"What did you do at school today, Leia?"

"Oh, Mamma! This star sticker on my sandal reminds me of playing the Hokey Pokey! Mrs. Schnell put it on our left hands to remind me which one was left. And, Mamma, I got to eat snack with Mrs. Schnell today! But the best part of the day was playing 'Little Rabbit Sleeping in a Ditch.' And when you are the rabbit you say, 'hop, hop, hop, hop' and hop over to the next person who gets to be the rabbit! Jessica picked me. Jessica always picks me! I don't remember who I picked. Wait, . . . I picked Natalie Abey! I also did a chalk work where I drew a picture and then got to erase it with a neat eraser. Here's my work folder, look at the pretty rainbow I made! And guess what this is on the grass here? A tyrannosaurus!!! . . . Mamma, can you put on Dora songs now?"

Well Issues

Today was the reason why I'm glad that I focused on Annie's development yesterday. I didn't get to take even one photo of the girls today. Not even one. This day was full of well (and car) maintenance issues. Car issues because the Jeep didn't pass inspection because the tire treads were too low. We had an appointment to get new tires today (another $700). Well issues because last night in the middle of Annie's bath, our water cut off. (Actually, it started a month or so before when we were suddenly able to detect when the well pump would cut on. You're not supposed to be able to do that, so I guess that's a sign that the expense is coming.) The short of it is that our well pump broke and we had to pay $1300 to pay for the parts and labor to get a new one. (At least that sucker only breaks once every 12 years!. . . . And just wait until you feel the water pressure!) And now here's the long of it:

The reason why I am including this stuff here is because I'm guessing that someday at least one of the girls will be interested in what's in that little cement cylinder behind our house. (And perhaps one day either Leia or Annie will have a well of their own or at least have to do a paper on whether it's better to have well water or city water.)

Mike Vaught (AKA "The Water Professor") was here from 8 AM - 8 PM today. This was mostly due to the difficult location of our well. He couldn't get his equipment up to pull the pump out, so he had to do it by hand. I watched him, it was exhausting work!

This is the way our well looks from the top right after the well cylinder is removed. The actual well is the thing with the black top on it and the blue and black tubes sticking out. You have to keep that special top on it so that debris doesn't get in and foul your well. The "well tag" revealed lots of interesting information, like it's one of the deepest wells in the neighborhood at 525 feet! (We figured, actually, because a few years ago when everyone else was having problems with water during the drought, we never saw any change.) Most wells in the area are dug 200-300 feet. The tag also revealed that the amount of water per minute of "storage," which I guess means how quickly the water can replenish itself, is 4 gallons a minute.

Next came the hardest job, removing the pump. By hand, Mike pulled 340 feet of wire taped to a big black tube up out of our well.

The tube lay all the way down the side of our house.

And up and back our driveway two times! Periodically, he had to stop pulling to twist the pipe because the pump would get caught on some kind of snag in the rock (and this made him glad he didn't use his equipment). It was during this whole process (and while Annie was napping) that I gleaned as much information from Mike as I could, . . . I was just sitting on the back deck, glad that it was the first day in the 80's instead of the mid-90's. What did we learn? Well, during the whole thing, Mike kept saying, "It's going to be really interesting to see how deep this pipe goes!" He kept saying that over and over. It was cool to see a geologist so excited about his work. The answer was, the pipe and wiring went down exactly 340 feet. He couldn't believe it for a few reasons. First, pipe comes in lengths of 100 feet. Second, 340 feet is far below the top of the water table. I can't remember why, but the actual pump is usually set near the top so that it doesn't have to displace so much water when it removes it. The used water has to be replaced by air, you know. His best guess was that the guy who sunk the pump simply let it down until it hit something (hence the damage on the side). When he got lower, he noticed what he called "a mixture of manganese accumulation and leaf rot" which he said we can't prevent due to the well being in the middle of the woods, but he did say that twice a year we can "chlorinate" the well. This simply involves adding one quart of white distilled vinegar and one quart of bleach. Then you run the water for a while to get all that chlorination out (so we can drink the water, of course). This step takes care of all the accumulation.

