A little about my relationship to teaching: I have been an Inter-disciplinary teacher and educational advocate for over 15 years. I started out as an artist in the classroom, infusing other teachers subject areas with more creativity. After completing my own degree in teaching, I moved toward imbedding my art curriculum with sociological and environmental concerns. Most recently I have designed educational programs that give participants the opportunity to explore art, nature and human potential simultaneously through hands-on, phenomenological experiences. As a teacher I always felt it was my mission to practice real “life skills” in my classroom; skills that other subject areas do not always approach like mindfulness, emotional intelligence and creative problem solving.

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The following workshops represent some of the best, and most holistically designed units for kids of all ages. In these workshops we explore our relationship to the world around us through creative movement, storytelling, art making, environmental exploration, self-discovery, cultural exploration and collaboration.

Just click on the images below to find out more about the workshop specifics, and to see examples of student work.

COUNTING CORVIDS

For the past 10 years, I have engrossed myself with the study of avian life. I have examined behavior, song and ecology; worked with ornithologists taxidermists and skydivers; endeavored to identify and identify with every bird species that crosses my path. This workshop series grew out of my experience with The Crow.

MANTRAS AND MINDFULNESS

This project is based on what I consider to be the most important “Life Skills”. These creative processes are often absent in our everyday life, but by practicing them and refocusing attention on their importance we can enrich any experience. In this project we will explore each skill in a different creative mode: creative movement, storytelling, art making, environmental exploration, self-discovery and collaboration.

BIRDLIFE: THE LOCAL AND THE IMAGINED

Humans have always been fascinated by birds, and I am no exception. I have spent the last 10 years of my life exploring the avian realm, and I think there is much to learn and be inspired by up there. This project embraces the importance of local bird life and ecology in equal measure to art and artifacts from the past that tell us of mythical, bird like creatures and their importance to the development of human culture and the liberation of the imagination.

SUPER ME!

This project is about Super Powers ie. the kind of Character Traits that make Super Heroes really Super! I have always been in love with comic books and Super Heroes, and I think that sometimes we place too much focus on the visible manifestation of those powers and forget about the most important skills they exhibit. The list of Superpowers we explore in this project come from author Paul Tough, in his book 7 Key Character Traits for Success. These traits encourage openness, self awareness and resiliency.

SHADOW PUPPETS ACT OUT FOR SUMATRA

This project is based on my deep fascination with Indonesian shadow puppets, as well as my concern for Indonesian Ecology. The project is designed to increase students empathy and understanding of Ecology in the Indonesian Rainforest of Sumatra, and in particular, one of today’s most critical environmental concerns: it’s deforestation.

THE POLAR PUPPET PROJECT

This project is based on my deep fascination with our Polar Regions, as well as my concern for their sustainability. The project is designed to increase students empathy and understanding of Ecology in the Polar Regions, and in particular, three of today’s most critical environmental concerns: Global Warming, Overfishing and Pollution.