Wednesday, August 15, 2018

gifts...

Today I am to proceed with clean up and planning for the school year in my classroom at the Clear Spring School.

Next week I'll lead a portion of our school teacher inservice. I will begin with a preview of portions of the History of Kindergarten film project, and then we will do a work-together woodworking project, making gifts 3 and 4 from wood to be used in various classrooms.  (boxes and blocks as shown) I hope to lead a discussion among staff of the importance of play, and some of Froebel's concepts, to give an overview of his philosophy and help our teachers understand how it fits our classrooms, today.

I believe we at the Clear Spring School have been on the right track for a long time. You can see a brief trailer for the Kindergarten History project here. https://youtu.be/cL7JL8Vr5cI

When my wife Jean and I were in Trondheim, Norway we visited the folk museum in which Kindergarten gifts were treasured and displayed as an important part of their heritage. Those gifts were made by craftsmen in the community for student use, shaping the character and intelligence of their kids. Perhaps with some further explanation, and with your help in sharing the story, we will return to education that values play and uses the child's natural inclination to learn and grow.

In my woodshop today I'll assemble the Arkansas Governor's Awards for Quality and prepare them for shipping.

Make, fix, create and insist that others have the chance to learn likewise.

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