Here's the shot looking down the well after the pump was removed. The large white pipe inside the metal well-top is the liner, that's the thing that keeps us from having orange/brown color in our water from rust. I asked him why we had blue water instead, and he said that was due to the low ph of the water, raise the ph and the calcium would precipitate out instead of dissolve. He also showed me the gap between the metal casing and the liner and said that it should be full to the top with cement (that prevents bacterial growth by not allowing water to get in there). There's your next project, Brian! Still, Mike said our well looked really healthy. He was pleased with it's condition. (That was really good to hear!)

And here's the cause for all our headache: the well pump. It actually served the house well, working for over 12 years. The motor was trying to work, but the top was totally clogged with sediment, which ruined it. It was also damaged on the side (which you can just see at the junction at the top, directly to the right of the green intake ring), this was due to it rubbing against the side of the well. Because it's a top-of-the-line McDonald pump, he simply got the same exact one for us (even though he looked to up the power 1/4 horsepower from 3/4 to a full 1, but he couldn't find one). At full capacity, it pumps 10 gallons a minute. As for the wire, we definitely upgraded. We used to have a 12 grade wire and now we have a 10 grade wire. The new wire is thicker and therefore will allow the pump to run more efficiently. (Any time you have more and more power cord, the load is less.) He also wanted to get flat wire that wasn't corded so that it can simply "move out of the way" if the well wall hits it, instead of getting scored. Again, he had the flat wire, but he didn't have a full 340 feet, so we had to go with the corded again. (That is, unless we wanted to go without water for another week. No thank you.) We had to settle a bit because of availability right before the Labor Day weekend, I guess. [Still, I was glad to get some info for Oma and Papa to sink their (eventual) well. There happens to be a reputable drilling company right in Siler City called WW Maness and Sons at 919-663-3891. And Mike suggests a reputable pump like McDonalds or Goulds, but NEVER Meyers (guaranteed to break in two years). Mike's number is 919-740-0284.]

A bit about Mike. A Geologist by trade, this guy is the premier guy in the area when it comes to wells and water. He is actually FEMA's main contact in the South when anything goes wrong with many wells at a time due to a catastrophic event. He also is the main guy to call for continuing education for his field, hence the name "Water Professor." He created an ingenious invention with a camera on the bottom of it in order to truly see what is going on with any well he digs (or works on). He works in a 5-state area doing lots of corporate work as well as personal work due only to word-of-mouth recommendations. (That's how we found out about him, through our neighborhood listserve.) He has a special place in his heart for the people, the geology, and the topography of the area. In fact, he shared with me something so interesting about the large boulders dropped around due to glacial plucking many years ago (did I impress him with my undergrad knowledge of glacial plucking Furman Geology?). He said all of these rocks were a special kind of granite typical only to this area. They are very porous and allow water to actually run through them. This is good for the water table, but bad when they are simply embedded in the top soil (because then bacteria can filter right through them into the well). And they are 660 million years old! They were around during the time of the dinosaurs! Cool!

Sweet Sleeper

A few days ago, I had Leia's recent sleep-shot. Now here's Annie's. : ) I just felt like I had to document this . . .


When I go and check on Annie at night, she is always laying in this exact position: no covers, head up near the front of the crib (usually embedded within her few dolls that are there).

When I pull her gently back (besides revealing the ever-present drool spot) she always, always does this in her sleep. It's kind of a stretch-like thing. She puts her hands to the side of her head and pushes her face right into the mattress. She stays there for just a bit too long, and you think she'll stay that way, . . . until she slowly turns her head back to the right.

More Cute Things (in a hectic day)

This is a sticker from the ENT office that sparked an amazing conversation! I know that Leia Rose is bright, but I was truly in awe of her today. (And I'm sorry to say the reason for all of this is probably The Little Einsteins TV show. Or perhaps I should quote Grandpa Joe from Willy Wonka: "What difference does it make where he got it. Point is, he got it.") Anyway, we were walking to the ball machine from the ENT office as Leia Rose was clutching her sticker. I took one look at it and asked some questions. The conversation went like this:

"Leia Rose, do you know what that is next to Ratatouille in that picture?"
"Yes, that's the Eiffel Tower."
"Wow, that's really good!"
"Do you know what country the Eiffel Tower is in?"
"Hmmmmm, . . . I think it's in France." [Should I push it further, I thought?]
"Okay, now this is a really hard one. Do you know what city in France the Eiffel Tower is in. It starts with a 'P.'"
"I know! It's in Paris!"

