BSM ~ Rainboots

One of the things I love about running my little program out of my home, is we can go with the flow. We hung out on the covered patio for quite some time, and enjoyed the crisp weather this morning. It rained throughout the evening and in the early morning and the children wanted to stomp in the puddles with their rainboots. That is after all, what they're for, right?



For more Best Shot Monday images, hop on over to Tracey's at Mother May I.

My Official Name and Logo (and Website too!)

Here it is. My logo.



And my preschool's official name. Terra Luz.
Terra = Earth [Latin]
Luz = Light [Spanish]

Coming up with an official name for my program took what seemed like forever, but it had to be perfect. The name had to have *meaning* for me and I wanted to show that my program is a non-traditional one. After brainstorming with friends and family, it hit me. Terra Luz.

The logo was created by the talented Mark Anderson. I love how the logo evolved and I'm relieved that Mark was able to get inside my brain and create the vision I had. And he did it beautifully. The sprouting tree is young and playful, and will grow like the children who I work with now and will work with in the future. The circle gives the feeling of cohesiveness and of closeness which I have with the children and the families of my program. The sun is beautiful because embedded in it, is the moon and evokes the rhythm of nature. The circle is not closed, shows that this is a place for *open-mindedness* and allows for flow. I also think the opening resembles an arm beckoning one to come in and play.

I would like to share this clip from a Reggio-inspired school. I posted this on my private blog, but thought it was worth sharing here. Now, if I can only find property to expand and move my program offsite. If you want to take a peek at my website [that the talented Kiwe of the O'Mamas put together], you can check it out here.

This is my *why*.
Enjoy!

MIA?

Hello Blog,

I know you've never gone THIS long without hearing from me. You see, I've been swamped, and I mean CONSUMED with working on my business plan for my escuelita. Feels like a rollercoaster over here.

I even have proof. This is what my study has turned into.
A huge room of gigantic Post It Notes. And the giant dry erase board you can't even see, has been written on and erased about 50 times with our brain dumps.



When I return though, I will be sharing something really cool. Stayed tuned!

Black and White

I just realized I'm on a B&W photo trend here with my posts lately.
This is from our art exploration today, which was Black and White painting.
Who knew these two colors would be so fun to work with?

Stillness and Shadows

Yoga Naiya

Yes, you guessed it. The tots of Casa T. are reaping the benefits of children's yoga with Krista a seasoned and certified yoga kids teacher. It was awesome. She will be visting the house once and week, and I, like the kiddies, cannot wait for our next class.

Posted several photos on my Casa T. blog, but wanted to share some of the goodies over here too.

Affirmation

This week I returned from some training with the staff of the about to be opened Olive Tree preschool in South Austin (and oh, what a gorgeous school it is!). Even though I'm not employed there, but rather, run a small Reggian-inspired program out of my home on the other side of town, I was grateful that the owner extended the invitation for me to attend, and am so very pleased with the alliance we've built.

The week was refreshing, and even a bit emotional for me (for many of us actually) as it solidified and confirmed my reasons for doing what I do with my Casa T program. When I first learned about Reggio, I was drawn to it because of its untraditional philosophy.

As a former public school teacher, and a parent of two teens (one with 'special rights'), I've seen first-hand how the educational system in our country has become increasingly standardized and structured. This is a sharp contrast to that of the Reggio approach because this approach is unstructured and focuses more on each child's individual needs. The curriculum is designed around the child, instead of the child needing to be ready for the curriculum.

In an article written by Tess Bennett, an early childhood special education professional, she describes her observations during her visit to the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and discussed how the Reggio schools work with children with 'special rights' in a very responsive way.

"For example, one child with autism was allowed to roam around the school for several months while the teachers observed her to find out what was interesting and motivating for her. The staff noticed the child was interested in light. They began to offer her opportunities to experiment with light, and eventually she started to interact with another child at the light table. Continuing the interest in light, the child with special rights interacted with another child while experimenting with a prism. Reggio Emilia staff believe in starting with all children "where they are." This strategy requires knowing the child well and having good communication with the child's family about the child's interests. The Reggio Emilia staff believe that finding out what motivates a child is worth more than hundreds of meaningless exercises."

When I read this, I began to cry. If only this had been a resource for my own child when he was young, instead of the many standardized tests that decide a child's educational abilities, that are so prevalent in our school system. Yes, he has survived--I like to say he's persevered--but it has been a very bumpy road, and one I would have rather he not have traveled on.

