We started a new series for girls this week called Animal Magic. In this course, we are going to explore what we, as humans, can learn from animals, insects, and other living creatures.
What makes horses and dogs so intuitive and how can our children tap into some of that instinctual wisdom?
How can the present-mindedness of a feline help us tap into a state of joy and ease?
How can we create parallels between an animal’s important place in our ecosystem and our importance in society?
What can our pets teach us about balance and living an optimal pace of life?
Does an amphibian have lessons for us about taking breaths and surviving hardships?
Did the term monkey mind actually originate from the behaviors of monkeys?
What can the animal kingdom teach us about coming together in one place?
As I was putting this course together, my goals and missions were multi-faceted:
- I wanted to reconnect screen-addicted children to the natural world around them
- I wanted to encourage critical thought and deliberate observation
- I wanted to foster a respect and sense of wonderment for other living things
- I wanted to open their minds and hearts to a different way of learning about things and thinking about them
- And, I wanted to continue to nurture a love of creativity and art because this studio is a place that makes people BRAVE
Week one was dedicated to: THE MIGHTY BUMBLEBEE.
Both the Monday and Thursday classes were incredibly engaged this week. We started class with an interactive group discussion about the bumblebee’s characteristics, its community, and how heftily we rely on it for our food supply. We then created an origami bumblebee before segueing into our art project.
Some of the biggest takeaways for the girls were that bumblebees aren’t supposed to be able to fly…but they do it anyways. They do things differently in order to be airborne, just as we humans can soar to new heights by being ourselves and daring to stand out from the crowd. Bumblebees have a mindset of possibility. Females have a place of prominence in each colony and are the rulers of the hive—the bumblebee’s culture is one where females are revered and respected. They fertilize our food and the bumblebee has played a very important part in almost every bite of food we take. One girl said it best in her book: “Though they ‘bee’ but little, they are fierce!” We also talked about how it’s important to have clear roles in such tight-knit communities, how bumblebees are actually a very social species and are visual learners, and other fun facts like how Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series is named after a bumblebee (“dumbledore” used to be a nickname for bees).
I want to wrap today’s post up by talking about the beautiful, creative way each girl started to compile her book. We had lots of painting, some sketching, collaging, and one girl even put her own spin on it by creating a ‘bee that is also a human’—and I can totally see this being the start of a wonderfully creative and unique anime/animal compilation! I can’t wait to see what she creates next! All of the incredible artwork and interpretations are in the photo gallery below.
I hope you enjoy looking through their creations as much as I do. And, if you haven’t yet signed up for a Self Esteem Through Art program (or had me create a custom one for you), the time is now. This has always been SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST AN ART CLASS!
Keep creating!
Love,
Jenn
