A Kandinsky Painting – At Last!

Posted on February 17, 2024 by Jennie

I love art.  It feeds my soul.  It makes me think.  Art is a joy, and I share that with my preschool class- all the time.  Young children soak up art; they are naturally drawn to the visual ‘show’, and they want to make art.  The best part – they are not encumbered by ‘can I’ or ‘can’t I’, they eagerly jump in with both feet.  We can all take a lesson from children.

Last weekend I visited the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

Dartmouth College is lovely, old mixed with new, in an old New England town.

What happened at the Hood Museum was monumental for me.  Of course there’s a backstory – the Eric Carle Museum.   One of my first visits to the museum I learned about Eric Carle’s life and how he came into art.  He was born in Germany, moved to the United States as a child, and the family returned to Germany in the mid-1930’s.  Terrible timing with the Nazis and WWII.  Carle had an art teacher in high school who recognized his talent.  His teacher also risked his life to show Carle modern art – ‘forbidden art‘ – the paintings of five artists:

Matisse, Picasso, Klee, Marc, and Kandinsky

These are the artists who transformed Carle’s art.  These are also the artists who drive my annual Art Show every April for the community.  Children love ‘The Three Musicians’ by Picasso, ‘Large Blue Horses’ by Marc, ‘The Snail’ by Matisse, and anything by Kandinsky.  Did you know he saw and felt colors when he heard music?  Isn’t that wonderful?  Children understand, and I introduce classical music to inspire their art – like Kandinsky.

One of my favorite children’s books

Every time I visit an art museum, big or small, I ask if they have a Kandinsky.  Nope, not even the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.  When I walked into the Hood Museum last weekend, there was a Kandinsky.  I was overcome.  “Are you okay Jennie?” was all I heard.

Screenshot

I can’t wait to introduce this painting to children next month as we prepare for the Art Show.  Telling them ‘I was there’ will be a big deal.  I wonder if a child will want to recreate this painting.  In the meantime, I am enjoying the memories of seeing a Kandinsky.  I need a cup of coffee from my favorite mug.


Jennie

Posted in art, Eric Carle, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, museums, Teaching young children, The Arts, wonder | Tagged , , , , , | 90 Comments

“Look!”

Posted on February 14, 2024 by Jennie

“Look!
Come here and look at the sky.”
Children rushed to the top of the playground.
I pointed to the sky.

There was silence, genuine awe.
Nature does that, you know.

“What is that?”
“Pink cloud beams?”
“Cloud rays of pink?”
“How did that happen?”
“It’s so beautiful!”

“Joy in looking and comprehending
is nature’s most beautiful gift.”
~Albert Einstein~

Jennie

Posted in art, Einstein, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, Mother Nature, Nature, Quotes, Teaching young children, wonder | Tagged , , | 64 Comments

The Story of Emma (and ‘Ariel’)

Posted on February 6, 2024 by Jennie

Some students stick with you, and some stick with you like glue.  That would be Emma.  This is the story of Emma, a child who thrived in the Aqua Room, and returned on occasion to visit.  Her journey is heartwarming and remarkable.

I always begin the school year reading aloud Charlotte’s Web.  Emma loved listening to me read the chapters.  When Halloween arrived, she convinced her grandmother to make a Charlotte costume for her, and a Wilbur costume for her little brother.


Yes, Emma loved books.  She also adored Gloria.  Her entries in Gloria’s journal are priceless.


My favorite is Emma taking Gloria to the Boston Opera House
to see ‘Cinderella’.  Of course she is wearing a crown!


A few years later Emma returned to be a guest reader.  She had learned to read, and wanted to read aloud the book she remembered hearing every day before chapter reading, Goodnight Moon.

Look at that big smile!

As the years went by, Emma visited on occasion.  We laughed, hugged, ran around on the playground, and talked about school, books, and a million other things.  Her visits were not frequent, but they were always delightful.  I could tell Emma was ‘cementing’ the personality and characteristics I had always seen when she was a child.

Recently, Emma’s mom invited me to the school drama production of “The Little Mermaid, Jr.”  Yes, Emma was Ariel, the star of the play.  I was beside myself with excitement!

And there she was, on stage, singing like an angel with poise, presence and confidence.  I was very proud, and quite overcome.

Parents see their children grow into young adults every day.  Teachers see their students grow into young adults in bits and pieces over time, if they are lucky enough to keep in touch.  When I saw Emma on stage, I think I was more startled, more overwhelmed in the best of ways, than her parents.

It gets better…

When you’re the teacher saying words like “You were wonderful”, those words are often far more powerful than the same words from a parent.  So, after the show I had my opportunity.  Ariel was there for any child in the audience who wanted to meet and greet her.  You can imagine the long line.  In the back of the line was…me.  I dropped to my knee to tell  her how wonderful she was.

Emma’s chin quivered.  Really.  She didn’t know I was there to watch the drama production.  I grabbed her hands and we squeezed like holding on could stop time and save the moment.

