The magic of working at the Antioch School over a period of years is to experience the renewal that comes with the first day of a new school year. It is so exciting and stimulating to see the children enter the building on the first day. One feels the energy and sense of expectation, coupled with a bit of anxiety that typically melts away by the first lunch.

I love seeing the children, greeting them, hugging them and noticing how they have grown.  I love hearing about their summer adventures and about their new interests.

Teaching here is a reminder of how wonderful the world can actually be, how precious new discoveries are, and how joyful it can be to learn new things.

It is renewing and reinvigorating to be back at school. I look forward to sharing in the joys of learning with the children and sharing with everyone about our life in the Art & Science room and throughout  our school. Now it is time to soak in teethe pleasures of childhood and learning the Antioch School way.

Brian Brogan

A Pooh Party

After five months in the Younger Group I have been amazed, not only by how quickly the time has gone by, but also how full each and every day is. I can also not believe how much we manage to pack into our schedule. 

This past Wednesday was the author, A. A. Milne’s birthday. In the Younger Group at the Antioch School, that means it is also POOH DAY. Reading Pooh stories and celebrating Pooh Day is a long honored tradition in the YG stretching back to Bev Price’s time as the YG teacher. Perhaps 30-40 years of pure Pooh pleasure.

This year we had a fun day, filled with pajamas, Pooh related snacks, Pooh stories, Pooh games and a Pooh movie. We had far more activities than time to enjoy them all. 

For some children in the YG it was their first Pooh Day. For others, sadly, their last. But for almost everyone it was a lot of fun. 

I look forward to crashing next year’s Pooh party when I am back as the school’s Art & Science teacher.

Brian

I am happy to be back at at school. One of the things I have always loved about teaching, especially as a specialist teacher are new beginnings. The beginning of the school year in the the Fall, new seasons throughout the year, new units, projects or subject  matter to explore and of course the new year. Entering deep winter, I was delighted to go exploring with Younger Group and Older Group children this past Monday, our first day back after the holiday break. It was particularly fun to meet the Forest Kindergarten group on the snowy, covered trail.

2016 brings a number of fun activities to art and science. The older group began work on stained glass projects, while younger group children has started a unit on mosaics. Over the next few weeks every student at school will spend some time making observations  of the natural world, recording changes in the increasing amount of daylight, phases of the moon and and the weather.

As we move into February Kindergarten children will start tapping some of our campus’ Sugar Maple trees for sap, which we will then boil down to create delicious Antioch School maple syrup.

A special event to put on your calendars is Science Night, Tuesday, February 2, 2016 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. This has proven to be a fun event with a variety of science activities put together from traditional science activities, parent volunteers and guest-friends of the Antioch School. If you have a science related activity that you would be willing to share that night, please let me know.  

Happy exploring…

I am excite to help make this an extraordinary year for everyone. We will continue keep nature and the outdoors a school wide focus in art & science. Monday will again be hike day for the YG (in the morning) and the OG (in the afternoon). While hiking itself is one of the objectives of our hikes, it also serves as a source for science, art, and writing activities. As can been seen in the media, fostering a connection with nature serves children (and adults) in many ways, including providing exercise, enhancing observation skills, and calming our overactive brains, which in turn allows us to focus better back at school. In general it puts most us in a good mood, as it is hard to stay down in the forest.

The Younger Group will continue to learn about our local community as way pursue chapter two of the the Yellow Springs Project. Once again we will visit various organizations and institutions of Yellow Springs. We also will be doing many other projects and activities in art & science which will include painting, clay work, animal studies, simple chemistry and more.

The older group will start the year off with a science unit on the Earth’s atmosphere and beyond, as well as on flight and rocketry. We will also continue to have Project Time which is a period once or twice a week during which the children choose and focus on ideas or projects of particular interest to each individual or small group.
Continue to look for updates here.

Brian Brogan

September, 2015

November 21, 2014

This has been a whirlwind of a fall in the Art &Science room. Since the beginning of the year the Older Group has studied the Geology of Ohio, going on field trips to Ohio Caverns near West Liberty, Ohio and the amazing Cedar Bog south of Urbana. They have hiked in the Glen Helen on weekly basis. They have made pottery, sketched on a regular basis and painted ceiling panels which are currently hanging in a show at the Emporium in downtown Yellow Springs. Most recently OG children made “Egg Drop Devices” that were designed to keep eggs from breaking when thrown off the roof. After test the Egg Drop Devices when they enjoyed tasty omelets to celebrate our work.

Younger Group students have also been engaged in many different activities this fall including ceramics, painting, regular sketching, and more. The have worked on chemistry activities, color mixing and lego construction. Like the Older Group, YG children also enjoy a regular, weekly exploration in Glen Helen.

Perhaps it is safe to say that our big focus in YG this year is our exploration of the Yellow Springs community which we are calling, for now, The Yellow Springs Project. I am very pleased to be collaborating with Christine, the YG teacher on this multi-faceted project which contains elements of research, art, writing, hands activities at community sites, and links to related study. As an example, our field trip to WYSO led to an exploration of sound and radio waves and a look at the Electro-magnetic Spectrum. This project will continue throughout the year as we learn about and explore many of the institutions, organizations and businesses that make up our community. Look for an open house about the project in May, 2015.

The beginning of the school year always brings so much excitement and so many discoveries. New discoveries about the school, the forest, the children, and myself as a teacher and learner, are the things that I look forward to each year.

For the children, discoveries may be found within the changes of the classroom, friends, and interests as they move forward into a new school year. They realize that they are more capable than just a few months ago—whether in the ability to piece together complex ideas or in the use of a paintbrush or ball of clay.

As we begin our hikes, discoveries may be found in the hearing of a new bird song, the observation of a fantastic, never-before-seen mushroom on the trail, or the ability to walk further and climb higher.

The new school year has started off beautifully. The Younger Group began their year-long, inquiry-based exploration of the Village of Yellow Springs. I am certain the children will make many discoveries about the Village and the dynamic processes that helped it to flourish.

Thank you to everyone who makes the Antioch School such a delightful place of discovery.

Brian