It’s the time of year when many classes are engaged in deep studies. Two classes, our Early 3s and Kindergarten, have been immersed in the solar system and outer space. As part of the study, each kindergartener was given the homework assignment of creating a project. I love when they arrive at school with these projects, proudly carrying the results of what they’ve learned combined with parental collaboration. A few stood out, including a model of the solar system hung like a mobile on wooden dowel sticks. Planets were meticulously constructed out of colorful paper, and tiny stars were stuck to the strings attached to each planet. There were several dioramas, including the one in the photo which had an opening in the sun for a flashlight to shine through onto the rest of the planets and celestial bodies.
In addition to their projects, which are currently overflowing their classroom with outer space images, they made sky maps by poking tiny holes in the shapes of constellations onto large pieces of black paper. At the moment their classroom windows are completely covered by these extraordinary works of art. After viewing their work and taking a few more photos, I returned to my desk to start my blog for this week.
To say it’s been a challenging week is an understatement. All week it’s felt like every ounce of my brainpower has been devoted to just getting through each day, with little time for reflection. Until I stepped into the kindergarten room I had no idea what I’d write about. For whatever reason, after seeing their space images, the Beatles song “Across the Universe” floated through my mind. I decided to check out the lyrics and this verse popped up:
“Sounds of laughter shades of life are ringing
Through my open years inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns
It calls on me on and on across the universe.”
As hard as times are right now, I do believe we all have “limitless undying love which shines around [us] like a million suns.” There seems to be a surplus of that love hovering around the Seed, expressed through the children and their creations, the devotion of parents to their children, and the staff who return day after day to provide the best possible learning experiences to our students. It’s easy to be drawn into the negativity and hopelessness that await us with the news each day. I choose to focus on the brightness of “a million suns” that I believe will lead us all to a better future. I trust that the light brought to the Seed by each student, along with the light each will carry with them as they leave the Seed, will be enough to carry a healthy Planet Earth across the universe for a very long time.
(photographed artwork by Brooklynn Goodman)