ECOLECLAIRE FONTAINE JANUARY 2018
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 p3 p4 p6 p7 p8 p 12
Cal en d ar Bi r th d ay s Cel ebr ati n g W i n ter L on g L i ve W i n d D eep Roots L es A n i m au x
p 14 p 16 p 17 p 18 p 20 p 21 p 22
Car r ot Sou p Car n ati on s Stay i n g H y d r at ed Ci r cu i t Bu i l d i n g N ew D ay s Gal ette d es Roi s Ad ver ti se w ECF
CA L EN D A R
Jan 5, Fr i 4p m L e Goรป t er d e l a Gal ette d es Roi s - Ch i l d r en O n ly Jan 11, T h u 12:30 CC / 1p m A K Bi r t h d ay Cel ebr ati on s Ch i l d r en O n ly Jan 15, M on SCH O O L CL O SED M ar t i n L u th er K i n g, Jr D ay Save the Date: Family Day May 11, Gr aduation AK June 15, CC June 21
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BI RT H D AYS
Happy Birthday
Eitan, Emil, Hastings, Mar ton, Ryu, Vivian Bir thdays are celebr ated amongst fr iends and teacher s at Ecole Claire Fontaine, while shar ing a school- made treat. This month we honor Januar y bir thdays on Thur sday, Jan 11th, at 12:30 on Camper Campus and 1pm Abbot Kinney Campus. 4
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Celebrating Winter
This month we honor the coziness that comes with car ing for our roots and taking time to allow a developing br ain to invent the world. From books to jigsaw puzzles and patter ned projects, students are living in their imaginations this season. Make cer tain that the children eat well, dress war mly and sleep early. 6
Students at
Ecole Claire Fontaine are lear ning at a young age the wonder of singing a canon. There is something magical when it comes together, when the voices of the children dance the round together, each with their par t, at once adjacent to, and in sync with, the next.
Vent frais, vent du matin
Fresh wind, mor ning wind,
Vent qui souffle au sommet des grands pins.
Wind that blows the tops of tall pine trees.
Joie du vent qui souffle, allons dans le grand?
Joy of the wind that blows,
Vent frais, vent du matin
let's go out in the strong... Fresh wind, mor ning wind,
Vent qui souffle au sommet des grands pins.
Wind that blows the tops of tall pine trees.
Joie du vent qui souffle, allons dans le grand?
Joy of the wind that blows, let's go out in the strong... 7
Deep Roots Dur ing our
winter season many of the leaves have fallen, and the fr uits of har vest are found in the ground more often than above. However, the soil in our community never freezes and the air aboveground does not drop to br utally cold temper atures. This means that the children witness year round action; December was so often spr ing- like that birds were singing in the garden at 7am! Yet for the plants and trees that do par tially shut down to protect themselves from the elements above, their roots still need as much suppor t as ever to pull nutr ients from the soil and share them with their sur rounding buddies. For many of these plants dur ing the winter season, photosynthesis and respir ation slow and growth stops. Plants and trees efficiently and intelligently use this winter dor mancy to help nur ture their roots. But even if a tree root or two ceases expansion, there are still more working as hard as ever to 8
thr ive. Whatever the phase or stage of our children, they need to sense that their own roots are being deeply cared for by parents, teacher s and their extended families. Just as a gardener does not ask a tree to give flower s at anytime of the year, we do not ask children do things they are not ready for. We let them go and grow.
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Chilling with
Les Animaux
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PAINTING Animals in the forest jump to life with or ange, pur ple and yellow- golden paints. A lovely lesson was presented by New York City ar tist, Svetlana, who joined the children around their table. Concentr ation, mer r iment and mir th filled the classroom. Le renard! Le cheval! Les lions, rrrraaaarrrr!
SINGING Dans la forêt lointaine On entend le coucou Coucou Hibou, Coucou Hibou, Coucou Hibou, Coucou Du haut de son grand chêne Il répond au hibou Coucou Hibou, Coucou Hibou, Coucou Hibou, Coucou! ... In the distant forest You can hear the cuckoo Cuckoo Owl, Cuckoo Owl, Cuckoo Owl, Cuckoo From up in his great oak tree He answer s the Owl Cuckoo Owl, Cuckoo Owl, Cuckoo Owl, Cuckoo! 11
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Happy New Year!
Vive le Vent
Long Live the Wind
Sur le long chemin, tout blanc de neige blanche, un vieux monsieur s?avance avec sa canne dans la main.
On a long road, quite white with snow, an elderly gentleman advances with his cane in hand.
Et tout là- haut le vent, qui siffle dans les br anches, lui souffle la romance, qu?il chantait petit enfant. Oh! Vive le vent, vive le vent, vive le vent d?hiver qui s?en va, sifflant, soufflant dans les gr ands sapins ver ts. Oh! Vive le temps, vive le temps, vive le temps d?hiver ! Boules de neige et jour de l?an et bonne année gr and- mère!
Above, the wind is whistling in the br anches where it blows sweet songs for the young children. Oh! Long live the wind, live the wind, long live the winter wind blowing through and hissing breathtakingly in the big green fir trees. Oh! Long live winter weather, long live winter weather. Long live winter time weather ! Snowballs and New Year 's Day and a Happy New Year, Gr andmother ! 13
Cr afting lunch from
winter
vegetables packed with necessar y Vitamins A,B & C...
