Far and Away

Good for you @Zoe7 ❣️ I am sorry you are still feeling unwell, but hopefully the holidays and being financial again will give you the rest you need to recover properly.

My jigsaw puzzle is a coral reef and fish. The colours in it are bringing me joy.

s2bx will remain a thorn in my side until he either gets so involved in his new life that causing me grief becomes boring for him, or life takes him in a new direction of its own accord. Either will do for me.

Its cold here tonight. It must be there for you too.

The sooner the better too Hon - and whatever the way that happens to release you from his cruelty is fine by me too. I do not wish anyone ill will but struggling not to do so with him

I can imagine the colours in your jigsaw would be beautiful and vibrant - just the bit of light you need in your night

It is very cold here tonight too but I have my snuggle puppy to keep me warm and having had the heater on all day it is nice and cosy inside. I have had a jammies day too so feeling extra cosy. I will have to go out tomorrow for a little while though so will have to get dressed at some stage I know the lack of sleep lately is having a significant effect on my physical health but one more week to get through and then I can rest. I have no plans for this coming holidays - was going to paint the dining room but I am just not up to it - putting my health first has to be my priority over this upcoming break ...especially since I will have a lot of school work to do to get prepared for the rest of the year.

I hope the sheer joy of teaching art helps to carry you forward @Zoe7 ...... and is restful in itself. Art is therapy ❣️

It would have been hard combining home learning and teaching some kids at school. Such alot of extra work for you @Zoe7

I hope you get lots of rest during the holidays. And do some fun things as well.
I'm heading in the shower soon and hopefully bed.
Switched off this evening watching shows on TV.
Sleep well.
Oh and D is still studying. It's been very stressful for her. But she's been studying online, due to uni being shut. That's been a bonus in some ways. Gives her a chance to get lots of sleep, which she needs. Not so easy not having the social side though and a bit tricky doing classes online. She's been getting top marks. So she's pleased with that. Lots of tears watching her go through what she's going through. She's so brave.
Nighty night. 💖

And Nighty night to @Faith-and-Hope and @Shaz51 💖💖

Big hugs for all you're going through.

My hope is to get the basic plan for the rest of the year done in the holidays so I can enjoy the process with the kids without having too much stress on top of teaching the class 2 days a week @Faith-and-Hope I need to do that so I can order materials so it is pretty essential I get that done so that ordering can happen in the first week back. We don't have an art storeroom like I have had at other schools to source some things to start with - each class orders their own art supplies and if the other classes are anything like ours then they will only have minimal resources. I am going to order books for each student next week so we have those to begin with and I think I have found an art trolley that I will be able to wheel around easily to most classes. I will also need to organise some supplies for the higher grades as they up on the second floor with only stair access. It is certainly going to be a challenge and very much a 'work in progress' as we go forward ...but I am teaching in my dream job - and I get to stay with my kids for 2 days a week - so that I am very thankful for 👍💖😁

My NRL team won tonight in a thriller so it has been a great few days for sport ...if my Lions could win tomorrow then I will be one very happy butterfly this weekend - I have given up on work for tonight - it is just too much and I need to have a break. It will mean more I need to do tomorrow but hopefully I feel better and can get it done quicker as a result.

Do you have any plans for tomorrow?

@Former-Member So good to hear your D is doing so well with her studies. You must be so proud of her. It would be so hard seeing her go through what she is but also inspirational seeing how brave she is 💖 An extra big hug for you too Hon. Sleep well 🌺💜

@Zoe7 , I don't know if it is any help to you to teach the kids art journaling ..... particularly the older ones. If they have an art journal it might help to keep things concise, and there are YouTube videos that teach a variety of skills. Have you used matt medium to work in layers on a page ? Ideal for collage and relief-type work - even pressing plants and flowers from the yard, or making textile-type things. A hand-made ribbon can be used to tie them closed, because they get very "puffy" when filled.

I know you enjoy doing plaster and woodwork with them too. I am just considering space-saving, and the self-esteem that comes from ownership over a special art diary of work. And the kids could have their own plastic pouch or sleeve to keep pieces of paper that they find with attractive images on. It's a way of dispersing the art materials a bit across the classrooms to save space.

Just a thought anyway ......

💖🌷💕🌸🙏 @Former-Member ..... with love for your D .....

That is actually a wonderful idea @Faith-and-Hope and a lot of those things can be done in 40 minute blocks (which is how much time I will have with them each week). I had planned on next term being 'book' based work as well as group projects that can be worked on a bit at a time and not take up too much room in each class.

I will be able to work on an example in the holidays (which will be therapeutic for me too) so they have an idea of what it will all look like as we move forward. You have given me inspiration and a place to start Hon ...thank you 💖💖💖💖💖

Morning @Zoe7 @Bimby2 ..... 👋💕

I did some community-based art lessons with teens a while back, and one of my favourite activities was giving them a piece each of a famous artwork to reproduce, then collating all the finished works back together as one item. All their different styles and takes on colours etc turned it into a beautiful collage ❣️

Decorating cupcakes was another interesting one, and decorating gingerbread with royal icing piped from the corner of a plastic bag with a tiny hole in it ..... so working with •ephemeral" artworks this way could also help you, with photos of the works added into the art journals with drawings of the materials used. You would be teaching the kids to use illustration skills. For those who are carrying trauma, they will learn by experiencing it how art is a way to express yourself indirectly and enable healing.

Thanks @Bimby2 Good morning to you Hon. Sending you a little extra love and light for today

@Faith-and-Hope I need you here with me to plan the term One of my plans is to present different styles/artists gradually over next term (with the higher grades mostly) as well as develop the basics. I have seen some art from the higher grades that they have produced so far this year and so know they are a very capable bunch of kids. That should make it easier to work with them and to develop their own interests and styles.

I know we have ipads in each class that we could use for photos but we all only have a handful so not all kids to work with them at once. I am not sure what progrms we have on them either so will need to see our IT person to find out what we can get ...that will be a 4th term idea though I think.

I am excited about the art journal idea - the higher grades can put it all together themselves and I can do it for the lower grades. I think we may need a folder for each kid to put their work in - another thing to get organised in the holidays. My kids in our class already have an art folder and art book so we are covered, They have decorated their own art folder and regularly put in their drawings and work we do in class that is not displayed.

Thank you for all your suggestions here Hon - it is really helping me to both get inspired and excited about what we can achieve 🎨👍😁