ECOLECLAIRE FONTAINE DECEMBER 2017
352 West m in st er Ave. Ven ice 90291 (310) 314-9976 laclair ef on t ain e.or g
CO N T EN T S
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Cal en d ar Bi r th d ay s W h at W e ar e Read i n g W or k i n g Toget h er Bak i n g ou r Cake Bask i n g i n M u si c Pai n ti n g M i r รณ W h al e Bon es & W h i sker s Totem Pr oject W eav i n g Cr eati on K i n d n ess Ch ess & A r ch i tectu r e Si gn s of th e Season Ad ver ti se w ECF
CA L EN D A R
D ec 2, Sat 11am - 5p m L os A n gel es Accu ei l H ol i d ay Bou t i qu e @A K Cam p u s D ec 2, Sat 6p m Ven i ce Si gn L i gh ti n g D ec 3, 11am - 6p m H ol i d ay Str ol l & Sn ow D ay on A bbot K i n n ey Blvd D ec 4- 8 A K Par en t -Teach er Con f er en ces D ec 12- 14 CC Par en t-Teach er Con f er en ces D ec 19, 11am H an n u k ah Cel ebr ati on 11am , ch i l d r en on ly D ec 21, n oon CC & 12:30 A K D ecem ber Bi r th d ay Cel ebr at i on D ec 22, 5- 7p m W i n t er Cel ebr ati on D ec 25- Jan 1 Sch ool CL O SED W i n ter Br eak
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BI RT H D AYS The children will celebr ate December bir thdays with their school family on the 21st at 12:30 (CC) & 1pm (AK) by singing together and shar ing a school- made treat.
Happy Birthday Beatr ice, Chr istian, Dany, Eleni, Fennel, Jack, Xavier
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What We're Reading
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Giving, Fables & Fantasy The children are explor ing stor ies of Indigenous Peoples' lives and devoting themselves to the pr actice of shar ing abundance... and enjoying the fantasy of pr inces and pr incesses. While collecting backpacks for un- housed children and the necessities to fill them, read a donated Dr. Seuss book, Oh, the Places You'll Go leading to a discussion of children's bountiful imaginations and what we are all thankful for.
Latest Additions to the ECF Libr ar y Adrien le Lapin, Antonin le Poussin, Barnabé le Scarabée, Bécassine A la Mer, Belle la Coccinelle, Camille la Chenille, César le Lézard, Chloé l?Araignée, Frédéric le Moustique, Hugo l?Asticot, Huguete la Guêpe, La Vie d?une Reine, Leave it to Herbert (The Electrical Mouse), Loulou le Pou, Madeline?s Christmas, Moby Dick (retold), Poemes pour Affronter le Beau Temps, Siméon le Papillon, Solange la Mésange, This is the World: a Global Treasury, We Came to America
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Working Together While
a child's job is to create, lear n and play, there was much to be done for the school par ty: cr afting boats, tepees and Totems, reading about Thanksgiving, prepar ing the campus and husking the cor n! Ecole Claire Fontaine?s children banded together to prepare for the annual sit- down Thanksgiving potluck. Instead of being distr acted to allow time for the staff to prepare, the children were allowed to pitch in by moving fur niture, sweeping tidying projects and toys, and hanging decor ations. 8
Presented with a simple directive: ?We need to get this school ready for our par ty," the response was telling. When the children were allowed their own agency to take owner ship of their campus, they stepped up with pr ide. ?I LOVE to work,? a young child announced, still moving, children?s chair s stacked in his ar ms. A special round table, with a plant and two chair s, was nestled beautifully under a staircase, the handiwork of another child in school that day. When we allow children to work alongside us, to ser ve instead of being ser ved, they are able to gain a new sense of agency because they see how much respect and tr ust is being shown them.
The role of children as equal member s of our community is elevated when we honor their work and welcome them as a par t of our s. In the same way a child does not want his dr awing, imaginative play or singing to be inter r upted, so it goes with par ty prepar ations. ?I can?t talk now, Mother, I?m working.? At Ecole Claire Fontaine, the children love taking owner ship and responsibility for their beautiful school.
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Baking with flour & fr uit
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Baking
what they eat is par t of the children's lives at l'Ecole. They are proud of prepar ing the gâteau de la semaine for their goÝter and bir thday celebr ations. The children are able to develop life- long confidence in their ability to grow and prepare their own food.
Oatmeal Cupcakes 5 cups rolled oats 2 ½ cups over- r ipe mashed banana 1 tsp salt 5 tbsp honey 2 1/3 cups water ¼ cup + 1 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil 2 ½ tsp pure vanilla extr act
We can do it! The youngest baker s choose flavor s to add: cinnamon, shredded coconut, ground flax, wheat ger m, or dr ied fr uit. Preheat oven to 380 F, and line 24- 25 cupcake tins. In a lar ge mixing bowl, combine all dr y ingredients and stir ver y well. In a separ ate bowl, combine and stir all wet ingredients (including banana). Mix wet into dr y, then pour into the cupcake liner s and bake 21 minutes. Cool until tomor row so they will not stick to the liner s. Recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie
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We Make Music! M usic
sparks imagination and boosts intelligence. Lear ning to play an instr ument improves language acquisition and reading skills, notes a recent USC study. The children bask in its kindness, the silly and the ser ious. In Music Appreciation class children either choose or are introduced to a composer they love and study their life and works. Dancing, har p, hor n, piano and singing are par t of a mellifluous school day.
