A BEAUTIFUL WORLD
Thank you note from a North Kingstown 5th grader.
Last month, I had the opportunity to facilitate nature mandala workshops for three fifth grade classes in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. It was so fun to work with this age group and witness the amazing mandalas they created.
Going into it, I knew that they would be fairly large classes with about twenty students in each session. I also knew that we only had about an hour for each class. The plan was to give a short talk, show some of my photographs, create individual nature mandalas, and then allow time for discussion. That is a lot to accomplish in that short amount of time. So in my prep time, planning to be as efficient as possible, I asked myself, "What the most important message?" Yes, we will briefly talk about symmetry and design in nature. Yes, we will talk about respect for materials and each other. To me, however, the most important message that I could try to convey to these young hearts is the realization that there is so much beauty in the ordinary world all around them. Actually, that is the universal message for any age group!
I so appreciated the art teacher who went to great effort to make these classes happen. Everything went so smoothly and the students' circles were amazing. They seemed to get the message about paying attention to the beauty all around them. A short time later, I got to read the thank you notes that the kids wrote, like the one above. I can't tell you how touched I was. They got it! Honestly, I don't think it gets much better than this!
Totem Cards are Back Online
I have eight different totem cards available online. Nautilus, Nuthatch, Turtle, Goldfinch, Daisy, Clover, Sunflower, and Magpie. Each card is blank inside with my personal thoughts of what each totem animal or totem plant might represent on the back. See them here.
Upcoming Workshops!
I am so excited to be facilitating Eco-Art Wellness Workshops at several locations including Blithewold Mansion and Arboretum (Bristol, RI), New England Botanic Garden (Boylston, MA), Osamequin Farm (Seekonk, MA) one at Berkshire Botanical Garden (Stockbridge, MA). Each workshop is designed around a specific topic with space for positive exploration and support from nature and each other.
I am also offering a very different workshop at Osamequin Farm in June. Participants at "In the Presence of Trees" will have the opportunity to create some land art with mandalas in a New England pine grove! Find more information and links to register here!
Festivals and Markets!
From now through the end of the year, I will be showing at festivals almost every weekend in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina. See my regularly updated schedule and find out what I will be bringing to each of these markets here!
Not close to you? You can always shop online here!
Want to support my thinking, writing, and creating time? Consider buying me a cup of coffee here . . . https://www.buymeacoffee.com/adoette .
Comments