“Ariel, will you come to the Aqua Room
and sing to the children?”

She said , “Yes!”

We hugged, cried, squeezed hands even harder, and our eyes locked on.  That ‘yes’ was as wonderful for Emma as it was for me.

She came.  She sang like an angel.  The children were spellbound.

Always believe in children.  Stop to tell them when they’re doing something wonderful, big or small.  A smile and a hug are gigantic when they feel sad or lost.  Read aloud.  The next Emma might be right around the corner.

Jennie

Posted in children's books, Expressing words and feelings, Giving, Giving thanks, Gloria, Inspiration, literacy, music, play performances, reading aloud, Singing, Student alumni, Teaching young children, The Arts | Tagged , , , | 96 Comments

A Mid Winter Art Break to Make You Smile. Who knew Van Gogh Painted 74 Gorgeous Works of Art in his Last 70 Days of Life?

Posted on February 3, 2024 by Jennie
Van Gogh: the last paintings
Posted in Uncategorized | 31 Comments

A Letter From My Pen Pal

Posted on January 29, 2024 by Jennie

Dear Friends,
You can imagine what it was like for me to get this letter in the mail.
I hope you get goosebumps, or get teary,
or have a lump in your throat when you read this.

Dear Jennie,
Happy new year.  How are you?  Is Gloria at school or at home?   I want to tell you about Amazon Rainforest.  There is an ocelot cat in the Rainforest.  There is also a snake in the Rainforest.  I got lots gifts for my birthday and had lots of fun with my friends.  I am six years old!  Your pen pal.

This is an incredibly long letter, with many words and alphabet letters for a kindergartner to write.  He just turned six.  I imagine it was a very difficult task, yet (the magic word) a labor of love.  Isn’t that what drives success and helps us grow?  When we love someone, or love something, or just love what we do, that propels us forward and ‘fills us up’.  My pen pal does that for me.  It’s the power of ‘yet’.

To my pen pal:

Your friendship is deep.
Your writing is strong.
Your letters to me are priceless.
I am so glad you are my pen pal.

Jennie

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, literacy, Love, Writing, young children | Tagged , , , | 68 Comments

Things Happen in Threes

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Jennie

Things often happen in threes.  They certainly did at school!

#1
We had day after day of bitter cold weather.  That meant the children could not go outside.  By day three we had to be creative, so we had a ‘classroom switch’ with another class.  Children in both classes stopped what they were doing and spontaneously went to the other classroom to play.  Everything was new and different and fun!  


#2
Robots!  After receiving our giant letter to Spot, Atlas, and Handle, Boston Dynamics emailed that they want to Zoom with the children.  We look forward to seeing our favorite robots and learning even more.  One of their engineers was my former preschool student, and the email shared his comment, “Jennie is a very kind and enthusiastic teacher.  At this rate, she must produce more roboticists than any other preschool.”

I learned a new word, ‘roboticists’.


#3
I invited Sam (not his real name) my pen-pal and former student to be a guest reader in the classroom.  This was his second visit, and this time he walked in alone (no mom), tall and proud.  He not only read a wonderful book about a special festival of colors in India- Holi, he asked questions and engaged the children in the story.  Wow!  We had a giant hug-a-thon, of course.  When a teacher (or parent) makes a big fuss over a child, it makes all the difference in the world.

The  story does not end here!

The next day his mom emailed me a big thank you and shared what happened next:

This week Sam was also a mystery reader in their classroom, again thanks to his class teacher who also believes in “Read Aloud” and was kind enough to give him an opportunity. It all went well and kids had great time.

Now here is what happened next; today we went to a birthday party and one mom told me that their child was so happy to see a friend reading book to them. That inspired the child so much that mom told me child also wants to be good at reading and one day read to her class like Sam did (I truly wish that child’s wish come true). While I am so happy to see Sam’s keen interest in reading. However, what made me even more happier was that his reading inspired other child to read!😇 That’s when I thought I should share this with you knowing who would be more happier than you!

Yes, that made my day!  I will always champion for reading aloud!

Jennie

Posted in children's books, Early Education, Inspiration, joy, literacy, preschool, reading aloud, reading aloud, robots, School, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , | 51 Comments

Excellent Quotations on Education – Thank You, Charles French.

Posted on January 20, 2024 by Jennie
A Few Quotations on Education
Posted in Uncategorized | 20 Comments

Gloria’s Journal and Many Adventures

Posted on January 14, 2024 by Jennie

It’s a new school year for Gloria, and she has spent most weekends with a child.  Her adventures on weekends have been delightful.  Reading her journal to children is always exciting.

Back in the beginning of Gloria in the Aqua Room, she lived in a picnic basket on top of the classroom cabinets, only coming out to visit occasionally.  The day I forgot to put her back into her basket was the best day.  Children played with her.  I learned.  Since then, she is always out in the classroom.  Sleepovers didn’t happen until a boy asked if she could come to his house.

