Tuesday gardening in Kindergarten

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Tuesday is the day when our kindergarten little students learn gardening, and according to our philosophy, they do it in the best possible: experiencing it.

The gardening class is a very important time of the week . Besides being part of the learning process, small live and feel Mother Earth. Under the guidance of their teachers and assisted by Shad Qudsi, from Atitlan Organics, the children discover that their hands are a valuable tool; they have fun while they learn and above all they create a deep connection with the planet.

Kinder students live all stages of gardening. They clean and prepare the soil, plant, water the plants, place the mulch, observe the growth, harvest, use the compost to keep creating fertilizer from organic waste …

Static images, at this age, do not help much. Young children need to experience things for themselves. Also, a very important part of this process is learning to take care of lives growing and developing before their eyes, for they themselves are growing and developing as planetary beings.

The photos below show the process of soil preparation and planting of peppermint, comfrey, yarrow and sweet mint, plants that our little ones use to make delicious herbal teas.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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Today is Mother’s Day here in Guatemala, and we want to congratulate our mothers in this special day.

The little children from Kinder want to congratulate their moms as well! They’ve been working on something little, simple, but beautiful. A small gift that shows the effort they have devoted to congratulate their mothers, and here is the result. ¡Brilliant!

School Games 2014

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For the first time, the Escuela Caracol had the honor of participating in the School Games 2014 organized in San Marcos La Laguna. Hundreds of students from different schools in our village and other neighboring villages filled the courts with sports, emotion and joy.

Our students participated in different categories of soccer 5, chess and athletics. The result of these competitions was very positive for the children, but certainly the most notable was the joy that participants squandered during the games. The victory, in this case, was for all students, faculty and parents. We all enjoyed a lot and are looking forward to participate again next year!

Congratulations to all and our sincere thanks to all who made possible these School Games 2014.

Experiencing time

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Recently our students of second and third grade of Escuela Caracol lived firsthand the training package of time. And beyond theorizing, the children had the wonderful opportunity to experience for themselves the true meaning and influence that time has on our lives.

The teacher Andrea enthused her pupils going back to the origins of the oldest systems of measurement (sun and moon), then they discovered the classic sand and water clocks to finally reach the understanding of analog and modern digital clocks.

The students learned by observing their own shadow under the sun, they investigated the moon phases, conducted their own crafts, created watches , manipulated an hourglass and even had the opportunity to build their own water clock. And these classes also served to review the Roman and Mayan numeric systems. Fantastic !

Our parade for the local fair of San Marcos La Laguna

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On the morning of April 24, all schools in San Marcos La Laguna participated in the parade which takes place during the Feria in our town. Our local fair is a joyous time that almost says goodbye to the dry season. San Marcos streets become full of music, games and activities, and thousands of people celebrate this occasion as it deserves.

The parade go across the streets of San Marcos La Laguna and ends with a common event in the football field , where local authorities celebrate the celebration with students , teachers, families and local residents .

Our parade began at Escuela Caracol, where teachers, students and parents met . Our delegation was led by the Kinder students. They carried the flag with the image of our school and a beautiful craft that they made in their classes, a ​​ paper and wool lion (see photos below). After the smaller children , the other courses were also carrying flags with the colors of our town and banners of their own making.

From our school we headed to the meeting point where we met with the other schools, and from there we started walking through the streets to get to our destination in the football field.

It was definitely a very special occasion and a time to enjoy together in a celebration where all schools come together to fill the streets with laughter and joy.

The first Holy Week carpet of Escuela Caracol

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The elaboration of sawdust, flower and fruit carpets is one of the most important aspects of the Guatemalan Semana Santa. The long and stunning carpets are a very significant part of the popular art and they are deeply rooted in the collective memory of Guatemalan people as a part of their cultural and religious syncretism.

Their functionality is also linked to the prayer. The faithful elaborate carpets not only as a form of decoration, but also to thank the divinity or to ask for some favor during the process.

We are lucky that in San Marcos La Laguna many people share their creativity in the form of amazing carpets. Different families and groups gather in the streets and combine their abilities to create beautiful pieces worthy of our admiration.

This year, the Escuela Caracol decided to create its first carpet, and the result was quite impressive! Without any previous design, and basically using only plants and flowers, all the people involved (students, parents, teachers, friends…) were able to create a lovely, improvised carpet.

This was our first experience elaborating carpets, but for sure that next year we will be filling the streets with colors again!

Below we share some pictures of other carpets made here in San Marcos La Laguna. Brilliant!

Chalkboard Drawings with Jana Senchan

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Escuela Caracol has had the good fortune to host a mentor teacher from Germany. Jana Senchan just finished taking a class from grades 1-8 at the Berlin Waldorf School, and during her sabbatical year she chose to dedicate several months at Escuela Caracol. She has spent her time observing all our classes and meeting with teachers, especially in the primary grades, as well as leading an art activity for all the faculty. Since she has considerable expertise as an artist, we asked her to work with us on chalkboard drawings. Below you can see the results.

Many thanks Jana, as well as to Svenja Büntjen, who put us into contact with Jana, and to the Freunde der Erziehungskunst, who helped to fund her travel expenses.

“El Velorio de Tio Tigre” (The Wake of Uncle Tiger)

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In March the 2nd and 3rd grade class put on a short play based on the fable by Venezuelan writer Antonio Arraiz called, El Velorio de Tio Tigre (“The Wake of Uncle Tiger”). It was hilarious! The class has been studying fables this year, and the children really felt their way into the various animals. Below are some photos from the play. Big thanks to our special friends, the Devoe-Talluto family, spent many hours helping with the costumes while on a visit to the school. Read more about their visit here (including a video).

Alumna Family Returns to Help with Class Play

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The Devoe-Talluto Family — Kristin, Jim, Sienna, Willow & Kai — came from Vermont to Escuela Caracol in 2009 as a part of their family sabbatical. They stayed the entire year and took with them memories for a lifetime. In February 2014, the whole family decided to come back for a visit using “pay-it-forward” money that they received. They were impressed by how much the school has grown, and were eager to find ways of helping out while they were in town.

One of their contributions while visiting was to design and help make the costumes for the 2nd-3rd grades class play. It was a short play based on the fable, El Velorio de Tio Tigre (“The Wake of Uncle Tiger”) by Venezuelan writer, Antonio Arraíz.

Click here to read more about and see some pictures of the play.

Thanks Devoe-Tallutos!

Delivery of sports equipment by the German Embassy

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In the framework of support for sport, Consul Martin Schwarz handed sports equipment such as balls, hoops, mats and ropes to “Escuela Caracol” in San Marcos La Laguna on Lake Atitlan.

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