skating, we took off for annual visit to the faerie houses at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme (see 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009.  We've gone every year (except when they took a hiatus for a scarecrow exhibition, 2010) since it began.  It's one of our favorite family traditions and permeates our fall and spring as we make our own faerie houses.  This year the theme was Whimsical Castles.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Merida's castle tower and standing stones, one of my favorites.

Hagrid's hut

Hobbit hole

Not a faerie house, obviously, just a colorful handprint on a tree from some other program.

As usual, I like doors and gateways, especially those set in trees.

  

  

And I preferred the more natural-looking houses to the ones made of painted plywood, found objects,  etc.  In fact, the bright green Oz and gold Thai palace, among others, seemed out of place.  

  

 As usual, the kids' favorite part was finding the hidden object in each castle--Merida's quiver (or was it her bow?), the Sword in the Stone, the little bear--some were much easier than others.  (But at least they were all there; one year, we looked and looked for a hidden object, only to learn later that i had been missing for days!)  It wasn't too crowded and the people there were friendly and well-behaved (one year, we kept coming across children who were touching and moving and even breaking things, without any hindrance from parents.  This drives me to distraction.)  It was another great faerie house year.

We had a little time before our dinner reservations so we took the kiddos to the Stonington Lighthouse Museum.  It's a mid-19th-century stone house light, with an easy 29-spiral step tower.  I think it was the kiddos first lighthouse climb!  And they really enjoyed the visit.  Besides the tower, we looked at the various exhibits, including the cistern uncovered below (visible through glass in the floor), antique doll's house, map of lights on Long Island Sound, and other local historical objects.    There was also a fourth-order Fresnel lens, like the one which would have been in the tower.  The kids were pretty amazed that the lighthouse keeper would've climbed the spiral steps and even gone out on the ledge around the light to clean the windows--it was high and narrow, without much of a rail.  Even though you can't even go out on the ledge anymore, I went downstairs before everyone else, a little nervous for the height.

After the museum, we headed for dinner in Mystic, to a seafood place on the river.   The view (nothing like fall colors and white houses lining the water, typical New England) was great, the food just as good.   We could even see the ship where we were having our Girl Scout overnight in the distance.  We supped on pumpkin soup, clam chowder, a seafood pasta, buttered fish, and oysters, with a delicious tres leche cake for dessert.  I was a little edgy--having been the person to organize the trip and the responsible person during the overnight--and kept checking the time (besides, I'm recognizing how anxious I am on a regular basis, but that's another post.)  I couldn't be late after I emailed the troop to be on time!  But we managed to finish dinner and even take a few pictures along the river before heading a few miles down the road to Mystic Seaport . . . .  and then it was time for the big part of our weekend to start.

Hot Topic

It was not a great school day.  For various and sundry reasons that I won't delve into here, there was confusion about school dismissal today and policies regarding excessive heat warnings.  See, today was the hottest Sept. 8th since 1919 in the area; Central Park hit 97F and we were above 92F something (heat index over 100F.)  Now, they might not seem like much to my Texas readers, but recall:  neither our schools nor our buses are air-conditioned.  Inside today, temperatures reached over 100 degrees, with just small windows open and inadequate metal fans.  These are schools built for winter--my kids can wear short sleeves all winter long without being cold.

So, after much brouhaha, they were dismissed early and home by 1 p.m.  They had ice cream, air-conditioning, and mostly just sat around wilted, reading.  But at least they weren't nauseous like they were last week in slightly cooler temps.

The Superintendent thinks there will be school tomorrow, though I think that is foolhardy--the schools will stew overnight and the humidity will be even higher tomorrow.  If it is, I will go fetch them around lunchtime.  Because, regardless, no one will be learning if it's that hot.

School Report

The first two days of school have gone as well as the first two days of school could go, which for us means pretty well.  It's crazy-hot in the schools, which are un-air-conditioned, but the temps will break some this weekend.  The kids have connected with their friends (both classmates and bus mates) and teachers and have nothing to complain about.  Well, except that time has been taken off recess and put to math instruction time.  Only 15 or 20 minutes of moving in an 8-hour day.  On the up side, they have PE twice this year!  Which means on those days they'll get to move twice.

