Some days are like that – busy. Last Friday for example which – in addition to all the usual activity – also included a middle school science symposium, a high school Art Show, a Poetry Reading and a play. In fact – the whole week was like that – delightfully packed with events, performances, games, productions, performances, presentations, field trips,…
It’s not every day that you get to paint with an internationally renowned artist. But that was just one of the many delights of our Poughkeepsie Mini MakerFaire yesterday. Here is PDS parent Nestor Madalengoita creating a portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt with the help of many hands of all ages. And what a day it was! So many more stories…
Behind the scenes at the museum. This is magical. Watch it.
Wonderful pictures of what looks like a creative classroom in a pre-Plowden primary school. Look at the desk arrangements. From the Imperial War Museum collection.
A school in May is like a two year old deprived of a nap. That’s how my colleague Liz describes it. Everyone is stressed out, too busy and cranky. The weather is unpredictable with storms and frost one moment and sunshine and blossoms the next. The calendar is stuffed with culminating events, showcases, performances, final assessments, report writing deadlines and…
The Art History class took off for Italy last week. It’s well over 4,000 miles from Poughkeepsie to Zurich and on to Florence but here’s the extra mile: Wayne created these books – in Florentine red – one for every student. It’s for notes,sketches and reference on the trip. The sleeve at the back has a map of the city…
This week in the NYTimes – news of a rather discouraging report about music and arts education across the US. And even the test sample was smaller. In the test, formally known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress in Arts, administrators at 260 public and private schools were asked how much time they devoted to art and music instruction,…
If you’re going to MoMA for the Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night – good luck. It’s a wonderful exhibit, of course, and very much worth the visit. But the popularity, my timing, and the rather haphazard MoMA crowd management made it a less than stellar gallery experience when I was there last week. But while you’re there…
On the way home tonight I heard Robert Reich on NPR’s Marketplace. The topic was Human Capital. The one sentence summary: Failure to invest in human capital (i.e..education) is shortsighted and counter-productive. Basic idea: Our future competitiveness and standard of living depend on our collective skills, capacity to communicate and solve problems, and innovate. They do not depend on our…
Student art work: Iconic images from Kenyon House. Click the pic for a bigger view.
Solar panels, wind turbines, solid waste fuel, electronic generators and all manner of imaginative and greener ways to power cars, boats, tanks, military transporters, barges and trucks The task for the first and second grade was to imagine a vehicle powered by an alternate fuel source. And then build the model. With the rise in gas prices this spring it…
Some attributes of creativity: Challenge assumptions Be receptive to new ideas Recognize similarities or differences Make unlikely connections Take risks Build on ideas to make better ideas Look at things in new ways Take advantage of the unexpected from The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher
Still Life with Fruit Basket – Paul Cezanne Think globally with awareness and understanding of complexity and multiple perspectives Predators have eyes in the front so they can see their prey. Prey have eyes on each side so they can watch out for predators. Flatfish, like the flounder, have eyes on one side so they can blend into the sea…
Seeing red, going green, in a purple haze , once in a blue moon. Pictures from the first and second grade.
The pH rises and the bubbles stream out; pop, From the misty stream. The water running and the fish swimming wildly from the broken dam A single river peacefully and calmly Over the rock’s rage Bubbling test tubes Images of science class A beautiful sight! Elements make up Things around the universe They are what makes us ! Water is…