There is a distinct lack of dancing in this post.
I want to go back to elementary school, guys. Permanently. I spend a good two-and-a-half hours there today, just helping out with Helen (an art teacher who's pretty similar to my Aunt Bobbe - think good thoughts, she's one of my biggest teacher-role-models - but add 10 or 15 years) and her 3rd, 1st, and 4th graders. I want to go back to the years where the biggest problem I had to face was the kid who painted his/her hands up to the wrists with red acrylic paint and attempted to see how many people they could just miss completely messing up all their clothes. We had both a boy and a girl who found this super-amusing, today.
The third graders were doing a sgraffito PA-dutch kind of plate (red clay, white slip on top, carving through the white to get to the red. adding underglazes for color) which were turning out spectacularly. The 1st graders were making Valentines, and I got to both comment and make one of my own (just paper: go, but all sorts of colors and shapes and ways to put the papers together). I would send that to someone, but I think I left it in the classroom by accident. There was a 'prep' in here - aka Helen's lunch break - and I helped set up for the next classes -- including unloading the kiln, which had these tiny pinch pots in it - so adorable! Helen had showed them about feet and handles, so some of the little pots had both - not stable, but the idea was there. (Yes, I may just have a preference for tiny adorable things.) The 4th graders started the crazy -- they had made paper mache bowls, gesso'ed them, and painted them a base color. Today was about adding in detail work in a bold pattern. The detail work was with self-mixed colors, and these tended to cause tension-type-things.
Evidently I get to teach the 3rd graders something clay-related in the coming weeks :D
I got a camp shirt today in the mail from NACEL! And my preliminary placement: Tour de Buis, in 'the foothills of the Alps, in SE France'. So... 30 mi south of Lyon and closer to Vienne. Which means very little to me, not knowing French geography, but it's still exciting.
Swim meet that was supposed to be Wed got moved up to Tues. So no dancing for me this Tuesday. Which is good for my taper, but not for my state of mind. We will more than likely still get stuck in the snow (it's an away meet), but I cleared my schedule like a good little swimmer. More grumbly-making because Cori was going to come down, and she was going to bring the boy who may or may not be hers, but asked her to Snowball - which was ALSO cancelled, ironically, because of snow. And it would have been good to see her. (And maybe decide whether I approve of this boy... not that it's any of my business)
And no dancing for me tonight because Naomi and I took care of sister group stuff, making a cheerio - craisin - white chocolate - milk chocolate - peanut trail mix type thing. And I spent far too much money on it, but now I have extra chocolate. And crasins. But I was also trying to not eat junk until after conferences. So maybe I'll just hide it. BECAUSE THE CHOCOLATE IS CLEVERLY CONCEALED IN A SEALABLE CRAISINS BAG, I WILL CLEARLY NOT REMEMBER WHAT IT IS.
AND THERE SHOULD BE MAIL FOR NEARLY EVERYONE WHO'S ADDRESS I HAVE. THERE WAS LETTER WRITING MARATHON THING IN THE SNOW. but now I only have one more stamp. alas!
The third graders were doing a sgraffito PA-dutch kind of plate (red clay, white slip on top, carving through the white to get to the red. adding underglazes for color) which were turning out spectacularly. The 1st graders were making Valentines, and I got to both comment and make one of my own (just paper: go, but all sorts of colors and shapes and ways to put the papers together). I would send that to someone, but I think I left it in the classroom by accident. There was a 'prep' in here - aka Helen's lunch break - and I helped set up for the next classes -- including unloading the kiln, which had these tiny pinch pots in it - so adorable! Helen had showed them about feet and handles, so some of the little pots had both - not stable, but the idea was there. (Yes, I may just have a preference for tiny adorable things.) The 4th graders started the crazy -- they had made paper mache bowls, gesso'ed them, and painted them a base color. Today was about adding in detail work in a bold pattern. The detail work was with self-mixed colors, and these tended to cause tension-type-things.
Evidently I get to teach the 3rd graders something clay-related in the coming weeks :D
I got a camp shirt today in the mail from NACEL! And my preliminary placement: Tour de Buis, in 'the foothills of the Alps, in SE France'. So... 30 mi south of Lyon and closer to Vienne. Which means very little to me, not knowing French geography, but it's still exciting.
Swim meet that was supposed to be Wed got moved up to Tues. So no dancing for me this Tuesday. Which is good for my taper, but not for my state of mind. We will more than likely still get stuck in the snow (it's an away meet), but I cleared my schedule like a good little swimmer. More grumbly-making because Cori was going to come down, and she was going to bring the boy who may or may not be hers, but asked her to Snowball - which was ALSO cancelled, ironically, because of snow. And it would have been good to see her. (And maybe decide whether I approve of this boy... not that it's any of my business)
And no dancing for me tonight because Naomi and I took care of sister group stuff, making a cheerio - craisin - white chocolate - milk chocolate - peanut trail mix type thing. And I spent far too much money on it, but now I have extra chocolate. And crasins. But I was also trying to not eat junk until after conferences. So maybe I'll just hide it. BECAUSE THE CHOCOLATE IS CLEVERLY CONCEALED IN A SEALABLE CRAISINS BAG, I WILL CLEARLY NOT REMEMBER WHAT IT IS.
AND THERE SHOULD BE MAIL FOR NEARLY EVERYONE WHO'S ADDRESS I HAVE. THERE WAS LETTER WRITING MARATHON THING IN THE SNOW. but now I only have one more stamp. alas!