The Little School on Vermijo

Today, we listened to Sheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov, and attempted to write what we saw/felt/thought/imagined.   Sometimes music can help us access places within us that even we were not aware of.  Music can draw out words and images and stories.

And since I am reading One Thousand and One Nights to the kids, I figured that a selection of music from Sheherazade would be most appropriate.

Seeing Sophia’s amazing poem in print inspired me to write mine here.  This is the revised and edited version of words that flowed out of my mind and through my pencil while listening to Sheherazade.

blue veils

blue ocean

blue mysteries

a world long gone

a ship with white sails bobs up

& down up

& down until

it reaches the shore safely, Pacifcally, finally

harbor home

the tempest a long-ago-once-upon-a-time memory

the hustle of the market forgotten from so much time at sea

women, children, vendors, dust, viands, buyers, sellers

this earthly madness assaults his senses

until-

he spies a girl

with blue sails

blue mysteries

bobbing up

& down up

& down

calling calling calling him onward

and he follows her veils

away from the seaside stench into dark alleys with darker corners

and secret tales

and he forgets to be afraid

The original writing went on for a bit more… there was something about the sun coming out, a rainbow, and some lines about how following this girl was like trying to chase down the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow: pointless.  But after I typed “and he forgets to be afraid”, I just knew that the poem had to stop there.  It was done.

After it was done, I made a few final edits, word deletions, word changes, and BAM!  It hit me.  I realized that I had a poem about King Shahryar.  And I didn’t even know it.

Heyo people!

Today, My post is about the new girl in LSV, my school!

Her name is Mikayla, and now that she is definitely staying in LSV, I finally have a girl with me!

She’s very energetic, playful, fun, and funky!

She is a very hard working little girl!!!!!!!!

Sometimes, she doesn’t turn around……

And, like me, she can be a real oddball!

I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

-Sophia

And now….. your host……. Alex Trebek!
Here’s LSV’s version of Jeopardy, with Carl Sagan, a Giant Chicken, and a Benedictine Monk named Bob!
Enjoy!

Already, Alpha Quadrant has come and gone. For some reason, it’s been difficult to begin blogging this year. I don’t really have any excuses, except that the times I actually have to sit and reflect are few and far between these days.

Alpha Quadrant’s grand finale included presentations of Haskell solar systems, several musical solos, and an absolutely hilarious Jeopardy skit with Carl Sagan, a Giant Chicken, and a Benedictine Monk as the contestants. If I can get the video loaded, I’ll post a small portion for you to watch…

Now we have finished our study of Astronomy, Gardening and Cooking, and Music, and we are embarking upon an eight-week journey of Language Arts and Medieval Arts. Hoping to get in some sword play, juggling, calligraphy, illuminated letters, knitting, weaving, chainmail, and dancing before Beta Quadrant ends.

Because leaving our viewers hanging for the blogging off-season I think is somewhat discourteous, I hereby announce an official Summer Standstill. No new posts will be published until the schoolyear is back in session, nor will any blog maintenance will be administered. Before Summer Standstill takes its toll, let it be known that The Little School is alive and well, though currently hibernating, and is going to enroll several new students in the fall as well as re-enroll two prior students. Lead teacher Sue Spengler no doubt has a myriad of new plans for the new year. Enjoy your summer and see you soon!

They come together
Huddled in the heat
Pecking at shoes
constantly cheeping, eating, squeaking
tiny beaks nibbling on synthetic fiber
Chirping tiny little cheeps
Pecking at everything within reach
and swarming at the food
Happy as can be
and one is unique
still happy, but parted from the rest, though same in spirit
and even the insane in spirit peck at the amusements
of life even if they don’t understand it

Thanks to Henry, age three, who provided us with the first line this time.  Half of the baby chicks will grow up to be dinner, but we know now that that is normal, natural, and good.

This lovely morning rain
Glistening wet drops
fall in glorious precipitation
small clear drops
of beautiful rain from the sky
but the rain turned to hail
hail that beat upon the weary
Weary feet clomping along the dusty road
Sore backs bent under heavy loads
Misery, Drudgery, Slogging through
Muddy Roads to a destination unknown
An old tree by the side of the road
a nice place to sleep

Thanks to Mr. Price Strobridge, who visited us at LSV yesterday, and gifted us with his random facts, childlike spirit, and amazing poetry.  Before he departed, he left us with the first line of a poem, and explained how to write two lines, then fold the paper so only the last line shows.  Then you pass it to the next person and he/she writes two lines off of the one they can see, and then folds the paper over again so only the last line is showing.  And so on, and so on…  Therefore, our poem has 13 lines; the first one that Price wrote, and then two lines from each of the LSVers.

Delta Quadrant begins! In our new quadrant we will be drawing, planting, dissecting, and painting. This unfourtunatly will be our last quadrant. Of all the four, the last two are going to turn out to be the best two! With music in the last quadrant, we had a lot of fun, and with biology in this one, it’s going to be fun as well!

4est

Ok, so this is quite a bit of reading, and I should have given it to you before our Quadrant Shavasana, but we were so focused on finals and the concert that it got pushed to the back burner. Now, however, it is front and center!

Your assignment: Read all of the following articles.  Broken down, that’s only two a day for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  They all deal with different facets of genetic testing.

Will you understand ALL of every article? Probably not, and that’s ok. Will you understand SOME of it? Most likely, yes! Will there be one or two really interesting points that stick in your mind, that you can pull out during our “Qualifying Problem” on Wednesday? DEFINITELY YES! So read with that idea in mind. Try to figure out the main idea, and find the points that make you go, “Oh, wow, that’s so cool!”, or “OMG! Really?!”, or “Hmmm… that’s interesting….”

Here they are; each number is a link to an article.  And yes, I know the numbers aren’t in order… it’s a long story, don’t ask. 

1
2
4
6
7
8
9
11

See you on Tuesday!  Remember to bring your Drawing supplies!  We will be walking to Chris’s studio first thing Tuesday morning.  Can’t wait!