Stories
Told
Retold
Enfold
Unfold
Over Time
Stories, an ancient art of teaching
Please join us…
Gather around our fire to enjoy the tales…
In the time of the ancients, the bonfire was a signal to travelers, often under dark, night skies. It was a beacon that lured them to warmth, sustenance, and camaraderie. While fire warmed the body, stories nourished the soul. Around the flames, visitors told stories of their journey and hosts shared tales of the paths beyond their own village.We all stand a little taller and straighter when we meet "the other" and share our stories, not to create a recipe, but to set out with others on new adventures, pushing boundaries and charting new water. Instructive, illustrative, inspiring, illuminating, inciting… Stories allow us to re-see ourselves, to select the “best” and accentuate the details that draw in the audience and play at the edges of their own imaginations. Stories offer an expansive world!In curriculum development, stories differ from recipes… Recipes assume the use of the same measured ingredients and conditions. They require replication for a consistent result, assessed in a specific manner. Stories are meant to evolve and shift, to encompass the possibilities of now, new ingredients, unusual and untried environments, with fresh eyes and appreciation. Stories become culinary surprises and allow the chef to draw from traditions and combine novel, local elements.We document our work to share with others. We believe that this place, with its public-school roots and independent wings, can be a model for others who share foundational values. Be our guests, take an ember, a story, and enjoy the fare.
Entrancing Entrances
Theater Studies
2013: We welcomed Sarah and James, two local actors, helping us with American history content. Over a couple of months, our scholars worked on political science, taking advantage of the the recent election, working through the system of checks and balances, and learning about the path form our original colonies […]
Read MoreMay Day 2016
On Monday, we enjoyed five different soups, as is our pajama May Day custom now… We unveiled three new sculptures, purchases made and displayed to encourage our own artists to examine new media possibilities, along with the idea of sustained attention to layers and embellishments. One clay sculpture comically sits […]
Read MoreCam and Push Rod
The Cam and Push–Rod Challenge We are using a time period of history as the context for our camand push rod system. Foreground, middleground, and background are back in our vocabulary. (The middleground is where the action takes place with the movement of the vertical rod.) The entire set design must be researched for authenticity. Each of our designer-engineers […]
Read MoreMini-Beasts
Arachnids, insects, true bugs… oh my! Cheryl and the Bug Chicks, Jess and Kristie, really opened our world to the miniatures that crawl on our floors, hang in webs, are birthed from egg sacks, and fly… metamorphosis and life cycles amaze us! We love the tickly sensations of the critters […]
Read MoreCats Production with NW Children’s Theater
Creating Dance!
Blurry, whirling images. They somehow capture a spirit that shines in the children as they dress up, create new dances with each other, and use music and movement to celebrate the important passages of the school. Friendship, trust, joy… Abby and Johnson swirled in a new free-dance spin in the […]
Read MoreA Fairy House Appears on the Grounds
Fall Leaves!
We love having our own space! Our garden needed to be tucked in for the winter sleep. Our play-space required raking. While we were serious about the cleanup. Our playful natures pulled us into raking games and piles of leaves! Giggle fits and song! “Pinnate,” “palmate,” “parallel” vein structures, “smooth,” […]
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