Op Art and Collage Landscapes

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….art produced in my grade 4/5 class

I don’t often post photos of my 4/5 class. They take longer to finish projects and some of their assignments involve many stages. The op art pieces were somewhat time consuming and the assignment is a good one to leave for a supply teacher because it uses only black and coloured markers, a pencil and a ruler. These were done on large pieces of paper and could be done on sheets of paper half the size.

For instructions on how to make these colourful pieces check out Artisan des Arts.

The watercolour landscapes using collage teaches children about foreground, background and the horizon line. The students were instructed to cut out magazine pictures and place them on the paper that they had painted ahead of time with watercolours. They simply had to paint in a foreground colour (land, beach, etc.) and then another for their background ( usually the sky). The largest magazine details where placed at the bottom edge of the paper and then smaller pieces were glued down further back giving the illusion of distance and depth.

Namaste

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…. thank you Maureen Rae for your wonderful restorative yoga class

It was a calm yet productive day today. No early morning soccer practice, no meetings and no Girls on the Run. I had time this morning to work on my art lesson, clean up the stockroom, process some books, help students put some finishing touches on their art projects and take down some art work and return it to students and make room for new work.

It was treat day in the staffroom at first recess. Val makes great chocolate chip cookies and banana bread. I literally broke off a small piece of each just so I could have a taste. Sometimes that’s all I need and I’m satisfied.

The students in my art class were unusually attentive and engaged. I introduced my Picasso lesson to the entire class and then those students that were finished all their other projects started on their Picasso style portraits. The rest of them worked very hard to finish their stitching projects and/or the op art project they started last week. It’s amazing how much work they can produce when they’re focused and not socializing with their peers.

In the afternoon a shipment came in with all the skipping ropes and literature for our Jump Rope for Heart campaign. In past years I’ve always had my homeroom students help me organize and deliver the packages that get sent home. At the end of the day I sorted through all the boxes and bundled up the literature for each class and left it on the table in the staffroom for teachers to pick up and distribute to their students.

When I plan to go to yoga I always stay late at school on Wednesdays. After I organized the Jump Rope for Heart packages I spent some time organizing the library and my art supplies. When I finally left for yoga the skies opened wide and I got caught in a huge downpour on my way to the car. Of course today is the day that I parked in the last spot on the lot and I was soaked to the skin by the time I got to my car. My friend and colleague who goes to yoga with me left a minute after me and also got drenched.

We both go to Maureen Rae’s Yoga Studio on Dundas St. in west Toronto. I’ve been going to Maureen’s studio for about four years but V introduced me to restorative yoga two years ago. It’s so relaxing and every session focuses on different parts of your body. Maureen has a very soothing voice and talks you through and demonstrates every move. You are always encouraged to do what you can and to never push yourself beyond your comfort level.

: My attempt at a warrior’s pose.

Since I’ve lost over 30 pounds yoga has become even more enjoyable. Some of the moves, that I found difficult in the past because I couldn’t get my arms around my knees or I couldn’t bend because my stomach got in the way, are no longer a problem.

All in all, today was a great day. I stayed on track with my eating and I got back to yoga.

Cheers!

A Day of Soccer, Girls on the Run and School Council Meeting

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….this one’s for you Michele

It was after 9:00 pm when I got home tonight.

It started to pour last night and the lightning kept flashing through my bedroom window. The forecast for our soccer tournament looked grim. The only reason for cancelling a game would be the onset of lightning.

Luckily the rain, thunder or lightning never did appear and we were able to play all four games. The girls were amazing and won every game. We’re moving on to the West Conference finals in June.

At the end of the tournament the skies darkened and I was sure that Girls on the Run would be rained out. Again the rain stayed away and the girls were able to get out and run their laps in preparation for their 5k run. Being out in the sun all day and walking back and forth between the two soccer fields, making numerous trips from the fields to the office and other rooms of the school and doing recess duty and bus duty at the end of the day, left me exhausted. I didn’t run tonight.

After Girls on the Run I ended up staying at school because we had a school council meeting and I am the teacher representative. Michele ordered dinner in for both of us….chicken and salad. Perfect. The meeting started at 7:00 and ended at 8:30. It was pretty uneventful but people sure had a lot to say. Even when the meeting was over discussions continued in the hallway and a couple of parents came down to the library and had numerous questions for me about the upcoming renovation. With a little encouragement from our fearless leader we finally made our way to the parking lot.