Otherwise, they have Spanish, art, music, and library, plus reading, writing, science, math, and social studies.  I think library includes computer skills sometimes.

And the all-important lunch.

But now for a three-day weekend of sleep, snacks, cats, and video games.  There will be two more holidays in each of the next two weeks, for the Jewish High Holidays.  So we're getting off to a measured start this year, which is just fine.

Have a good weekend!

Another First Day

The kids are off for the first day of fifth grade.  It was a pretty calm event, all things considered, but, then, I calculate that it is our eighth first day of school.  We had our usual special poster, which this year is written in Gallifreyan from "Doctor Who"; last year's Elvish was very popular.  We also had our traditional Schultute, which are German cones given on the first day with goodies inside (a little candy, some tickets for screen time)--I started this their first year of pre-school, after seeing it in a magazine; they even said a couple of days ago that they hoped they were getting their usual cornucopia.  Mama made special omelets, to order, with bell peppers for Bud, ham for Sis.  The kids were so giddy about the first day that they were outside before the middle school bus left!  This gave us plenty of time for the traditional photos as we waited for the bus.  Soon our usual bus mates arrived; we'll have one more afternoon bus mate, the new kindergartener across the street.  While we stood there with our friends, a doe and her two fawns walked down the street and later through our yard.  So close we could even see their spots.  Quite a sight! 

The house is now very quiet.  The cats don't quite know what to do with themselves, though they'll figure it out quickly.  I have a full's day worth of things to catch up on, maybe even a few days!  Girl Scout paperwork, delayed doctor's appointments (just the usual annual stuff), some church RE work, an event at the historic house.  But for right now, I'm drinking rose tea out of my Jane Austen mug while blogging and watching "Midsomer Murders."

And it's so quiet.

Last Day of Summer

Tonight is our last summer's eve; tomorrow is our last day of summer.  We are pretty much living in limbo now--all of our summer activities are over and all of our school prep is over, too.  We're just waiting.

There isn't much anxiety here this year, mainly, I think, because they are returning to the same classroom, same teachers, same classmates, together.  Otherwise, a lot of the moms in town and online seem anxious, perhaps even more so, this year.  Anxiety about teachers, classmates, lunches, uniform, bus stops and schedule.  Just a lot of anxiety. It can be so hard. This makes Buddhist priest and author Karen Maezen Miller's comment on FB, "Parents, you are overthinking it" all the more timely.

I'm doing my own overthinking--I have long lists of possible breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners--what they'll eat this year (which is always a smaller list than the year before.)  And I've remembered to get at least some of these things for when I pack lunch day after tomorrow!

And I'm looking forward to the structure of school, for all of us, probably thinking it will create more positive changes than it actually will.  More regular bedtime, regular meals together, more help with household chores.  I've let a lot of things slide this summer.  For example, these last three days of summer?  Unlimited screentime here.  Movies, tv, whatever computer games or programming.  And you know what?  They are getting along and loving it.  And it's easier for me than policing them.  Why not let them do what they like most these last few days, especially as I heavily restrict it in the school week?  Besides, we did a few things these last few days--we made brownies for the teacher luncheon yesterday and delivered them, and then today had a long playdate at a friend's house; tomorrow, we have piano.  And as you know, we had a pretty big list of Summer Fun that we worked on--I'll have to do a final check.

Soon enough we'll be consumed by kung fu, piano, homework, Girl Scouts, ice skating, book club, church Sunday school, alarm clocks, church and all the like.  But for now, it's hot and we're hiding inside, lollygagging.  Which is a pretty fine thing the last few days of summer.

Countdown

Just a couple of weeks until school.

We have the uniforms; we have many of the supplies.

We're trying to remember to fill in reading logs and do some math.

Now, we're trying to get the house in fall order.  I know people spring clean; we school clean.

This year, that includes a new armoire for Sis (whose room doesn't have a closet.)  The small, three-drawer dresser we got for the nursery just doesn't work anymore.  And so we're moving things around to accommodate it.  The nursery dresser is nice, but we're not sure where to put it now.

Soon, we'll tackle some items in Bud's room, to give him more space--see, he has a closet, but it is filled with stuff from Mama and me.  Which means purging and relocating.

Fun, fun, fun.

We'll be having some fun, too, these last two weeks, but our minds are already half on school.