I was amazed! I told her that she deserved to go to the ball machine. (Did she know we were already on our way?) : )

To add to my already hectic day (and to complete my post about Leia), I had to go to a parent meeting at school tonight. It actually wasn't a chore at all. It was very freeing to go somewhere on my own at night. Such interesting conversations I had with a few of my friends there. Jessica's mom, Hollis, was there and said that "Leia and Jessica love each other like an old married couple." Ha! What an interesting description. Mrs. Sarah McDowell was there as well, although, no, we didn't talk about Africa tonight. : ) The biggest difference that I could tell was that many of the children are really young (early 3's), so field trips will be fewer and further between this year. The meat of the actual meeting went as always: be on time, make sure snacks are nutritious, make sure math beads don't get caught in your child's fanny crack, . . . . Wait, what was that last thing?!? Ha! Mrs. Schnell was just saying, "Lots of things in a Montessori classroom are very small and can easily fit in a pocket or . . . . Noelle, can I tell the story about Leia Rose?" My first response (after my initial surprise) was to say, "Which one?" So I already had everyone laughing. : ) The story was that last year, Leia was doing a math work with these little gold beads called "units." Well, she couldn't find one of the units. She looked all over and even told the teachers. She went through the rest of the day, but when it was time for bath at night, she took off her underpants and, lo and behold, there was the unit, sticking squarely in her butt crack! : ) She finally wiggled around and it dropped from her pants onto the ground. How she didn't feel it there all day, I'll never know! Anyway, we washed it (of course), put it in a little baggie, and sent it straight back! Ha!

Just had to mention this cute thing, too. Here is Annie drinking milk. And when Annie drinks milk, she looks to heaven as if she's seeing the Beatific Vision. : ) I think she looks just like one of those saints you see on holy cards. She must really love her milk! : )

And finally, I would title this video compilation "Mamma Stinker"! Which, ironically, has nothing to do with Annie's very potent intestinal flora. (That can be another story! Whew!) You know Annie has finally said, "Mamma." Well, she has been practicing, . . . but she doesn't like to be filmed. In fact, every single time I tried to tape her, she stopped saying it. Then she really got me. She got so tired of it that she actually, purposefully, said, "Da-da," just to get my goat! Little stinker! But later, at dinner, she said "Mamma" repeatedly. And, boy, does she look like a Cabbage Patch Kid or what? I told you she has been concentrating on folding her upper lip over the bottom one, . . . but I didn't know she'd look quite this much like Otis Lee. : )

Books, Bill of Health, & Ball Machine

So, Leia has been reading a book per day, but I've stopped documenting. (It was getting ridiculous.) But today was special because it was the first time she read two books in one day. It's still real work for her though, and she has been known to say, "Mom, reading really isn't fun." Hmmm, that comment means I'm not doing my job right. : ( Joy of learning, Noelle. Foster joy of learning.

We also went to visit the ENT today for Annie's follow-up to surgery, and Dr. Drake gave her a clean bill of health!!! In short, her eardrums looked perfect! Thank goodness for those little blue tubes. At the end of the appointment, I jokingly asked Dr. Drake, "Are you sure you can't make teeth come in faster, too?" Yes, that is why Annie was a bit uncomfortable today. Come to think of it, today was the grumpiest afternoon Annie has ever had. It is very definitely her teeth.

After the appointment, we took a look at the Children's Hospital ball machine. It is spectacular! And, as luck would have it, I taped a Mr. Rogers episode where Fred Rogers actually went to the factory where they are made! The ball machine is two stories tall and have so many moving parts, Annie was mesmerized!

But why talk about it when I can show you? I am SO sorry that I forgot again to keep the camera horizontal. I'm so used to turning it that way for pictures, it's hard for me to remember. So just tip your head and enjoy. : ) But at least this way you'll get to see some really cool aspects of the ball machine. And if you're ever in town, we'd be happy to take you to see it (and show you the Mr. Rogers episode, too). : )

"What did you do at school today, Leia?"

You know, I am just so excited this year when I pick Leia Rose up from school! You see, last year, when I asked the above question, Leia's answer was always, "I'm not going to tell you." And that was it. Even when I tried to be sneaky and ask specific questions like, "Did you do the hand washing work?" or "What kind of works did your friend Jessica do today?" The answer was still the same.