I do want to add that observation is not only used extensively for children with special rights, but for ALL children, in order to gain insight into the child's thinking process and understanding the self.

We concluded our training with making of dreamboards to represent what we want to see in our school (and for me, in my inhome program). We had a very short time, but I managed to find words and images that spoke to me.









I love how her board below, flows off the paper. This gal thinks outside the box.





Mine

Bird Binoculars and The Beatles

My two favorite shots from Casa T this week.





Yep, we even jammed to some Beatles, inspired by one of the children's shirt.

Simple Joys of Childhood

...and why I love my job.



Being able to lay down outside, on a beautiful Thursday morning, and just listen with the children...for several minutes, to the many things we hear in nature.

This is just a glimpse of what my days encompass.

*Thank you to Mama Tanya for telling me about this idea.

Pure Sweetness

An image I fell in love with this week.
From Casa T.

A Dormir, Querida

For you, Tanya

Squirrels by Domi

Just wanted to share the blackboard drawing Domi made for the Casa T. kiddies.
This week, the focus is on Squirrels and Nuts, and my darling did the honor of sketching our weekly blackboard drawing (in about 2 minutes).
Isn't he the sweetest?



Fellow O'Mamas (and other friends and family members): If you wish to be added to view the Casa T. blog, let me know, and I'll add you as a reader.

Curls and Freckles

Had to share this darling shot of Lulu. She came back today after her summer break and returned with longer curls, new freckles, and a boatload of new words. I could not be happier, as I missed her dearly.

BTW, I've created a separate blog dedicated to the kids and activities of Casa T., so I will no longer be posting those images and posts on my personal blog. Unless there are some shots I absolutely HAVE to share, I will. Or if you're one of my friends, and you'd like to continue to read about what we're doing, shoot me an email, and I'll add you as a reader.

A MidSummer Workshop

Today we had a chance of pace at Casa T. L's mama had a workshop so she got to come over to play and brought her big sister! It's amazing what we got done with an older one around and I was diggin' this multi age thing with a 4 year old. We went on a nature walk, make suncatchers, created art with watercolors and acrylic, swung in the hammock, had water fun, assembled puzzles (that had 24+ pieces) read tons of books, and acted out a fairy tale. It was great because I had a little assistant help me fill the trays with water for watercoloring, help gather botanicals on our nature walk, help push Sophia in the hammock swing, and help me clean up. It was a fun filled day and makes me happy knowing that what I do brings much joy to little ones hearts.

Best Shot Monday ~ Prosper

Received these lovely tulips from mama Andrea and her lil' man on his last day at Casa T since I'm closing for the summer and he'll be starting at a new school this week. Like this tulip, he was once a small seedling waiting to grow. He soaked up all the food I gave him, and has now blossomed into a vibrant and bold flower. And I hope I have helped provide him the strong roots to continue to discover and be creative as he continues to flourish and evolve.






For more Best Shot Monday images, visit Mother May I.

Fun Friday ~ Scissors, Fingerpaints and Water Fun

This was their first time working with scissors at my casa and with some guidance (and lots of modeling), they began to catch on!
The gluesticks are another story. ;)







It aint Fun Friday without bustin' out with the fingerpaints.




Water play and paint rinse off.

The Birth of a Butterfly

L's mama brought over some butterfly larvae from her classroom. I was pessimistic as two previous attempts were unsuccessful, but alas, we got a butterfly! The red liquid you see on the bottom of the house is called meconium. It’s the left-over color and unneeded tissues from the butterfly’s wing formation.

We did a release almost immediately. They only live for a couple weeks after their birth, so I figured the sooner, the better.

Fun-Friday at Casa T.

It's Friday! It's Friday!
Parachutes and Body Art.

Playclay

Making Baker's Clay is super easy and the tots helped with each step.

Flour, Salt, and H2o is all that is needed.


They were SO excited about this!


Mixing in ingredients




Stirring



I had to go back and do some strong kneading for several mintues to get the clay ready for play.

Exploring, poking, rolling, flattening...


You can't have playclay without breaking out the cookie cutters!






Then we began printmaking with leaves.






And even make a few lil' animals.



Was testing to see if I could use this playclay for an upcoming art playdate I'm hosting with the O'Mamas
'art-group'. These turned out, however, I think we're still going to try the Scupley just so we can get a more smooth finish with the artwork.