Tuesday, September 15, 2020

My Girl is 12!

 

Despite the crazy year we find ourselves in, my girl is growing, thriving and creating. Elisabeth had another birthday recently and has matured so much the last 18 months that it has been hard to keep up. The Covid-19 Pandemic took a toll on our mental health early in the year, but the last couple of months have been much better. Elisabeth has found good creative outlets that are critical for her well being. Digital drawings are her go-to, but she has also enjoyed an online photography class that she started in the spring and more recently a small pottery class at a local art school. She was forced to give up track club due to the lockdowns, but, over the summer, we convinced her to give fencing a whole-hearted try. She has come to actually enjoy it, though you can't get her to say the words.
Just for kicks one evening, she let me fix her hair and add some makeup (which she doesn't wear). She had been complaining that there wasn't any reason to wear anything besides exercise or lounge clothes, so I suggested she dress in something that she has not been able to wear during this pandemic. The result was a fun, little, impromptu photoshoot.

Selfie for  Photography by Elisabeth Rose

From our photoshoot

From our photoshoot

From our photoshoot - we rarely wear sweaters in Florida!

Brother and sister at fencing

Elisabeth getting a point on her brother during a practice bout

Digital Art Drawings by Elisabeth


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Friday, September 04, 2020

My Firstborn is Fourteen!!


@Rose.Elle.Arts 

And all the sudden we find ourselves planning for high school with an eye toward college. This guy has shot up over the last year. We have had to replace his fencing uniform twice! This summer he went from push-mowing the front yard to doing that plus trimming and blowing the debris. We returned home from a week away and he put away a bunch of stuff WITHOUT ME ASKING! What new world is THIS that I am living in? I enjoy making him laugh and he loves doing the same. He is quite the practical joker with a a sweet spirit. Needless to say, I think he's pretty great. I am one proud mama and look forward with some dismay to all the changes and adventures ahead. Happy Birthday Jonah!

He still enjoys the beach!

Fencing remains a big part of his life.


Thursday, September 03, 2020

Pottery Class Creations at Crealdé

My pre-teen oozes creativity, and as her parents, we endeavor to present her with different outlets to nurture her interests and skills. She recently completed a beginning pottery class at the Crealdé School of Art where she used a pottery wheel for the first time. We were quite impressed with her results, but more importantly we noted how much she enjoyed the creative process with this medium nearly as much as drawing. Previously, I posted that she has also taken a photography class, which gave her yet another creative outlet. These photographs were taken by Elisabeth of her own clay creations from her Crealdé pottery class.








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Friday, May 22, 2020

Learning Photography via FLVS


My 11-year old daughter has been taking a middle school photography elective via Florida Virtual School, a free online learning platform for Florida residents. It is commonly referred to by the acronym FLVS. Families have two options: FLVS Full Time - think of it as a full public school schedule done via computer - and FLVS Flex - where you pick and choose what classes to take as well as your start date. This photography class is our family's first experience with FLVS Flex. It takes time to learn the processes and dashboard, but after completing the first module, Elisabeth no longer needed help from me on submitting assignments. The first couple of modules were not so exciting and more about learning how to interface with other students on message boards and so forth, but now she is happily into the meat of learning photography.

This week, she participated in an online session in which she learned about stop motion photography and the work of Harold "Doc" Edgerton. He combined an interest in science with his in-depth knowledge of photography to capture such famous images of the milk-drop coronet and his work lead to the advancement of the flash photography. She was tasked with submitting a couple of examples of her own and captured a glorious image of a bee in mid-flight approaching our milkweed.

I saw something about it being World Bee day this week. This photo is a perfect way to celebrate.

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Personification in Poetry: The Cracked Window

A few months ago, we read a couple of poems in our language curriculum that demonstrated personification: "The Old Bridge" by Hilda Conkling and "The Oak" by George Hill. When I asked Elisabeth to write a poem of her own that demonstrated this concept, I didn't expect the depth of her poetic expression.

Cracked world view.
Photo credit Ty1eerLeeds on Flickr

The Cracked Window

The cracked window watches 
As its home grows cold and quiet
The children have left
Their laughter no longer echoes.
Its cracks grow larger
As the wind and rain rage against it.
No more eyes stare through it in wonder,
If only it was the great stained windows of the cathedral
Or the sturdy glass guarding way up in the sky
But its not.
And it will surely shatter.



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Friday, April 17, 2020

Building the Periodic Table in Minecraft


As a mom, I love it when my kids choose to spend time together. As a homeschooling mom, I am elated when it also involves learning. The cherry on top is that I had absolutely nothing to do with it! 


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