This year, she comes out running into my arms and flooding my ears with so much fun information that I can't remember it all to put it on the blog! (Yay!) I realized yesterday that I better have a sturdy pad and pencil in the car every day to write stuff down. So today, this is what I wrote (and from now on I think I'll do each school-post this way):

"I made a new friend today, Mamma! Her name is Jesse! There's also a little girl named Eva, and she is always very shy. I did the lego work with Jessica, and I danced with Jessica too, and I hugged her. When I did the CD work, I pressed the button two times, but it didn't come on, so I think another child did something wrong with the buttons because I had to get a teacher to help me. [What did you listen to on the CD's.] There were songs on them. I don't remember what they are, but one was "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." And Mrs. Schnell said we're not ready for new works yet because she saw some people carrying trays with one hand. That's not how we're supposed to do it. [Did you have 10 goldfish again today for snack?] No, today we had pretzels and apples! [What were you playing when you were in the studio at the end?] Oh, we were playing "Farmer in the Dell." [Were you the cheese, Leia, were you the cheese?] No, Price was the cheese. Price really wanted to be the cheese. I got to be "the child." [Oh, so you got to pick the dog, right?] No, the child picks the nurse. [Wow, how antiquated is this game?!?]

And then we sang "The Farmer in the Dell" together!

Alone Time with Annie at Last!!!

Annie's finally ready to explore her board books on her own. This is the absolute best set of learning board books ever! Real pictures and simple words. I love them all! I waited until she chose one, and then looked through it with her, naming objects/animals that she looked at. She wanted to be pretty independent with it, though, so I spent lots of time just watching.

"Annie, where's the block?"

"There it is!"

A word about this last fun game. Growing Child suggests the following developmental activity: "Sit down with baby and hide her toy two or three times beneath the same cover--let's say a hat--letting her take away the hat each time to get the toy. Now find another possible cover, like a pillow, and place it beside the hat. This time, with the toy in her full view, place the toy under the hat. As soon as the toy has disappeared, she will attempt to find the object--under the hat! . . . Thus, while the object is permanent, the permanence is associated rather rigidly with a particular covering, . . . while the simple act of pushing aside a cover shows baby knows the cause of her inability to see the object. Reinforce the cause and effect relationship by playing this game."

Annie did exactly what the book said she would do, although for us the familiar covering was a pillow and the new covering was a cup. The only other difference was I added signs.

Ah, the simple joys of banging bowls with a wooden spoon. Yet another age-appropriate task. ("If I hit these bowls with this spoon, then it makes a neat sound!") Great cause and effect teaching!!! : )

I have enjoyed the summer so much with both of my girls at home, but I wouldn't be telling the truth if I didn't say that I wasn't looking forward to having some alone time just with Annie. It seemed like so much of the summer she was just carted around where we needed to go, . . . and with Leia always wanting to play with me (which IS in itself a wonderful thing), I wasn't able to concentrate on Annie developmentally. I have two main books (Baby Play and Learn and Growing Child) that give such good ideas for wonderful games to play with a child during the first year. I used them daily with Leia, . . . and although I used them with Annie lots before school was out, I feel like this summer they were just collecting dust. Well, last night I whipped them both out and read what I needed to read to create some really fun games, . . . or just age-appropriate developmental fun-times. : ) Therefore, everything above (even the bowls and books) were not my idea, . . . but came from some really great resources! What would I do without my "how to's", . . . or my schedules/itineraries for that matter. : ) Quite honestly, I'm just not a good mom (or at least not as good of a mom) without them.

Christmas in August?!?

Mamma has been disgusted about the weather lately, . . . an August in the mid-nineties every day makes it really difficult to do any playing outside. So, . . . Mamma thought it would be fun today to have Christmas in August!

First we got ready! I put our homemade "Let it Snow" CD on, and Leia Rose got outfitted in her snow hat, mittens, and "scarf," complete with "snowsuit."

Then I put a changing pad cover on the bottom of our pull-sled, and Leia Rose and Annie went for a ride!

(A very long ride, I might add, complete with sled races. Exhausting for Mamma!)

Then it came time for a Christmas tradition: peppermint sticks!

Annie was very surprised to find that the thing she was sucking on actually had a taste!

