ECOLE CLAIRE FONTAINE
SUMMER2017 MAGAZINE
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 SUM M ER 2017
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C al en d ar
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W at er , W at er Ev er y w h er e
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O cean s A b o u n d
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L i q u i d s i n A r t & Sci en ce
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Ear t h - Sh o e Fr ee Su m m er
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I n t h e Gar d en s - Seed s & Pl an t s
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T h e Sw eet L i f e - C h o coV i v o at EC F
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Sch o o l T r eat s - C h o co l at e B an an a Po p s
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A i r - T r ee H o u se Read i n g
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C o r r esp o n d en ce C o u r se - L et t er s o f L ov e
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B o n Voy age, L o u i s
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Su p p o r t O u r C o m m u n i t y
CA L EN D A R I N T H E ELEM EN T S
A u gu st 18 En r o l l m en t p ack et s d u e i n EC F o f f i ce, A u gu st 18 L A ST D AY O F SU M M ER C A M P A u gu st 19, Sat u r d ay, 10 am - 5p m at A K C am p u s, Po p U p sh o p w i t h EC F em b r o i d er y an d y o ga t each er s Geo r gi n a an d St èp h an i e, i n cl u d es p r o j ect s an d w o r k sh o p s A u gu st 21 - Sep t em b er 4 EC F C L O SED FO R 2 W EEK S Sep t em b er 5, T u esd ay, 9 am - 11:30 am T r an si t i o n D ay f o r st u d en t s an d p ar en t s, r esp ect i v e cam p u ses Sep t em b er 6 , W ed n esd ay, B ack t o Sch o o l o n y o u r sch ed u l e an d cam p u s 3
W AT ER
simple summer sensations
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pool play afternoons
T he children float, glide, splash and swim.
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T he bounciest bubbles... summer sun and fantastic friends
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ECF takes to the waves
St r ai gh t d ow n t h e st r eet w e go, h an d s h el d an d w agon p acked u p h i gh w i t h boar d s an d tow el s... t h e f u n h as ju st begu n . Yel l ow t - sh i r t s m atch w i t h , "Cl ai r e Fon t ai n e, Ecol e Bi l i n gu e." Ven i ce Beach Br eak w ater beckon s, a beau t i f u l d ay to r ol l w i th th e w aves. 8
Fi el d T r i p s & Su m m er ti m e T r eat s "And then we sat in a
restaurant and ate pizza an d macaroni and cheese an d French fries! And then we got to try sticky purple jelly!" 9
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O n e of t h e boogi e boar d er s an n ou n ces th at th i s seaw eed i s r eal ly cal l ed , "Swirmy!" Sea vegetati on i s a p ar t of Su m m er Cam p th r ou gh beach v i si t s an d O cean ogr ap h y cl ass.
T he children are inspired by their environment... Sea swells and the life underneath.
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Liquids in Art & Science
I n Science Class the children discovered how to make layers with liquid. By adding colors, the stack is clearly visible with the heaviest of liquids placed first in the container.
I n Baking Class the younger children discover that by adding liquid to dry flour, they make damp paste for bread. By adding even more liquid the children find that the paste becomes batter, perfect for baking a small cake. 12
Pai n ti n g Colored liquids of varying viscosity take on new life by trying different types of canvas for remarkable creations.
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Lear ning about absor ption while beading pasta necklaces add vinegar and food color ing, let soak and then dr y.
Absorption in Art Science of the Sea
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Summer science and art classes focus on the sea and absorption. Take for instance a cup containing Chia seeds. W hen hit with liquid, absorption is almost instantaneous. Wildly healthy, Chia seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, offer 17 percent of your daily calcium requirement and are high in fiber. T hey are a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin and zinc. T he children experimented with absorption by adding food coloring and juice to their seeds before spooning them up. T he summer intensive in absorption began with paper towels and pens, experimenting with the way colored ink bleeds into paper. Adding a little water caused the ink to spread just so. Algae is growing in a aquarium, while the children create new types of food to feed the growing green and brown mass. Next? Algae that the children can eat?
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EA RT H Slip off your shoes during summertime at the beach, park, playground, campsite or your backyard? By taking off your shoes, your feet and body are treated to some of the massive amount of energy of the earth.
