Street Books and Sidewalk Flowers (3rd-5th Grades)

Brainstorming for one student's zine!

Welcome to the first class of Session 3 for Mind Move Make's 4th and 5th graders!  During this session our Central Idea is Art has the potential to be a positive force in the world.  We'll be exploring ways in which art can impact the world in a beneficial way.  This can be done on a small scale by elevating one person's mood or making someone feel a sense of connection.  Or it can be done on a larger scale by trying to alter the viewpoint of an entire group of people.

We began this session with a short lesson in neuroscience.  Our brains are hardwired to remember and accentuate the negative things that happen to us.  This is a result of the way our ancient ancestors lived as hunter/gatherers.  Their lives were filled with danger around every corner, and it was necessary to remember where treacherous situations lurked in order to survive.  For most of us, there are no longer large animals with sharp teeth waiting to pounce around every corner, but that is how our brains process, record, and focus on the negative things that happen in our lives.

We talked about this, and I asked if any of them felt they had a hard time letting go of "bad" things that happen.  Many students raised their hands.  I also shared that there is HOPE!  Through neuroplasticity our brains can be rewired to alter this tendency.  And one of the best ways to accentuate the positive is to drink in all the good things happening around us each day.

A simple start is to keep a gratitude journal.  Writing down the positive things that happen in our lives helps us to focus on and remember the good things.  At the beginning of every class in Session 3, each student will write down three things for which she is grateful in a small journal that I created for everyone.  One of the three things will be written on a piece of paper and put into our "Gratitude Jar".  During our last class we will take the time to read several of these.  This will help stretch our minds (neuroplasticity!) in new ways and create neural pathways that lead us to the positive in life more often.

Movement-wise, we went through many different poses.  Several of the students in this class have been practicing with me for almost two years now and it is wonderful to see their familiarity with the poses.  I usually have them move through at least one Sun Salutation on their own, at their own pace.  It's great that they know this sequence well enough to go through it themselves.

After that, I introduce the students to artist and writer Laura Moulton and her organization, Street Books.   Street Books started as an art project and has transformed into a healthy non-profit organization.  It is a bicycle-powered mobile library serving "people who live outside" in Portland, Oregon.  Laura has chosen to replace the derogatory word "homeless" with "people who live outside" which is a more sensitive way of stating the unfortunate situation of many individuals in our city.  Laura's work with Street Books connects well with our central idea, art has the potential to be a positive force in the world.

Here is a picture of Laura Moulton riding her bicycle-powered library for "people who live outside"!

This is a picture of the library open for business.

After being inspired by Laura, we took a look at the absolutely stunning book Sidewalk Flowers by poet JonArno Lawson and illustrator Sydney Smith.  The book is described by Brainpickings as "a gentle wordless celebration of the true material of aliveness."  It is the story of a little girl who picks flowers that would be considered weeds throughout the urban city in which she lives.  The flowers grow in cement cracks, wall crevasses, and other unlikely places one wouldn't expect to find beauty.  Towards the middle of the book she begins to give away her prized flowers to unsuspecting animals and individuals.  As she gives her gifts, the world transforms from black-and-white into something more color-filled.  My young students were very attentive to the book and noticed many specific details.  Through our discussion I realize that they internalized the message of the book, and came away with many insightful ideas.

The front cover of Sidewalk Flowers.

Then I introduced them to our visual art project this session!  Each girl will create her own zine that communicates a message of hope.  A zine is a self-published work; the subject matter of zines varies tremendously.  It is usually made inexpensively by photocopying the contents.  Each girl began by brainstorming ideas for her zine.  I am excited by their ideas and can't wait to see them come to life!