the rhythm of the machine vs. the rhythm of the body.

Rudolph J. Drillis' illustration of work tempo.

Yesterday I rented a log splitter for all day, whereas in the past, I had done the splitting of firewood to season for the next year by hand. Rudolph J. Drillis had done an interesting study of motion and rhythm in the human form, and there is very little about the hydraulic log splitter that conforms.

With my helper/friend Greg(from whom I learned a lot) and the splitter, and the tractor to haul logs, we made a day of it, and a chore that would have taken many hours (labor applied an hour or so a day over an extended period of time) was accomplished without injury.

There is pleasure to be found in the rhythmic exercise of the body. Some folks go to the gym for exercise, and some use tools and perform real labors. I try to do both.

Blog reader, former student and friend David Kings sent an article about the demise and destruction of Kindergarten, by Wendy Lecker called "The disturbing transformation of kindergarten."
The article notes:

"One of the most distressing characteristics of education reformers is that they are hyper-focused on how students perform, but they ignore how students learn. Nowhere is this misplaced emphasis more apparent, and more damaging, than in kindergarten."

I continue my work in making Kindergarten's gifts, hoping to reawaken an understanding of progressive education. The photo above is of gift number three used to create a beauty form. It is my hope that we take matters related to our children's educations into our own hands.

Make, fix, and create...