Kingfisher Wrapped in Paperbark

Back to a normal school day today I thought after a mountain climb and a Fun Activities Sports Day last week......

A child came running up to me 'Quick Lynne, he's dug up the kingfisher!'

Sure enough, the small kingfisher that had been found dead last Friday and lovingly enterred in the earth then decorated with flowers and a small twig fence to mark the spot, was now lying still in Buzz's open hand, it's beautiful feathers dusty yet vibrant.

'Why did you dig it up?' asked one child in obvious dismay.

'I wanted to see what it looked like' was the calm reply. Of course.

Several children gathered and examined the bird which was then re-interred back into it's hole in the ground.

Later that day, in the Indonesian lesson, I told the children about a friend of mine who had written about a burial she went to in a small village in Bali. The special and very sacred ceremony of it all....the priest saying prayers for the spirit of the grandmother, the sprinkling of the holy water, flowers placed over the eyes, ears and mouth, offerings woven from palm leaves, the careful wrapping of the body in a special white silk cloth with yellow silk ties and finally the wrapped body placed in a specially woven grass mat tied around with strong fibres.

The children were fascinated.

'That's SO nice Lynne!' was one boy's comment.

Children of this age are naturally imitative.

At lunchtime when I returned from my lunch break a cluster of children around the resting place of the buried kingfisher caught my eye. One child was sprinkling water from his cup over the bird's resting place and singing quietly, others were solemnly placing flowers and twigs to mark the spot. The Balinese priest's bell from our classroom was quickly collected and brought back for the 'ceremony at the temple.'

'We dug the kingfisher up again Lynne!' was the happy remark from the water sprinkler.

'Now, I really think that it is time to leave that bird in the earth and.......' I began, when a voice cut in, 'we got some paperbark from the tree and wrapped up it's body and tied it with grass and we have just finished burying it.'

'I think it's spirit is happy now' added another child 'just like my dad'.

This child's father passed away, very sadly, four years ago.

The wisdom of letting children do what needs to be done...and getting out of the way so they can do it.

Spring Silkworms and a Fair

Silkworms have come around again.

Cycles of nature are so reassuring in our world of constant change.

The mulberry tree outside our classroom moves and sways with it's branches full of children gathering silkworm food. Sometimes, like today, I am sure I can hear it groaning. Goodnaturedly, it continues to bear it's load of sap-green leaves, slowly ripening fruit and multitudes of children, gathering. Occasionally a child tells me that they have found 'a really ripe one'. But I don't believe them. And I have stopped telling children that green mulberries are not good for their tummies. All that swaying around up there in the sky-high leafy greenness counteracts the effects of unripe mulberries. Or that is what the mulberry fairies tell me.

Boxes of silkworms and leaves come to school each morning. This morning we had a box with a Queen and many King silkworms. The kings are smaller I have been told.

'They feel so soft when they crawl across your nose Lynne. Do you want to try?' I am asked by the owner of the Queen and Kings. I decline graciously. But perhaps tomorrow my nose will be ready.....

The budgerigars are back too. Lily, the green and yellow male now has a friend, the beautiful blue female Luke. 'Lily...the boy, Luke....the girl?' I ask the owner who is sitting up in the mulberry tree at Recess while Lily and Luke perch happily on a small branch in the tree. 'Yes, well, because we already had called the boy Lily we thought it was best to even it out and call the new girl Luke.' Of course.

The children knit happily at any moment of the day, counting rows, stitches, colours and measuring the length of their scarves. At lunchtime most of the children were sitting with their knitting, either outside around the lunch table or laying back in the quilt and cushion corner in the classroom bamboo knitting needles flashing.

Four boys sat happily in the cushion corner, talking about life, while the wool wound in and out 'In through the front door, running round the back, peeping through the window and off jumps Jack.'

It makes me smile when I see them. They look so comfortable and content. They help each other, tying knots when the wool colour changes, suggesting which colour would look best next, advising on holes and missed stitches.

This morning we began a new 3 week lesson with a focus on 'Local Geography'. The children have moved desks into their new groups. One child told me happily that she has all her best friends in her new group and another said that every child in the class was her best friend.

We learnt that the word 'geography' is very old. 700 years old in fact. An ancient Greek word that means 'earth writing'.

Tomorrow we will do our first field trip and see at first hand the physical geography of our beautiful local area. A 2 hour climb up the local high point 'Mount Chincogan'. And back down again.

And the golden moments continue........

Me preparing the class for our painting lesson:

'OK Class 1, get everything off ready for painting.' (referring to removing the crayon box from the desk)

Child

'Do we need to take ALL our clothes off Lynne?'

Last week we completed two days of 'Bike Skills' with our PDHPE instructor Chris from the High School. Lots of fun and some interesting challenges! And after the cross country ride around the borders of our large school campus the children arrived back at the classroom sweating, hot, happily tired and definitely inspired.

And to end our week, on Saturday after a cancelled start the Shearwater Spring Fair got underway.......and what a delight.

Gardens and Dragons in Children's Artwork

A few of the jewels that tumble out of creative minds and artistic hands in class 1