Bongo's Back!

...AND BRIGHTER THAN EVER!
For the last two weeks, Bongo has been reclusive, spending most of her time hiding under the tree bark cover and soil. She hasn't eaten since Thanksgiving. Additionally, she had become pale, prompting frequent health checks made difficult by her sensitivity to touch. This week we found out why - SHE'S SHED HER SKIN!. Wow! Look at that! The children were amazed and delighted to see and touch the intricate scale patterns in this ultra-thin, transparent material. Of course, the skin has broken into dozens of pieces from all the touching and handling. Click on the picture to the left and find the piece that used to cover her head.

She is once again active and showing off a brightly colored set of scales. We'll give her a long overdue meal Wednesday.

TODAY'S ACTIVITY
We did some big ol' messy, fun-as-could-be roller paintings today. Of course, it only took about 10 minutes to resort to finger/hand/forearm painting. They had a blast, and it'll make some sweet giftwrap paper for resourceful parents.

Painting by Idries. "It's my Mom. She's Pearl."

The class was so excited to see and feel their bright, glossy pinchpots today. they marveled at the color changes. Some even noticed a change in the ringing sound they made when they touched together. A few artists noticed some exposed clay and wished to add another coat to cover those spots, so we'll re-fire those along with some more clay creations next week.

TODAY'S STORY
It's Okay To Be Different, by Todd Parr. This book's super bright colors and simple illustrations engage children in a page by page celebration of individuality. The message is that everyone deserves to be loved, accepted and admired for who they are, regardless of color, race, gender, origin, physical ability and appearance. Even though we are all different as individuals, we all have the same needs.