Today we met at Children’s House and tried to have a short class meeting, then went right into small groups with the pre-schoolers. I’m hoping that students will get to know some of the kids here, and be able to see as some of them gain skills with the exercise and activities we bring each week.

We also visited the Holyoke preschool for the first time, and it felt great to be back in a place where I have played a role for the last 12 years. I had missed the teachers and the kids, and was pleased to find the children still remembered me ( I hadn’t worked with the children since last June when the grant program that hired me as a consultant ran out of funds)

We are working out how to make sure each of the students has a plan for this semester’s work, and it likely will be quite different from the class structure last semester. I’m looking forward to more direct work with the children, and getting the students involved in designing, documenting and exploring more independently. One logistical problem that has emerged is that we no longer have our wonderful “home base” at the Holyoke Children’s Museum. The class still needs to meet and talk and process together each week, and it will be important to find a place where that can happen. Children’s House has been incredibly open and welcoming, but the space is so small it can feel like we’re “taking over” when the whole group walks in… so maybe we can a find another spot to meet- more next week on this-