Sensory Details

To do:

practice the xylophone
make "throws" for the parade tomorrow
grade papers
lesson plan
add glittery birds and feathers to our hats
make flyers
take a nap before Lily's burlesque show.

Not bad for Friday afternoon.


Today we worked on sensory details. I took them outside and we isolated senses to heighten our descriptive powers. It was very Fairhaven, and very fun.

Here's some of my notes:
We walk down the stairs. Footsteps shuffle. Some kids hop. Ms. Sharon has her hands in her pockets. Her job at the moment is to stand at the bottom of the stairs. She reminds two students to wear their IDs correctly around their necks.
As we exit, you can hear the breathing get louder.
One student kicks another.
Outside, students cluster around an ant pile, which B stepped on and now is host to about a million fire ants rushing around like static. Others gather around some old tire tracks. They investigate. One picks up a dirty t-shirt laying next to an old bolt. About seven Skittles wrappers lay on the dead grass right beside a spot where bright yellow flowers have popped up.
Walking back to the class the shhh-ing is louder than the talking was. We are a wobbly line. K is dancing with her knees going in and out, which makes her look like she's on roller skates. S is dragging a pen against the lockers, that are a sort of fish-belly-brownish pink.
We return to the class and they write more steadily than they have all year.
My feet are tired. But I'm excited.