Moon Watchers, today, 4:30 USM and Inspiration from the 5/6 social studies program

The 5/6 class is studying American History in the coolest way.  Instead of taking a linear path through the "big events" (aka wars) of American History, they are beginning with themselves, their families and the questions that emerge as they consider the experiences of generations that preceded them.  Each of our personal histories differ, yet we are also linked.  I am curious to learn what they learn, about themselves and about others. Questions about immigration are central to contemporary political discourse and worthy of family conversation. 

Today's Moon Watcher's event at USM with Reza Jalali and Annie Sibley O'Brien provides families with the opportunity to learn about  Ramadan, Iran, and "home" in a unique way.  

If it all gets you curious: 

  The Talking Walls books explore these questions from children's points of view. 

Talking Walls was turned into an exhibit at the Children's Museum a few years ago and is now somewhat institutionalized in their upstairs exhibit about family heritages.  Annie Sibley O'Brien is one of my very favorite author illustrators, too, and she has other great books that also explore heritage, identity and place.  The Many Voices program of the Maine Humanities Foundation provides further training and book lists for adults who want to use picture books to open up conversations about identity, belonging, change, and social justice.  

 

Adults and older kids might be interested in the book New Mainers : Portraits of Our Immigrant Neighbors, with a forward also written by Jalali.  The Telling Room features writing by young adults, including four online stories from the Coming to America Story House Project. 

The American Library Association "Becoming American" program offers booklists (albeit from 2004) for children, young adults, and adults. Parent's Choice offers a few more recent titles, including Julia Avarez's new book Return To Sender,  which Grace and Craig found to be incredibly moving and disturbing (the book tells the story of a Mexican family faced split up by deportation and the challenges of the agricultural economy) -- there are more suggestions for resources on Alvarez's page.

For adults (or to find more resources for kids), two MA-based organizations do amazing work: 

Facing History and Ourselves offers incredible resources for educators, including workshops and online resources; Primary Source offers amazing resources for teaching about the world, but also has resources for teaching about immigration and migration to and from the U.S. 

 

What Adults Can Learn From Kids

Katie S. is pulling together a service club (or 2 or 3) and there is still plenty of opportunity to get involved.  I see it as a way for me to spend time with my kids, in community -- something I wish for, for all of 3 of us.  It sounds like there will be coordinated opportunities for kids to engage in problem identification and solving, and to engage in service on and off the island.  Kids and adults working together will only enrich the experience... so if you have any time and ummph, please consider signing up!

For inspiration, check out this TED video : What Adults Can Learn From Kids

Outdoor music & apples

The 14th annual bluegrass gathering is coming up Saturday, September 25th, from 11 to 5 at Apple Acres Farm in South Hiram. It's the same day as the Cornish Apple Festival (you go through Cornish just before you get to Apple Acres). There will be apple picking, cider, cider donuts, a farm store with more apple products, and a chicken BBQ at noon. An exciting feature at Apple Acres is the apple blaster, which is essentially a giant slingshot with which one can 'blast' rotten/windfall apples across the farm pond to a target. It's incredibly addictive. Entrance to the bluegrass gathering is $7 for adults, free for kids under 16. We won't be able to go this year, but used to when the kids were small, and always had a fun time. BYO chairs and blankets.

Calendar, try 3

We can access the calendar under the tab at the top of the blog, meaning it isn't really private -- only public info should be added to the calendar (no birthday parties, etc. unless they are open). 

You can also access the calendar through this link, if you want to bookmark it yourself (I think -- please let me know if this link works)

Or, if you'd like to be able to link the FSPparents calendar with your own google calendars, feel free to drop me an email and I'll add your email to the calendar list itself.

Phew.

Wild Play

Hmmm... still not quite right

So, you can get the calendar there, but it takes up the whole blog... I will change it to a "page" -- it can be added to or changed by parents who subscribe to it -- invitations are going through the FSPPA google group or if you send me your email.  I'm guessing there is an easier way but it is escaping me somehow...

Online Calendar

We are trying to figure out how to best create and use a shared online FSP calendar.  Send Kim your email if you'd like an invitation to share the google calendar (you can then link it into your own google calendar or add things to the FSP one).

Here's an attempt at linking it

Schoolhouse Rock! The Great American Melting Pot

Grace's class's homework was to talk to us about our heritage... 

Event on Saturday

Playback Theatre, Saturday, September 18, 7:00 at St. Bart's

On Saturday, September 18th at 7:00 pm at the St. Bartholomew's Church in Yarmouth (396 Gilman Road),  Portland's Playback Theater will present a performance in support of Enviornmental Health Strategy Center.
 
Playback Theatre joins the art of improvisation with real-life stories spontaneously shared by members of the audience.  Using movement, dialogue and music, the actors seek to honor the countless moments and events that shape our lives.  In honor of EHSC's work for safer chemicals and healthy families, Saturday's theme will be "preventing harm".  There will be a reception with sweet treats immediately following the performance.  Children are welcome.

Quaker Meeting

I love so many things about FSP but my relationship to Quaker Meeting is particularly special.  We are not a Quaker family and had some reservations about sending our children to a school with a religious affiliation, so in some ways I would say we began our time at FSP despite it being a Quaker school.  Yet attending Quaker meeting (at school)  is now one of the highlights of my week.  Sitting in silence is a discipline and I often find myself having to work at quieting my body and my mind. I see my own children learning techniques for holding the quiet, in themselves and in the group - they already know things about this that I don't.  I feel a tremendous gratitude for the community, because it takes a huge collective effort to be quiet, together.  And then, after all that quiet, we sing! (see lots of the song lyrics on the right - I am particularly fond of "baby ducks").  Today we sang Simple Gifts and it resonated in the room and shaped my perspective on the day.  I highly recommend staying for a Monday morning Quaker Meeting or attending a Friday assembly to see the joy of a preK-8 balancing alone and together and to feel the essence of Quaker Education at play.