Then we made some snow. (Yet another use for our snow cone machine.) Yes, Annie was pretty scared of the sound, . . . but whenever I looked at her with a smile on my face she was okay. We collected the snow in a great big metal bowl and started to explore!

I wish I could have taken a picture the very first time Annie touched the snow. It was the same face as a few months ago when I would change the kind food on her spoon, and not tell her. : )

And what became the favorite part of our snow exploration? Eating it!

But Leia Rose preferred hers via a dinosaur popsicle. : )

Then Annie went down for a nap, so Leia and I headed out to the garage for a good, old fashioned snowball fight!

Um, . . . Leia didn't like it when she got hit with one. A small tantrum ensued, . . .

. . . But don't worry, she got me back! What a way to end our Christmas in August!

MAMMA, Mesmerized, & More

Today Annie finally was able to say "Mamma"! : ) She said it once months ago, but that must have been a fluke (because she hasn't said it since). I knew it was coming because the last few days she's made a point to look at me and say, "Na-Na." So I knew she was trying. Today at lunch she looked right at me and put her top lip way down over her bottom one (like she was consciously trying to form the sound) and said, "Mmmmma-Mmmmma." I was overjoyed! And then by the end of the day she said it a few more times! I think it finally stuck!

This is a picture of Annie mesmerized. : ) What is she mesmerized by, you ask? The funniest thing! Move over Baby Einstein! Move over Elmo! Annie is mesmerized by the screen saver from our DVD player! (It makes the word "Apex" bounce back and forth on the screen, constantly changing its color.) This thing's better than Disney!

Leia had another nice day at school today. She did the block building work and the play doh work again. She also did the lima bean pouring work, . . . but she said she forgot the steps were there and tripped over them making the lima beans spill out everywhere. Poor little love! She also told me the new good morning song. Leia sang, "Good morning, good morning, good morning to you! Good morning, good morning, and how do you do?!?" I asked if they sang the "bird song" (that they used to sing when the clock signaled the hour by a bird call, that was last year), and she said they didn't. I asked Leia Rose how her shoes worked today and she said they didn't hurt at all! (Is it possible we won't have to buy new ones?!?) The sequins do get caught on the "strings" of the circle time rug, though. Yesterday, with the mention of getting new shoes, Leia was very upset, "But Mrs. McDowell and Mrs. Schnell and everyone love my new shoes!" Now if we can just keep them on her feet. : ) Then later today we learned more about school. (This later remembrance is always part of Leia's world in regards to school.) Suddenly at dinner tonight she said, "Did you know that a long time ago, people used to have to stop their car and get into a little box just to use a phone?" We laughed really hard, . . . of course she was talking about a phone booth. Are we really that old?!? And then, "And there are also these things that go by parked cars that you get a ticket if you aren't parked there." I think this one was describing a parking meter. Leia Rose said that these were flash cards that the teachers talked about at circle time. What a window into their world! : )

Now a word about Annie's teeth: Annie no longer hates tooth brushing. This is because I switched from using the regular nylon bristled toothbrush to a little finger brush that came with the Gerber toothpaste. I called the dentist just to make sure that was okay to use, they said, "Yes, . . . until she gets her molars. You could also use a damp washcloth." I tried both, but Annie definitely preferred the finger brush (mostly because she can really bite it, I suspect). I just didn't want to make her adverse to dental care at this young of an age, you know? Hating tooth brushing was a challenge I never had to deal with when Leia was a baby. Anyway, now both Annie and I can breathe a sigh of relief. : )

And I just need to end with the joy Annie feels when she hears her Lamby sing. (Oh yeah, and Annie has learned to press buttons, too!) . . .

Our First Real Hummingbird!

More About Africa

I just wanted to say how lucky it was to have found this book called Elizabeti's School about the little girl from Tanzania who goes to school for the first time. I am astounded by the comparison of the pictures in the book vs. the pictures from Mrs. McDowell's actual trip to Tanzania. Let me show you:

Dancing

You wouldn't know it from the pictures here, but the girls and I really had a rough day running millions of errands (after Leia got out of school). I told them we were going to have a really fun game before we left and that Leia could pick it. As always, she chose dancing to her (and Annie's) special "Morning Songs" CD that I made for them.