Take off your shoes and sing ? it?s summertime!
Being shoe-free is also great for the development of feet. Unbound, children can experience the sensations of the earth underneath.
Many people experience inspired moods, calmer spirits, better sleep and improved health and happiness when they take off their shoes and relax with their feet on the ground.
Even after the weather, or at least your schedule, changes in the autumn season, there are still opportunities to remain grounded from natural shoes to walks during low tide. 16
Eclipse W hile watching the Solar Eclipse on August 21st in your bare feet, please remember to protect your eyes by not looking directly at the sun. We like eclipse glasses and pinhole projectors.
Bare foot and fancy free 17
A team of young doctor s of hor ticulture began to investigate...
W hat do the plants tell you they need?
The repor t- backs came r apidly:
T his plant needs vitamins! I 'm on it! Soil, sunshine, water! W ind to blow the seeds...
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Listening to Plants
T hey need vitamins! And broccoli! T he tree says it needs a trim! I can hear it!
T his little guy needs water... Intr insic to the pedagogy of Ecole Claire Fontaine is ensconcing the children in the beauty and impor tance of the elements of nature, and their remarkable place amongst it all. Explor ing, imagining and playing in the garden is a par t of ever y child's day. 19
Sp eci al car e i s p ai d t o t h e gar d en boxes. Pl an ti n g sp r ou ts, t h e ch i l d r en l oosen t h e soi l bef or e r each i n g d ow n d eep ly to car ef u l ly p l ace t h e d el i cate r oots th at str i n g al on g col l ecti n g w at er an d n u t r i en t s. W h i l e w e l i ke t o h ave gr u bs i n ou r gar d en s at ti m es, th e p l ace f or th em i s n ot i n th e tom ato p ots w h er e th ey h ave vor aci ou s ap p et i t es f or t h e r oots. T h e ch i l d r en ch eck t o see h ow th ei r n ew tom ato p l an ts ar e f ai r i n g th r ou gh ou t t h ese h ot su m m er d ay s... bu t ter f l i es, r ol ly p ol l i es an d gen t l e gar d en sp i d er s al l i n a r ow. I n th e gar d en t h e ch i l d r en l ear n th at m an y bu gs ar e ou r f r i en d s, an d t h at al l h ave th ei r p l ace. W h at i s th e p u r p ose of a bee? 20
T h e f u r r y cu t e cr eat u r es p ol l i n ate an d m ake h on ey, w h i l e t h e sti n gi n g cr i t t er s of t en m i staken f or bees ar e w asp s. H ow t o t el l th e d i f f er en ce? W h i l e bees h ave h ai r , w asp s ar e bal d .
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Stu d y i n g Seed s "I f we bury an apple seed, will a tree grow?" T h e ch i l d r en p l an t f av a bean seed s scr ap ed f r om d r y bean s an d w at ch t h em gr ow, cr eati n g m or e sti l l . For l u n ch , t h ey ar e ser ved gen t ly steam ed bean s w i th bu tter .
A f ter sl i ci n g or an ges f or m or n i n g f r u i t t i m e, ch i l d r en an d teach er s t oss th e seed s i n to a n ear by p l an t er - baby or an ge t r ees ar e sp r ou ti n g al r ead y.
Su n f l ow er s ar e br oken op en w h er e a h u n d r ed seed s can be f ou n d an d p l an t ed , or eaten l i ke p u m p k i n seed s. T h i s t i m e, th e ch i l d r en ch ose p l an ti n g. "I t's magic!"
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M aking seed packets
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exploring traditional methods of chocolate making 24
T he Sweet Life ChocoVivo Visits the Children Armed with beans, cacao pods, and samples, Patricia of ChocoVivo in Culver City, took the children on a chocolate expedition with active participation, demonstrations and experiments. Hidden mysteries were discovered by taking a cross section of cacao pods and finding beans and membranes inside. After a winnowing contest to shell cacao beans into nibs as quickly as possible, the children were quizzed on new chocolate vocabulary. T hey called out terms like, "cacao nibs" and "pods," "fermentation," "membranes" and "winnowing." Prizes were won! Smiles were shared all around. continued next page 25
T he tasting was nuanced with varying shades and depths of dark chocolate ? the only type used by ChocoVivo. We love its healthier nutrition profile. ChocoVivo taught the children some of the methods of chocolate making traditionally used by the Aztecs and Mayans, including grinding with a mano and metate. T he many flavors and shades of dark chocolate were introduced for the children to explore. "We went to chocolate school today!"
