Lions

We are reading the Magic Treehouse books in our classroom.  I love the series.  A few years ago I made a Magic Treehouse in my classroom. It was an actual raised loft like treehouse.   It was amazing.  We just read Lions at Lunchtime.  I love attaching art and literacy.

Here are our lions that the kiddos made using scraps form our scrap box.

 This was the model I used.  I found the image on the internet so I can not take credit for the design.

 I love what young children come up with during art.  Adding the color and pre-cut shapes made this rainbow lion pretty festive.

 This is one of my special little 2nd graders.  

 So amazing.  This looks like modern art.

Look at those awesome eyebrows.  What a great expression.

Flying to Work

View over Anchorage

I don't love to fly.  I especially don't love to fly in small planes, but for the 4 years of my life I lived in the bush this was a necessity.  Last week I flew to one of our remote schools to do a preschool sight visit.  It was Cultural Heritage week so the village was hopping with cultural activities like skinning seal, canning salmon, beading, basket making, stained glass, and Native Youth Olympics.  We had amazingly clear views on the way there. 

Prince William Sound

Glaciers

Umm... aren't we too close to that mountain?

Esther Hatchery

Closing in on the village.

Tatitlek

Russian Orthodox Church

Yarn Dolls

We are down to 9 days of school, and boy did this year go fast.  Today we made yarn dolls, and the kiddos got really into it.  The boys dressed their dolls in awkward fitting clothing, and then had ninja battles with them, while the girls worked on creating accessories like belts.  Some of the girls even gave their dolls hair cuts by the end of the day.

I love working with young children.  Once you let go of the outcome of an art or craft project it is amazing what they come up with.

Curtains

Once a month I drive 3 hours North to work with homeschool families in the hip town of Talkeetna.  We have an amazing space that we rent to host science workshops.  It is very eclectic and cozy. It is also for sale.  I would buy it in a second if I had a job there and was not so cautious about leaving my current job and the guaranteed retirement.   I love the time I spend there each month.  I love the tall birch trees that are hard to find in my town.  I love the parents and students I work with, and I love these curtains.

They are part of the cozy feel and I am sure there is a story behind them.

Soil

One of the things I miss about my childhood on the East Coast is the smell of soil.  Soil does not decompose in Alaska to the same extent that it does in warmer climates.

My hubby shoveled off our garden beds while the little guy jumped from bed to bed last weekend.  Just seeing the soil has been helpful, but I can't wait to feel its warmth and smell it working.   As you can see we still have a lot of snow.  My body is telling me it is ready for it to melt.  Feeling a bit lethargic and ready for the sun to shine.

1 Month

It has been 1 month since I last posted on this blog.  That was a quick month.  It snowed just a bit today, which was just plain wrong.  Little hail like snowballs.  That in addition to our many feet of snow left still on our yard is pretty amazing considering it is May 3.  We have been busy shoveling off our garden beds, picking up all the branches that came down this winter, and playing, playing, playing.

My husband gave my son a haircut and it is pretty close to a mullet.  I think he is rocking it.

We have 16 more days of school left and then the important things in life become more of a priority like gardening, playing with the little guy, eating good food, family adventures, fun and more fun.