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Young painter s study Joan Mirรณ in the garden dur ing
Ar t Appreciation class
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H aving noticed that the Spanish painter often used shapes outlined in a dark color, the children took their canvases outside.
?It?s a per fect time with all of the shadows.?
In the fashion of Miró, some painted the background fir st and other s began by finding a shadow from a placed object, toy or tree. After tr acing the shape of the shadow, the young ar tists filled in their own lines, dedicating themselves to the detailed work. The results, hanging in Bâtiment C on the Abbot Kinney Campus, are stunning. 15
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C O L O R S S H A D O
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W S & S H A P E S 17
Whale Bones & Whisker s
I n Oceanogr aphy
class, students investigate whale bones, "Long and smooth!" and whisker s, "They're so tickly!" The whisper y br ush and cur ved bone are among the same pieces that add to the ambiance of the annual reading of Moby Dick, hosted at the Breakwater by ECF teacher Tim's Venice Oceanar ium. Lucky students get to hold "real bones!" at the reading, and dr aw pictures of sea creatures. An or nate ship sits in the sand, kid copies of the Melville classic nearby. Children join in the search for the great whale as the unknown questions of the world rest among childhood spir ituality and their search for the meaning of life and their place in it. "Who am I, Where am I, Why am I?" The unknowable is searched for aboard the Pequod on the open sea. For details about the annual reading and the new Venice Oceanarium Pavilion project on the Pier, visit www.veniceoceanarium.org. 18
From Whiskers on Whales, a Remnant of Terrestrial Origins :
Humpback whales have knobby protuber ance on their rostr ums and under their jaw where they have whisker- like hair s connected to a dense network of ner ves. The exact function of these vibr issae is unclear but it is believed that they help dur ing feeding or in navigation.
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Pr acticing the Ar t and Philosophy of
making use of what we have and keeping waste out of landfills.
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The
children joined the
"Non Toxic Revolution" with the Totem
Project .
They painted bags of soft cotton and built a char acter named "Totem" using recycled cardboard and cor n. Students are lear ning to make use of all of the par ts of our har vest for beauty, compost, fashion and food. Cor n husks decor ated painted paper rolls, the silken thread was as soft as br aided hair. A child presented the tips of the green beans he had prepared for lunch and proposed, "Let's put these in the compost bin." At ECF the children help tur n the compost ever y month, speeding up the process of creating dense nutr ients for soil - recycled food and ver y happy wor ms. With the new compost nearly ready, our plants will soon be offered a ceremonial compost "tea."
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Weaving
I n Embroider y class with Geor gina the children weave tapestr y, patiently pulling in, out, through. For this they use finger s.
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The work of weaving takes weeks of a steady conver gence of attention and skill. For sewing they use thick, plastic needles as br ight as their weaving yar n. 23
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Concentr ation & Creation A work of ar t elevates the imagination, soul and world. Paint held in a shell, glue and leaves from a tree...
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A season to share abundance and kindness. Children listen and watch the world around them, finding their place and impor tance. We take their work ser iously, as it is a great contr ibution to all of our lives.
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Playing Chess around
the latest creation made in Architecture class, : "Look, look, look it's Le Maison Blanche!" Explor ing Amer ican histor y, young architects also built the Mayflower.
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Painting the fallen br anches of autumn & geometr y add to the Signs
jumping the patter ns of hopscotch
of the Season in this school of fr iends.
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A D V ERT I SE
W IT H
ECF
Cr afts & Carols, the Lighting of a Sign... signals of a season happy and sublime
Play in the Snow in Venice!
Or ganic Produce Boxes G2 Galler y "Designed Environment" on display now After 10 years G2 is closing on Dec 23rd - nature & wildlife photography ON SALE 30
1503 Abbot Kinny Blvd
Weekly Deliver y
Los Angeles Accueil
Holiday Boutique Shop at ECF's Abbot Kinney Campus, Saturday, Dec 2nd, 11am - 5pm
Music School for Children @Ecole Claire Fontaine's Camper Campus with Teacher
Freder ic Michot
Piano, Guitar, Dr um Set, Ukulele, Recorder Weekdays after 6pm & weekends freder icmichot@yahoo.com (310) 691- 3608
The Toad Pr ince Puppet Show Tear s of Joy Theatre in Santa Monica Dec 6th 6:30pm Tr ue beauty is found within the kindness we show and accept from other s 31
Joyeux Noël & Bonne Année
©EcoleClaireFontaine2017