December 2nd

Remember how pleased I was about firing the kiln in yesterday's post? Well, I must have done something wrong because when I went to unload the kiln today, I discovered that I had lost about 85% of the pieces inside.... Whoops! This means that I have to adapt my schedule for the last few weeks of school, and hopefully my students will be flexible. I showed the mess to one student this morning who said, "That's ok. I didn't really like my pot anyway. I'd like to do it over again." I love that positive attitude. 

The kids are a bit bonkers this time of year and it's normal. They have a lot of work because grades are due, and they are excited/ready for the holiday break. That means more tests and projects for them, and art class is no exception. Today we did something a little bit different to get them out of their comfort zone. I think it went over well, but I still have to read their reflections. 

I get this question a lot, "is it good?" I cringe when I hear it. I want my students to understand that each of us have our own unique aesthetic and point of view. I can't answer questions like, "is it good? Is this enough?" etc. They need to start using their own judgement. I hope that art class will give them the tools to judge for themselves. We played a game of chance with dice and mark making cards. They had no idea what they were going to create when they came in the classroom. I thought some of their work was pretty good. I should write about it more in depth at a later time. Hopefully, later this week after I repeat the activity again with another class.  

She likes to tickle and hug me. It's the cutest thing ever!

I'm really lucky that I work part-time. In many ways it's hard, but it's wonderful to be home with my daughter.  This afternoon was no exception. We listened to Christmas music, made a mushroom and leek quiche, and did a few loads of laundry. I fell asleep in her room tonight, I've been staying up late trying to be productive. Obviously, this schedule doesn't really work and it caught up with me.

I'll end with some photos from our laundry excursion. Oddly enough, I didn't take any photos of the room itself. Oh well.

Tryck på knappen! (Push the button!)

This is the que system to use the laundry. One moves the lock, which represents the apartment, to an open time slot. When I first saw it/used it, I found it bizarre. Now, I find it to be a pretty good system.

Her tiny socks make me so happy.