I thought I could come and home and relax but M insisted that I had to write something for my blog tonight. This one’s for you Michele.

Cheers!

Time to Get Serious

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….3 weeks to go before the Girls on the Run 5k

No more excuses. The back feels better, no more colds, the ground has dried up and the weather’s been great.

Today I set a personal best in training for the upcoming 5k run. My husband and I started on our usual walk to the park and when we got to the rugby pitch we both started running around the 500 m field. I ran six laps without stopping for a total running distance of 3k. My husband ran farther and faster but he does intervals where he alternates between running and walking. My total travel distance this morning was 5.6k.

My goal is to drop another 5 to 10 pounds in the next 3 weeks and continue to lengthen the distance that I run before I stop to walk. I’m not too concerned about my time but I would be happy if I completed the 5k in 45 minutes. That may seem slow to some of you but it’s a step in the right direction for me.

I’ll keep you up to date on my progress.

Cheers!

Frances’ Perfect Day

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..a lot of running, a little swimming and wrestling with her buddy Lucy

Yesterday was a cool but sunny day…. a perfect day to walk the dogs down by the lake.

Earlier in the day we picked up our daughter, G, and her basset hound, Lucy. G’s husband was away on a business trip. She needed some help buying plants and she was hoping to see her older sister who was coming home from her three week vacation in Argentina.

After buying the plants we had some time on our hands before we had to pick up A and J from the airport. We got the dogs ready for a nice long walk and headed out for Colonel Samuel Smith Park.

Both dogs love to play with each other and run. The biggest difference between the two of them is that Frances loves the water and Lucy hates it. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that Basset hounds have short legs and long ears. After a long exhausting run, even though she was surrounded by water, Lucy would not drink from the lake. She came close but changed her mind as she approached the water.

Frances on the other hand would live in the water if we let her. She dives right in. The following pictures of her clearly show off her joy as the waves roll onto the shoreline.

We took a few detours off the main path today and when we got home we discovered that our walk was 5k long. The dogs of course probably doubled that distance with all the running they did, back and forth through the grassy knolls and up and down the rocks.

Today Frances was very quiet. Every time we looked for her she was off somewhere sleeping. What a life!

Frances, yawning.

Frances, sleeping again.

Spring is in the Air

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….how wonderful

Yesterday the boys and girls at school, along with a group of parents, cleaned up and replanted the garden in front of the school. It was a beautiful day and every class in the school took turns pulling weeds, raking debris and leaves, turning soil, planting new flowers and covering the beds with mulch.

The children had a wonderful time. They put their hearts and souls into the work. A few mistakes were made. Sometimes tulips were uprooted when they were mistaken for weeds but all in all the garden was turned around and is now something to be proud of. Here are a few pictures of the activity that took place.

Throwing Clay and Graffiti Art

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..experimenting with new art forms

For the last five weeks I’ve been going to a pottery class. I started with simple pinch pots and then moved on to rolling out slabs of clay and cutting and shaping this clay into platters and bowls. Yesterday I had my first experience on a potter’s wheel and throwing the clay.

I was a little intimidated by the process but the wheel was there for the using so I went for it. I have an excellent and patient teacher. She gave clear instructions and let me manoeuvre the clay on my own. Feeling the clay spin between my hands was very relaxing and therapeutic.

Centering the clay is very tricky and takes a lot of practice to master. After playing with the clay for a while my instructor took over for a few minutes and finished centering the piece for me. Once properly centered I continued to work with the clay and started to form my bowl. I hadn’t really decided on the shape that I wanted to create. The shape was decided for me as the wheel turned and I pushed against the clay. I ended up with this bowl. What do you think?

Earlier this week I decided to teach my students some lettering techniques and I came across a great blog that focused on graffiti art. Create Art With Me displayed some wonderful examples of finished pieces done by students in grades 2 to 7. I know that my students will love this activity.

Before I teach a new technique I like to do it first. This activity had me totally immersed in the process. I added my own twist and added a layer of ‘Zentangling’.

I introduced this lesson to one class so far and they’re very excited. I will post some of their finished work in the next couple of weeks.

Cheers!

Busy Day

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..a quick update

The day started with soccer practice at 7:40 to 8:20. After the announcements my principal and I drove across town, through rush hour to check out some used furniture and fixtures for our school. We put our names on pieces that were on the wish lists of the staff. Now we have to wait and see which pieces we’ll be gifted.

When we got back to school I ordered books and supplies that a few more staff members had requested.