Now here's a picture that truly illuminates the joy of dancing for Annie and Leia. Annie posed in mid-guffaw, Leia prancing behind, picture blurred from all the movement. : )

There are two ways that Leia likes to dance with Annie. One is to both sit on the floor and hold hands. The other is for me to hold Annie with one arm (facing outward) with us both dancing around the room. Whenever Annie gets close to Leia she lets out a squeal of delight. Listen . . .

Our Little Hummingbirds

Here is Leia Rose before school this morning! Doesn't she look beautiful in her new dress and hat? Today Leia had another fun day at school. When she exited the classroom, she ran right to me and I threw my keys on the floor to catch her in an exuberant "jumpin' hug"! So fun! When I asked her what she did in school today, she said, "I did a doughnut." I had no idea what that meant. She finally explained that they did an imagination kind of game where they had to imagine they had a doughnut and what they wanted on it. She chose chocolate icing and sprinkles (of course). She also did a Block Building Work and sang a new good morning song. And she asked Mrs. Schnell about the first day of fall.

And here is our big project of the day: filling up our new hummingbird feeder with nectar! Leia Rose just loves to do projects like this.

And here's our new feeder on our back door. Now let's see if we get as many hummingbirds as we do regular birds. : )

And, silly me, I thought I should put a picture of this in as well. I just couldn't live without my Swivel Sweeper! I've had it for a really long time now. It's a parent's dream, . . . in that it picks up whole cheerios off the floor in bulk (along with dust and anything else). Then you just dump the little tray outside when you're done! No more vacuum spewing little bits of stuff back at my legs while I try to keep our wood floor clean! I love this thing!

We had such a fun dinner tonight with Daddy making really silly faces and Annie (who was adoring her milk at the time) would say, "Ah, ha ha ha! Daddy!" It was just so cute!

Sleeping with Kitties

Mrs. McDowell in Africa

I began the blog quite a few months after this saga began (and I plan to back-blog all about it if I can ever find the time), but I'll just do a little summary for those who don't know about this. . . .
Late last spring, Leia Rose's teacher, Sarah McDowell, asked for art donations to take on her trip to Africa this summer. Sarah and her husband, Gabriel, were planning to do humanitarian work: Sarah in the education/art aspect and Gabriel in the medical. I felt like this was yet another good opportunity to teach the girls about giving to children worldwide who were less fortunate than themselves. The greatest thing was, Leia had a hand in choosing every single art supply we donated. I also purchased a few appropriate children's books to keep for Leia and Annie to remember the event (and Leia wanted to read them again before the school year began in order to refresh her memory, I guess). Leia's most heartfelt donation was a packet of drawings/paintings with a picture attached to each one, so that some of the children would know who she was.

That said, I wanted to document more of our correspondence about this, . . . and reveal some incredible blog entries and pictures that say a lot. Here is my attempt to put this together:

7/07
Dearest Artgarden Families,

Greetings from Tanzania! Well it is hard to believe that I have already been here for one month but my husband Gabriel and I are just really having the most wonderful time. It is hard to know where to begin to try to paint an image of what our time has been like here so far but I have been thinking about you all quite a bit and thought an email was overdue. Since I have been here I have visited several different schools doing special days of guest teaching with children of all different ages and leaving behind large amounts of art supplies when I go. With each school I make sure to spend some extra time with the teachers to do some teacher training of how to use the materials that I am leaving and how to integrate more creative learning into their curriculums.

One of the schools that I have been closely working with actually has two Montessori trained teachers in the nursery school. I was totally amazed to talk to them and find that even though we had such different lives we had this common ground of teaching in our classrooms with the same principals and using the same materials. But when I saw the poor condition of the materials or the fact that almost all of them from the number rods to the continent puzzle maps were made by hand by the teachers I had to fight back tears. Chipped and cracked their pink tower only stands five blocks tall now and many of the works are made out of cardboard. Here as a part of your teacher training you learn how to make all of the materials yourself and many of the ones I saw were quite impressive. I am really hoping that in the future this school can be the recipient of older materials that we are ready to retire at Artgarden but would be ever so valued here in Tanzania.

All of the schools that I have visited, whether public, private, or religiously run have very few resources. Some floors are cement, others are simply dirt. Some have chalkboards on the wall and others are just leaned against the wall or on the floor. Many have desks but in others the children just sit on the floor. None of the schools have electricity or glass in the windows. But in all schools the children are fed at least lunch if not breakfast also. This alone is a wonderful thing about schools here.

