Dear Friends of Russian Hill School,
It has been a wonderful transition to a new school year here at Russian Hill School! With a few of our annual fall projects tucked under our belts, we thought we would highlight today: Extended Learning Projects. These individualized multi-process projects are a hallmark of RHS.
"Take your time and make it special" is an important maxim here at RHS. Some of our Extended Learning Projects span many months, building attention, cognitive skills, self efficacy, and delayed gratification along the way. The display, presentation, and experience of finalizing an extended learning project boosts self esteem. The culmination of the final work of art created is an important building block of student learning.
These projects incorporate many foundational skills including pre-math patterning, numeracy, literacy, and understanding how to plan for what something will look like in the future. Seeing the fruits of their careful diligent work is a rewarding experience and a marvel for us educators to participate in!
"One of the Extended Learning Projects we enjoy are craft adventures that teach a myriad of skills, including fine motor skills and design. Teachers are busy inspiring and guiding the commencement of our SPIDERS project- which will take friends through the Halloween season and into autumn." -Teacher Matt
Andy Goldsworthy’s Ephemeral Art
Circle Time & DPT with Teacher Stephanie
This offering is wonderful for preschool and grade school children alike.
Andy Goldsworthy’s Ephemeral Art
Runtime: 7:04 / Activity Meter: 3
This week, students will learn about environmentalist artist, Andy Goldsworthy. Goldsworthy’s artwork reminds us that all things in life are in constant motion and that there is beauty in every transition we go through. His sculptures are made from nature, using leaves, twigs, ice, snow, feathers, mud and rocks, and left outside to be changed by their environment through the passing of time.
Extended Learning: Make an Andy Goldsworthy inspired sculpture and observe how it transitions in its environment over time. Try stitching a string of leaves together using pine needles to make a shape, change a rock’s color by covering it in wet leaves, sort rocks by color and create a design out of them on the ground or stacked, draw lines in the sand, or make anything at all using completely natural materials and leave it in the environment where it was made.
To extend the learning, here’s Teacher Stephanie’s wonderful accompanying DPT: Download it here!
From the RHS Classroom
“I am a Painting”
by Teacher Rafael
“As a way to provide tasks that can give children the opportunity to pursue their naturally emerging interest, the Dramatic Play Room at RHS has been divided into the following segments: a) the frame, b) the giant canvas, and c) the white wall. Each of those segments were created with the intention to provide a somatic experience to the student. The students are assisted to first become a painting and after they are assisted to create art work that are based on the feelings that each of them was able to experience. For example, the frame was designed for the students to personify a life painting -- a self-portrait.
Here, each student is assisted to pose for a picture while they are also asked to impersonate a character, an animal, or a unique being. The “giant canvas” is made out of large white plastic and is placed inside the room -- on the floor and continues on to a wall until touch the ceiling. The purpose of designing the giant canvas is for the students to feel as if they are existing inside a canvas. While one student is inside the canvas, the other students are assisted to act as if they are paint and drawings themselves. As a further example, a children’s swimming pool is used to assist the student to imaginatively mix color with the use of confetti -- team work is orchestrated for each student to take turns to get inside the pool and be confetti-rained on from their team mates. The ‘white wall” was designed for the student to place and contemplate the art work that they created.”
Resource
Helping Kids Adjust After the Last 16 Months
Here are a few thoughts and tips from Kyle D. Killian, Ph.D., LMFT to help kids adjust to life during and, hopefully someday, after COVID-19.