grindingchocolate withamanoand metate
w w w.ch ocov i vo.com 12469 W W ash i n gton Blvd . L A 90 0 66 26
School T reats
Chocolate Banana Pops
Step 1: Slice bananas
Step 2: Poke with a pop sickle stick
Step 5: Place in a cupcake paper Step 6: Add a few spr inkles
Step 3: Melt chocolate Step 4: Dip bananas Step 7: Freeze!
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AI R Reading & Writing
The children read and wr ite in Poetr y Class. This summer the tree house has become home to relaxing reading after noons.
Summer Books A is for activist Agatha Christie - biography
J?Apprends la Geographie: les formes, les chiffres, les couleurs
Animal Colors and More
Marie Currie
The Art of Clean Up
Raconte- moi
Atlas of Animal Adventures Beloved Dog
Le Rossignol This Is How We Do It
Hide and Seek: An Around- the- World Animal Search
Under Earth, Under Water
Home
A Year Full of Stories
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Reading expands children's minds and vocabular ies, takes them to new worlds and shares lessons on life and love. Summer is a beautiful time to read. Fantasy abounds in books and in Fables and Fair y Tales Class. 29
Cor r esp on d en ce Cou r se: the Art of Letter Writing Dear Reader, We hope this letter finds you well. T he children are doing wonderfully; baking, dancing, gardening, painting, reading, singing and swimming. Among the great classes this summer, the children took a course in correspondence. T hey drew pictures and dictated letters to be sent to loved ones far and near. Some memorable moments included discovering whom the "Jerry" was in a child's sweet "Dear Jerry..." letter. Being summertime, it made sense when we found out that he was referring to the makers of "Ben & Jerry's" ice cream. A powerful letter came from a child who lost a family member this year. She began, "Dear God..." T here were also letters to grandparents, aunties and uncles, and traveling friends. After addresses were written and stamps put in place, the crew sported their yellow field trip t-shirts and walked en masse to the Venice post office just in time to make the afternoon mail. Bisous, bisous, Your Friends at Ecole Claire Fontaine 30
Bon Voyage Louis! ECF intern L ouis is flying back to his university in France. T he children will miss playing soccer, riding the ocean waves, rough housing, swimming in the pool and talking with their dear friend. As a marketing student, L ouis advertised the ECF summer camp and worked on the ECF graduation videos in the office with a great spirit. He is a dear friend to the school. Merci, L ouis! À l'été prochain! 31
SU PPO RT I N G OUR CO M M U N I T Y
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O cean o gr ap h y T each er an d D i r ect o r o f t h e Ven i ce O cean ar i u m , i s cr eat i n g a p er m an en t st r u ct u r e o n t h e Pi er ... t o j o i n i n t h e ef f o r t s, co n t act EC F o f f i ce
Po p U p w i t h EC F's A u gu st 19 Sat u r d ay 10 am - 5p m
Geo r gi n a an d St èp h an i e A b b o t K i n n ey C am p u s
ar t , p h o t o gr ap h y, y o ga Sep t em b er 24 t h 10 am - 6 p m
A b b o t K i n n ey Fest i v al Fi n d EC F b o o t h i n f r o n t o f A K C am p u s # A K F20 17 # Eco l eC l ai r eFo n t ai n e Pow er ed by t h e Peo p l e, h el p m ak e t h e
Ven i ce Fl y i n g C ar o u sel Fan t ast i c B i k e M ach i n es @ C en t en n i al Par k
B i k e Pow er ed , Ven i ce T h em ed . Sp o n so r , D o n at e, Par t i ci p at e
A d o p t a C ar o u sel an i m al t o d ay ! Ven i ceFl y i n gC ar o u sel .co m C h eck o u t t h e n ew
Ven i ce C h am b er o f C o m m er ce w eb si t e f o r m o r e co m m u n i t y n ew s v en i cech am b er .n et 33
See You I n Sep tem ber A Septembre !
©EcoleClaireFontaine2017 34