Oh, so much has happened since the last blog!  For one thing, we just finished creating the most beautiful, rich, nourishing high school course of study. We are very proud to be able to offer a high school program that is totally unique--one that is both incredibly rigorous and delightful.  Be sure to watch for changes to the high school page coming soon, and plan to attend the high school information meeting on May 16 at 6:30 to find out more!  

We are also gearing up for this Saturday's yard sale!  If you have items to donate, please bring them to 241 Lawhon Street between 3:00-5:00 through Thursday, or 3:00-8:00 on Friday.  And don't forget to come out to shop Saturday between 8:00-12:00.  The proceeds of this fundraiser will help us go to Camp Sewee in Awendaw, SC next month to study marine biology and coastal ecosystems.  We can't wait to get down there!  Our elementary children noted today that it is good that they are reading Pagoo by Holling C. Holling to get ready for the trip.  And, of course, our weekly nature studies have already helped us develop good habits of observation and making field notes.  The week before Spring Break, we got to study Ethan's chicks as we read about them in Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study.  We decided it is much easier to draw things that will sit still!

But chicks are not the only visitors we have had recently.  Megan Hoyt came from Charlotte one afternoon to talk to us about the life and work of Frederic Chopin, this term's composer.  She told us all about how very shy he was, and how he was able to express his feelings through his piano music in a way that he could not by using words.  We learned that, although he was from Poland, he spent much of his adult life in Paris at the same time that the impressionists were painting there.  Since he was famous in his own lifetime, we all wondered if he was friends with any of the painters we have studied.  Maybe we will find out as we continue to read his biography.  It was obvious to the students that Chopin's music is very different from other composers we have studied, such as Bach and Handel.  And this is for good reason:  Bach and Handel lived during the Enlightenment Period, when the pervading ideas were more formal and rigid.  Chopin composed during the Romantic Period, and so his music is much more flowing and emotional.  Megan taught us about rhythm, and since Chopin often composed waltzes, she also demonstrated the basic steps for us.  Then we all walked over to the sanctuary for a treat.  Our resident concert pianist, Dr. Cindy Swicegood, played a private mini-concert as she taught us about arpeggios through Chopin's Etudes, or study pieces.  

We even got to watch cartoons!  Classical music shows up in some of the most unexpected places!

On the last day before Spring Break, we took a trip to Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Gastonia.  It was stunning!  First, we walked through the orchid house.  There were lots of unusual specimens in there, and everyone took their time investigating every corner.  Then, we each picked one or two favorites to sketch in our nature notebooks.  It is always fun to see what connections the children will make to their reading.  As we strolled through the formal gardens, one student spied two statues of little girls and exclaimed, "Oh, no! Medusa has been here!"  Then we enjoyed a short hike down to the lake.  We saw a tree that looked like what we imagined Sam's tree in Jean Craighead George's My Side of the Mountain would have looked like.  That was very exciting.  As the first signs of Spring were just peeking out, we all agreed that we should definitely take another trip to Daniel Stowe when school starts back next year to see what it looks like in full bloom.