Mirror, Mirror

Taye: "The orange part on the wheel is fire!"
Nate: "Yeah it makes so much fire because it's so fast!"

SIMULTANEOUS SYMMETRY
You may recall several entries about symmetry as a graphic developmental precursor to the mathematical concept of "equal" and artistic concept of "visual balance". The illustration above depicts the work of two students, done simultaneously, alternating addition of details to produce two separate drawings that are virtual reflections of one another. This activity was completely spontaneous and lends insight to how children record, process and produce visual information. The visual processing here is exactly like that used to process letters and numbers and is completely natural and developmentally appropriate. I often joke that few kids are immune to writing their names backward except for AVA and OTTO. This is also why we occasionally confuse the drawings of AIDAN and NADIA.

As much joy as this academic-developmental observation is to us, I can't imagine it holding a candle to how these two felt when doing it. What could be cooler than having a friend so mutually attentive and in tune with you?

TRAPEZE ARTS FINALE!
Today marked the finale of our class' Trapeze Arts for the school year. Ready to go out with a bang, Stephan made sure to include both of our favorite activities. After a round of stretching excercises we honed our coordination and strength with the mini-trampoline and our balance with the circus bike. Even with ONLY six passengers, the circus bike never fails to enthrall!

While on summer break, why not plan a visit to Trapeze Arts in Oakland? Whether or not you enroll in a class, simply a few minutes observing classes and rehearsals can be as exciting as a circus, only without the scary clowns. CLICK HERE to visit their website.

TODAY'S STORY
Blue Rabbit and the Runaway Wheel, by Christopher Wormell. With beautiful color relief prints, Wormell illustrates a cautionary tale of Blue Rabbit's misadventure. While seeking adventure, Blue Rabbit wasn't watching where he was going and had a bicycle accident and lost a wheel. His runaway wheel caused great distress to squirrel, badger and tortoise. At first Blue Rabbit did not know that the 'whizzing thing' that left a trail of destruction was his wheel. As the story unfolds, he discovers this and neglects to offer any apology and flees. This is not your conventional tidy ending. The chorus of empathetic "HEEEEEYY!!" was deafening. It was, however, great launching point for a discussion about accidents, fairness and making amends.