On Friday, May 2nd, Ethan Swiggart, MTSU Science graduate and arborist, gave a tree climbing demonstration to the Early Childhood students on the upper playground.  He explained the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees: deciduous trees lose their leaves during the winter and evergreen trees stay green all year round.  He described how trees make energy when leaves absorb light from the sun. Ethan explained that the leaves act like small solar panels that absorb the light and then convert that to energy for the tree.   Being a skilled arborist, Ethan demonstrated how an arborist climbs safely with a rope and harness to prune trees.  The children observed him  intently, asked good questions, and commented on their favorite trees!

“Our goal is not simply to transmit information about other cultures, but to  inspire in the child  a sense of joy,  wonder, and enthusiasm for life itself.” Lower Elementary students have been learning about people around the world. Each student chose a book from a specific country. They researched information about that country to add to their story. The entire stories are full of cultural information.  The students shared the story they wrote with the rest of their group. The final portion of this project was making a puppet show from their stories. It was very fun! Some o f the Lower Elementary students volunteered to share some artifacts, songs, etc  from their visits to other countries. “We seek to help our students to develop an international perspective through the study of second languages,   cultural geography,  international  festivals and celebration." Games from another country he...

Early Childhood A artists studied the work of Debbie Smyth . The children are learning that Debbie Smyth is a young British artist who uses pins and meters of thread (hilo) to create "Arte Textil." They learned that Debby Smyth discovered this technique while trying to transform things from 2 dimensions to 3 dimensions. Based on this lesson, children created their own pieces of artwork.  The Early Childhood A class created and used coiled stamps to paint thank-you notes to visiting artist and Abintra parent Caroline Cercone of  Caroline Cercone Pottery ! During Caroline's visit, each student created a coil out of clay; Caroline then put all the coils together to make a special bowl for the classroom!  The top (bottom left) and bottom (bottom right) of the bowl are  pictured below. Early Childhood B artists created totem pole art to go along with their Native American study.  They drew animals that they painted, outlined, and cut ...

Many parents decide to document the birth and childhoods of their children through home movies to share with their families. Nashville couple and Abintra parents Curtis Shaw and Desmond Child decided to share their experience with the world. On Tuesday, May 13th at the Belcourt theater, Nashvillians will be able to experience it, too.  Desmond, Angela, and Curtis with Roman and Nyro at Desmond and Curtis' New York wedding The Shaw-Child family tale is not the most traditional one. While many may recognize legendary songwriter Desmond Child's name (known especially for hits such as Livin' on a Prayer , Dude (Looks Like a Lady) ,  and Livin' La Vida Loca ), that's not the reason they feel their story is share-worthy. Many years ago, the couple met and connected with close friend Angela Whittaker, and the three of them decided that Angela would carry their twin sons, Roman and Nyro. Twelve years later, the documentary TWO: The Story of Roman and Nyro ...