Aside from the visiting that I have been doing to nearby schools I have also been working with a nearby orphanage that is about a twenty minute walk from our house and the clinic where my husband is working. The journey to get to the orphanage is really one of the highlights of my time here. It is all on small dirt roads and paths through mud hut neighborhoods. With no street signs or sidewalks, my landmarks to find my way have become certain small fruit stands in people’s front yards or different outcroppings of large granite boulders that dot the landscape in this area. The whole walk people yell out to me with greetings and the amazement of a white person walking through their neighborhood.

Sorry that the file was so big but I wanted to include the photos that are below. The first is from a nursery school that I made paper butterflies with. The second is one of the classrooms in a nearby orphanage that I made play dough with. The last photo is of what remains of the Pink Tower in a nursery school that I visited.

Thank you once again to one and all for contributing to the art supplies that I brought over here. The children and teachers have been so delighted. It will allow so many of the teachers to do more expansive work with the children who are all so creative but lack the resources to do so. In the end I brought over 250 colored pencils, 500 colored pens, 50 pairs of scissors, 40 glue sticks, 500 sheets of colored construction paper, over 1000 crayons, and so much more! I hope that all of you are enjoying a wonderful summer, you have all been in my thoughts.

Much love to you all,
Sarah McDowell

8/07

Here's another little exchange about the art supplies and Leia's pictures included:

Noelle: You'll have to let me know what any of the kids said about Leia Rose's personal notes/pictures from the packets. I wonder if they were interested, . . . or just shrugged them off? Just wondering.
Sarah: The pictures from Leia Rose were a really big hit by the way. Jessica had also done the same thing and also with little photos attached and they were really enjoyed. I ended up bringing one with me to each classroom that I visited and giving it to the class along with a package of art supplies and all of the classes put them up on their walls as permanent art for their classrooms. The director of the program that I was working with was so moved by them that she has kept the rest to display in the rooms of children who are hospitalized in the clinic which I thought was really touching. Now when kids are hospitalized they will receive one of the art packets that I put together with all of your help and then when they look at the walls of their room they will see a picture made by another child across the world who helped make their art packets possible. I thought it was really sweet!

And now a post or two from Sarah McDowell's own blog (with permission), my few words are in brackets:

While in Tanzania I visited several different schools doing special days of guest teaching with children of all different ages and leaving behind large amounts of art supplies when I went. With each school I made sure to spend some extra time with the teachers to do some teacher training of how to use the materials that I left and how to integrate more creative learning into their curriculums.

One of the schools that I worked with actually has two Montessori trained teachers in the nursery school. I was totally amazed to talk to them and find that even though we had such different lives we had this common ground of teaching in our classrooms with the same principals and using the same materials. But when I saw the poor condition of the materials or the fact that almost all of them from the number rods to the continent puzzle maps were made by hand by the teachers I had to fight back tears.

[Not part of the Montessori materials, of course, but just as heart-wrenching. These are all of the children's toothbrushes outside to dry. There's no running water inside, and they brush their teeth at school because (I'm guessing) they don't have the resources at home.]

Chipped and cracked their pink tower only stands five blocks tall now and many of the works are made out of cardboard. Here as a part of your teacher training you learn how to make all of the materials yourself and many of the ones I saw were quite impressive. . . .

I am really hoping that in the future this school can be the recipient of older materials that we are ready to retire at the school that I teach at but would be ever so valued here in Tanzania.

All of the schools that I visited, whether public, private, or religiously run have very few resources. Some floors are cement, others are simply dirt. Some have chalkboards on the wall and others are just leaned against the wall or on the floor. Many have desks but in others the children just sit on the floor. None of the schools have electricity or glass in the windows. But in all schools the children are fed at least lunch if not breakfast also. This alone is a wonderful thing about schools here. So please enjoy another little slide show of images from my visit to the Montessori class in Mwanza.


[Here's Sarah making Stained Glass Pasta Beads with the children.]

[Here the children are lined up for porridge. You can see the cement floor really well in this picture.]

[And now to end with the great JOY that Sarah McDowell brought into the lives of these children . . .]