His mom sent me this photo

“Colin…I don’t know.  She’s never been on a sleepover.”

“Don’t worry.  I have a nightlight.  She won’t be scared.”

Since that first sleepover, she has been mountain climbing, trick-or-treating, at the Super Bowl parade in Boston, high school graduations, play performances, the ocean….and just hanging out.  I thought you might enjoy some of her journal entries this year.

But first, she has classroom adventures, too.  We are learning about Asia this month.  A child wearing a tiger costume helped Gloria find little airplanes and ‘fly’ to Asia.  Precious.

Gloria’s journal often has lengthy entries.

The photos are always the most popular.

She was a unicorn for Halloween and joined the family for dinner.  Dad helped feed Gloria.  Speaking of Dads, she loved being carried in a backpack… on the way to a helicopter ride’.

Gloria went to a school play!  Mom told me that she heard shouts of “Gloria.”  People in the audience remembered her and greeted her.



A very happy Thanksgiving!  Who knew Gloria could play chess?  Who knew stuffing was Gloria’s favorite?  I don’t think she was scared riding in the jeep.

She had a wonderful Christmas week at a child’s house, too.  At last I had the opportunity to bring Gloria home.  She wanted to look at all the pictures and entries in the journal.  It was fun for both of us.

Jennie

Posted in Diversity, Expressing words and feelings, Family, Gloria, Inspiration, Kindness, Teaching young children | Tagged , , | 91 Comments

Robots!

Posted on January 7, 2024 by Jennie

Meet Curiosity Atlas, our classroom robot.  He is mounted on a scooter board so children can pull him everywhere.  Oh, they do.  He is beloved.  Of course there is a story behind Curiosity Atlas.

We were learning about robots.  Children love Spot, Atlas, and Handle- the Boston Dynamics robots.  Their song and video is our ‘wake-up’ song every day after nap.  Children are glued, and as the days go by, they notice more and more things about the robots.  We have started watching videos of Spot and Atlas doing many other jobs.  They are asking questions.

We learned about Curiosity, the robot on Mars.  Watching how Curiosity landed on Mars was fascinating.  Again, the questions flowed, and the children wanted a robot.  I looked at Heidi, my wonderful co-teacher.

“Heidi, we need a robot.  We can make one.”

Heidi said ‘yes’ before I could finish the sentence.  She was off in a flash.

“I’ll be right back!”

There I was with the children, and we speculated what Heidi would find.  Anticipation is exciting and wonderful.  She returned with a collection of recyclables.  Then, everyone got together and created a robot.  What was next?  Naming the robot, of course.  I used the big white board to write every name suggestion, then each child voted on their favorite.  It was a tie between Curiosity and Atlas, so our robot became Curiosity Atlas.

Our story does not end there. Curiosity Atlas was just the beginning.

Children were so excited about the new robot that we decided to write a letter to Spot, Atlas, and Handle so they could meet our robot.  They wanted to ask questions, too, after watching their videos and having growing questions.


Then we wrote a letter to NASA with another host of questions.

You would think after all these years I wouldn’t be surprised at the questions children ask.  Nope!  I am always surprised, because children have an unfiltered lens and can see far more than we see, so their questions are always genuine and exciting.

We invited our Groton-Dunstable High School Robotics Club to visit the classroom and bring their robots.  They said yes!  On a side note, the Robotics Club had invited Boston Dynamics to attend a few years ago.  That was a big deal.  The Boston Dynamics engineer told the club he was from Groton and had started his school years at Groton Community School.  Yes, he was in my class, and I remember him well.

Back to the Robotics Club.  The students were wonderful, and so were their robots.  High schoolers who can relate to preschoolers is special.

That was a wonderful day!  Real robots came to life for the children.  I received an email this week from the head of the Robotics Club, telling me how much they loved our giant thank you letter (of course we wrote a giant thank you letter.  That’s what we do.)  They hung the letter in the big glass case in the high school hallway.  Wow!


Learning should always be exciting for children.  Thank goodness for robots!

Jennie

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Giving thanks, Inspiration, preschool, robots, School, The Arts, wonder | Tagged , , | 79 Comments

Gloria’s Sleepover At My House

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Jennie

Gloria has been everywhere this year – except with me.  She had a sleepover at my house last night!  When it was time for her to go to bed, she wanted a story (of course), so I read to her Goodnight Moon, our classroom book we read every day before chapter reading.


Gloria knows the book well, so she was excited for me to read it to her.
She smiled at the well-worn pages.
She knew that’s why the book is well-loved.

I hope you enjoy the video
as much as I enjoyed reading aloud to Gloria.

More to come on our sleepover, reading her journal.  Stay tuned!

Jennie

Posted in books, children's books, Diversity, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Gloria, Inspiration, picture books, reading aloud, reading aloud | Tagged , , | 75 Comments