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The children unpack the school's weekly deliver y of or ganic produce from the far mer 's market. Fresh vegetables will be the base of their soup. (If you would like a per sonal box delivered for home- use, please sign up on page 22!)
Carrot Soup
INGREDIENTS 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 Tbl finely chopped peeled ginger 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic 1 1/4 pounds medium car rots, peeled, chopped (@ 3 cups) 2 tomatoes, chopped (@ 1 1/3 cups) 1 1/2 tsp gr ated lemon peel 3 cups (or more) stock 2 Tbl fresh lemon juice 4 Tbl sour cream
PREPARATION
1 small car rot, peeled, gr ated
- Melt butter in heavy lar ge pot over medium- high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add ginger & garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chopped car rots, tomatoes & lemon peel; sauté 1 min. Add 3 cups stock & br ing to boil. - Reduce heat, cover par tially and simmer until car rots are ver y tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly. - Puree soup in batches in blender. Retur n soup to pot. Mix in lemon juice. Season with salt & pepper. Can cover & chill for later... - Br ing soup to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired. Ladle into bowls. Top each with sour cream and gr ated car rot. Merci to Epicurious!
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Living amongst friends in a garden of art, language & music.
Flower the month of January
The indestr uctible love of a mother is represented by the Pink Car nation.
Perhaps
it is not the most glamorous of flower s, but the Car nation is resilient. We can count on its ability to withstand the r avages of Januar y and keep on going, omnipresent.
And for a tip of the lapel to the capr iciousness of growing children here at Ecole Claire Fontaine, we also have chosen the Pur ple var iety of car nation to honor for the month of Januar y.
This simple flower takes its meaning from its color.
We lear n from the Car nation to find ways to sur vive and thr ive, despite the cur rent climate.
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DRINK to your health! Staying Hydrated in Wintertime We dr ink water !
signs of dehydr ation in children include dr y coughs, nosebleeds and mild headaches. To stay well, hand washing is the fir st step in the lunch routine where foods high in Vitamin C are ser ved.
The children remain hydr ated for their health with their own school water station. Cups and fresh filtered water are always available.
Remember to wr ap up, it is getting cold!
At 70 percent water, we all need to keep dr inking year round. In addition to thir st,
Please make sure that your child has a change of war m clothes tucked into their cubby. 17
The School Day in the New Year By
spending time together the children continually lear n to socialize. In a class on fr iendship they thought of ways to make a new fr iend and how to be a good one. ?Share my toys,?? ??Give hugs?? ?Learn a new language!?
Investigating a molting lobster in Oceanogr aphy. "Pinchy won't be in class for a while because his red skin is going to fall r ight off!"
In the mor nings at drop- off time, children need time to reconnect with their peer s and teacher s, and find their way in the school garden. This is when they leave home behind. We ask that parents say their goodbyes dur ing sign- in and exit the gate so that the children may eat their breakfast with one another, play and reconnect. The children become ready for a day that br ims with lush discover y: using thinly sliced fr uits topped with spice, they exper iment with flavor s. Persimmon slices with Vanilla Apple with Cinnamon Orange with Orange Flower Water The children mix the spices to create their new tastes.
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Preparing for the winter celebration of the Galette des Rois
Kings & Queens for a Day Finding the tiny toy, la fève, baked inside the special cake ear ns each child a crown on this most auspicious of winter days. Healing offer ings of Gold, Fr ankincense & Myr rh relate to the color s on the cake. Pur ple symbolizes justice, green faith & gold power.
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Building Circuits As
the children play inside more often dur ing the new year 's cold season, we resolve to replace the passivity that accompanies television and screen time (par ticularly before bed as it disr upts sleep), with active invention.
Circuit Boards Step- by- step the children build their circuit boards to gain an under standing of engineer ing and to lay the foundation for their confidence as conscious inventor s. Connecting electronic components, a circuit board fires like the labyr inth of a child's creative br ain as it processes infor mation. ?This is amazing!? the children call out as they connect one wire to r aise an ar m, another to open a door, and one more to tur n on the lights. 20
H olding on with a steady gr ip, thinking and consider ing our options, the spark of decision making. In our new year we find fresh ways of coming together and creating change.
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A D V ERT I SE
W IT H
Venice Luther an School - teaching excellence in academics and char acter to children K- 8 815 Venice Boulevard 310- 823- 9367
Or ganic Produce Boxes
Weekly Deliver y 22
ECO L E CL A I RE FO N T A I N E French & English songs for children by Eitan's Mom! On sale for $12 in ECF office
Music School for Children @Ecole Claire Fontaine's Camper Campus with Teacher
Freder ic Michot
Piano, Guitar, Dr um Set, Ukulele, Recorder
www.natalier utkinmusic.com
Weekdays after 6pm & weekends
FB: @moovingroovinbabymusic
freder icmichot@yahoo.com
sales
(310) 691- 3608 23
Merci for the Good News!
ŠEcoleClaireFontaine2018