Saturday, January 8, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Film & Fly!
Before you watch the film above, a little more background on myself. I am a wife and a homeschooling mother -not home very often- who loves teaching my children (although the hard days are nothing to laugh about!). We are choosing to use the arts and the great outdoors as a way for our children to learn. I own a School of the Arts that focuses on classical and contemporary dance and visual art. My kids take classes at the school. Outside of this, we love to go the Kennedy Center (they have a great education series), the D.C. museums and we love the great outdoors! The reason I decided to homeschool is because I found that learning can be more than text books and tests. I did not enjoy school as a youngster, and I did not want my kids experiencing the dread of going to school (not that all kids do). I figured that if my kids could learn about the world by going out into it- touching it, feeling it, seeing it- they could probably learn quicker and retain it better- as I forgot most of what I had learned as a student. Plus it gives me more time to soak them up and watch them grow and learn. An experience I know will fly by. Additionally, I am founder and director of CrossRoads Dance Project- a contemporary dance company located in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C.
Recently, I met a woman in the postal office. She saw I was picking up medication from India- she too was from India. I told her the meds were for my dad who had P.D. She shared with me that her dad had it too. He was 69 years old. She said the hardest thing was that she did not know what her kids could do with grandpa, as he was rapidly going down hill. Interestingly, I found that a lot of grandparents who are strong and healthy say it is sometimes hard to relate to the grandkids as they get older. When they are young toddlers, they love everything. But as they start getting older, it takes effort to try and get them to stay as interested. So I told her we were just in the middle of a great project. My kids had a choice to write a report, or make a "film" on a topic. They wanted to make a film. I then remembered how much my dad loves bird watching- and I want them to learn from their elders, something my husband and I think is very important. So I thought it could be a great project together. I was a little concerned it would be boring. But we found a book in the library called "Birds of North America". In the back of the book it gives a list of West Coast Birds and East Coast Birds. Then it gives a score for each bird based on it's rarity. This suddenly made the project very exciting. Our goal was to try and reach 100 points. From that point on, we were constantly noticing birds everywhere! I can't tell you how excited we were when we spotted an owl in the burbs right in the middle of the day. I almost crashed the car to get it's picture for proof in our homemade bird spotting chart book! We finally finished our project, and we made the movie. See above, they called it "Feather Fun". This is a great thing to do with your kids, and now we still appreciate looking at birds all the time. And it is a great project for kids to do with their grandparents. Here's to the grandparents! The Film I show here is Robert and Annabelle's Science Project. I promised them that if they completed it and documented it (they chose film rather than written report), I would post it. They did a lot of it, including the filming. This was our first time making a film and we haven't figured out how to post it so that the picture comes out clear. It is better to watch it on the size posted rather than trying to enlarge the picture as it gets too fuzzy. We are going to keep working on our film skills...so thanks for humoring us!
Recently, I met a woman in the postal office. She saw I was picking up medication from India- she too was from India. I told her the meds were for my dad who had P.D. She shared with me that her dad had it too. He was 69 years old. She said the hardest thing was that she did not know what her kids could do with grandpa, as he was rapidly going down hill. Interestingly, I found that a lot of grandparents who are strong and healthy say it is sometimes hard to relate to the grandkids as they get older. When they are young toddlers, they love everything. But as they start getting older, it takes effort to try and get them to stay as interested. So I told her we were just in the middle of a great project. My kids had a choice to write a report, or make a "film" on a topic. They wanted to make a film. I then remembered how much my dad loves bird watching- and I want them to learn from their elders, something my husband and I think is very important. So I thought it could be a great project together. I was a little concerned it would be boring. But we found a book in the library called "Birds of North America". In the back of the book it gives a list of West Coast Birds and East Coast Birds. Then it gives a score for each bird based on it's rarity. This suddenly made the project very exciting. Our goal was to try and reach 100 points. From that point on, we were constantly noticing birds everywhere! I can't tell you how excited we were when we spotted an owl in the burbs right in the middle of the day. I almost crashed the car to get it's picture for proof in our homemade bird spotting chart book! We finally finished our project, and we made the movie. See above, they called it "Feather Fun". This is a great thing to do with your kids, and now we still appreciate looking at birds all the time. And it is a great project for kids to do with their grandparents. Here's to the grandparents! The Film I show here is Robert and Annabelle's Science Project. I promised them that if they completed it and documented it (they chose film rather than written report), I would post it. They did a lot of it, including the filming. This was our first time making a film and we haven't figured out how to post it so that the picture comes out clear. It is better to watch it on the size posted rather than trying to enlarge the picture as it gets too fuzzy. We are going to keep working on our film skills...so thanks for humoring us!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Dance and Parkinsons
Hi out there! So I just recently completed a workshop called
Dance for Parkinsons Disease at the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn NYC. This is an exciting new concept for people struggling with PD. PBS News Hour just did a special on it -I HIGHLY recommend you watch it! www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec10/parkinson_12-09.html.
My friend teaches dance movement to people who have other challenges- like Cerebral Palsy- and she found an overwhelming similar experience with her students.
I am starting my own classes and working with my dad, who also has the disease, in order to get his personal feedback on how I can create a great class. I believe this will be an inspiration for others with neuro-degenerative diseases such as MS, CP and stroke victims etc. It may mean classes will vary depending on what each condition brings forth, but I hope that dance can be used universally to promote healing.
Dance for Parkinsons Disease at the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn NYC. This is an exciting new concept for people struggling with PD. PBS News Hour just did a special on it -I HIGHLY recommend you watch it! www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec10/parkinson_12-09.html.
My friend teaches dance movement to people who have other challenges- like Cerebral Palsy- and she found an overwhelming similar experience with her students.
I am starting my own classes and working with my dad, who also has the disease, in order to get his personal feedback on how I can create a great class. I believe this will be an inspiration for others with neuro-degenerative diseases such as MS, CP and stroke victims etc. It may mean classes will vary depending on what each condition brings forth, but I hope that dance can be used universally to promote healing.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)