Building nests together
Opal School has a long relationship with Alise Shafer Ivey and Pedagogical Institute of Los Angeles. We’ve admired and contributed to the important work that they’ve led with teachers in Los Angeles and Nest centers serving young refugees in Greece, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and, now, the US/Mexico border. Here, we offer insights […]
Becoming Who I Am
What is the lifelong value of an exceptional early childhood learning environment?
A treasury of video resources
As this school year comes to a close, many of you are on the verge of having more flexible schedules – allowing some new viewing time. Readers at this site might not be aware of all the resources being posted on our companion site. In case you’ve been missing them, here are a few videos […]
Working on Whiteness
Have you read the book Not My Idea by Anastasia Higgenbotham? Several weeks ago, Anastasia dropped by Opal School to speak with the 4th and 5th graders in our Willow classroom. She joined us there to talk to us about whiteness. The children were ready for her.
The rights of bugs
One of our goals for all students in our school is to take action as mindful citizens who care about making contributions to a future that acknowledges living systems as an integrated whole. We want every child to know, as we do, that their unique ways of being offer essential ideas and strategies which deepen […]
Materials In All Phases of The Writing Process
The kindergarten and first grade children in Cottonwood have been preparing to publish stories about characters that they invented and developed over time. These characters include hummingbirds, snapping turtles, crabs, ladybugs, deer, a peach, many different kinds of owls, and even a hiker named “Mikey Hikey.” In the early stages of writing, the children were […]
Questions as invitations to play
It’s always a treat to have posts written by guest authors! This one is written by Ben Mardell, Principal Investigator at Project Zero. It is co-posted on the Pedagogy of Play blog. The related sketch-note is by Ellen Reid who found herself paying attention to questions as she participated in this week’s Study Tour of […]
Windows into Perspective-Taking
What we heard from the dialogue is that the children perceived the windows as a distraction to their work. What we did not hear was the children thinking about the possible perspective of the guests of the other people that might have an opinion about this situation.
designing for tension
“The most frustrating, agonizing part of creative work, and the one we grapple with every day in practice, is our encounter with the gap between what we feel and what we can express.” -Stephen Nachmanovitch, Free Play In my own experience as a writer, I know there is a gap between what I feel and […]
Crossing the River: Recreating Scenes from Literature with PE Challenges
“… the chiefs decided to make the crossing late in the day…. Ollocot sent out rafts loaded with the things we had saved… The old women, the old men, and the children were placed on rafts and lashed down. Babies in cradleboards were strapped to their mothers backs. One end of a stout rope was […]