Lunch

Art class to my 3/4 class. Worked through recess.

Library class and then prepared for Girls on the Run

3:00 to 4:30 – Girls on the Run. My back was still bothering me today so I didn’t run but I did walk quickly around the course. I did 4 laps for a total of 2k. We have a few girls who need a little extra motivation to keep running so I kept sneaking up on them and bellowing at them to run. It was a lot of fun and it was the most running these girls have done since we started 6 weeks ago.

5:00 drove to Costco to pick up a cake for a baby shower at school tomorrow. Also picked up some chicken and salad for tonight’s dinner.

5:45 prepared dinner and washed up dishes

6:30 drove to book club. We had our meeting at the library where the author, Nancy Richler talked about her book The Imposter Bride. More on that in my next post.

8:00 went for coffee with the girls from the book club. Really enjoyed tonight’s talk.

9:30 drove home

10:00 – checked my emails and watched So You Think You Can Dance

11:50 – should be in bed but decided to quickly post about my day

12:15 – finished this post and plan to head to bed

Good Night!

Sherwood Park

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…. another gem in the heart of Toronto

We had about a 2 hour window yesterday when the sun tried to peak through the clouds and the rain, wind and hail took a break. In that time my family and I decided to take the dogs for a walk to burn off some of the calories from our wonderful Mother’s Day lunch.

My daughter and her husband live in the North York district of Toronto and are lucky enough to have numerous parks and off leash areas for walking their dog, Lucy. We decided to head over to Sherwood Park, partially because we could walk there and secondly because I’d never been there.

The park is a picturesque wooded area nestled in a ravine.

There are great trails for runners and walkers. The hills and stairs give the user an excellent workout. In the off leash areas the trails are fenced in, allowing dogs to enjoy the freedom to run to their heart’s content. We kept our eyes open for trilliums, our provincial flower. They are protected so it is illegal to pick them and another reason for the fence is to keep human feet off this sensitive ecological area. This was as close as I could get to photograph this patch of trilliums.

The total distance walked yesterday from Yonge and Blythwood Rd. to the park, up and down the hills and then back again along Sherwood Avenue was about 4.3 k. The day before I walked 4.0 k and I worked in the garden pulling weeds. The latter activity has played havoc with my back and I paid for it last night and most of today. Back pain sure makes one feel old.

Hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow so that I can run with the girls at school. We’ll see. Till then, cheers!

The Best Mother’s Day

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….despite the crazy weather

Spending time with my adult children is the best way to celebrate Mother’s Day. Unfortunately this year two of my three children are out of the country so having them all together was impossible. The day, however, was close to perfect.

It started with breakfast in bed, made lovingly by my husband; strawberries and yogurt, a feta and spinach omelet, bacon, toasted baguette and great coffee. Later in the morning I got a long distance phone call from my son who lives in Rotterdam. It was so nice hearing his voice and catching up on all the news in his life. I could have talked much longer but my husband and I were invited for a special lunch at our youngest daughter’s apartment.

Lunch at G’s and B’s place was relaxed and informal. We had a smorgasbord of cured meats, cheese, fresh bread, a citrus fennel salad and a rapini pesto with olives. After lunch the weather had cleared and the sun started to peak through the clouds so we decided to take the dogs, Lucy and Frances for a long walk through Sherwood Park.

My son-in-law and the girls.

The weather held out for our walk and actually started to warm up. Earlier in the day we experienced rain showers, gusty winds, cold temperatures and on the drive to the apartment we drove through a torrent of hail. When we returned to the apartment we stopped at Dufflet’s (situated just below the apartment) to pick up a couple of tarts to share and enjoy with our coffee.

On the drive home the weather changed again. The temperature dropped, the wind picked up and it rained heavily. Just before arriving home it started to hail again and people on the street were covering their faces and running to find some kind of cover.

When we arrived home I got back in my car and went shopping. I needed to buy some things for school but that particular store closed as I drove up. At that point I decided to check out Marshall’s and boy am I glad I did. I needed a new spring coat that I could wear with dresses and skirts. I found that perfect coat plus 2 skirts, a short one and a long one and 3 summer tops.

When I got home my oldest daughter ‘skyped’ me from Argentina. Like her brother it was so nice to hear her voice but also to see her face. We had a few problems with the video portion of our exchange and we had a couple of laughs when the screen froze on a silly expression or when it started to loop over and over again. My day was perfect. I had a special moment with each of my children. Thank you, all! Love you!