where we're at

Time is moving along at lightening speed as usual.  We are rehearsing for our annual tradition of performing the story 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving at Stew Day--our whole school celebration the day before Turkey day...also my favorite day of the school year (maybe tied with the last day of school?haha)  It's a wonderful celebration of our school community filled with performances, crafts, fun activities of all sorts, and of course, stew.  Last year, we interpreted the story through movement and dance to the theme from "Superman".  This year we are taking the more traditional route and acting out the story as I narrate.  The primates are ecstatic, and every year I find this is a wonderful unifying project for our class.  It's also wonderful to know that my primates from years past will watch and remember what fun they had when they performed the story, which is a reminder to honor the turkeys we'll gobble up the next day!

Trips to Palmer Cove have been on hold for a variety of reasons, and I am bummed out about that as I had high hopes of making weekly trips.  Many things this year seem to be taking much longer than usual--goal setting, opening new choice centers, establishing reading groups, and just getting things off the ground in general, but every group is different and presents different challenges and experiences.  So I'm taking it as it comes, slowing myself down, and really just focusing on what each day brings and allows us to accomplish.  Not easy for a "full steam ahead" multi-tasker with big plans, but I am nothing if not flexible, so, this year is what it is...and so far, there have been a lot of wonderful moments.

Upcoming events include another annual tradition--our dog biscuit fundraiser for the local animal shelter.  We will advertise, collect & tally orders, and then spend many days baking dog biscuits and creating cat toys for people to purchase for the pets in their lives.  Always a big success!  Last year was the first year I did not do this project....even when on maternity leave I came in to do this project with little Chloe snuggled in the baby Bjorn!  Since having my own kiddos, I have been forced to scale down here and there in order to keep my sanity, but this year I really want to do it and it will augment our economics study very nicely.  The primates noticed the "pet sale" bin I took out this morning to assess what we'll need, and everyone was freaking out that I had plans to sell our class pet turtle...who do they think they're dealing with here?!  NEVER!!!!  I want to tell them about it, but I think we are overloaded with excitement as it is, so I'm trying to keep my big mouth shut for now!  more to come......

One thing I really want to write about is drumming.  This is quite a rambunctious group, and we struggled tremendously with settling down for morning meeting in September.  So I pulled out my "gathering drum" and one day just sat on the rug and began drumming.  Suddenly, every primate was on the rug, clapping along with the pattern I was drumming.  WOW--I expected this would grab their attention, but I never thought they would actually gather and start drumming along with me.

I just love when the primates lead me, so I took inspiration from this impromptu activity.  Each day, morning and afternoon meeting begins with my drumming a "sound pattern" and everyone gathers (although a bit slower now!) and for about 2-3 minutes each time, our whole group is moving in unison, sharing the moment together as one noise making unit.  I LOVE IT!!!!  I am not by nature musical in any sense of the word.  Music brings more of a linguistic pleasure to me--I love song lyrics, and the memories some songs evoke...like this old Irish tune we first heard in a pub in Killarney, which brings me right back there every time I hear it.  And, I am terribly tone deaf--just ask my poor children who have to listen to grossly off-key lullabies nightly!  So here is an area of definite challenge for me, and a goal this year is to really try to incorporate activities that require the use of musical intelligence.  I'm NOT talking about singing the habitat song (more of a mnemonic device than use of an intelligence).  I am talking about things like the drumming.

First, it is a non-verbal signal that meeting time is beginning.  Second, everyone has to join in the pattern which fluctuates--dum-dum-DUM, dum-dum-DUM, then da dada da, da dada da, etc., and follow it.  I'm starting to get a little stale with my limited repertoire, so I plan to utilize the musical intelligences in the group by asking different primates to drum.  This will exercise creativity in creating a pattern and require attention and concentration to follow it.  THAT is using one's musical intelligence.  We solve the problem of getting everyone gathered on the rug and create the product of a group moving to and following a rhythm.  It's really quite magical when it happens just right.

I pointed this out to the primates a few days ago, as I noticed the vigor dwindling in the group.  It has since been restored, and I look forward to the many days ahead, beginning and ending with this beautiful group experience.

Now I need to figure out how to use a fat separator to make gravy before next Thursday.  Wish me luck and any & all advice welcome!