Rock and Roll

While traveling in Alaska and Canada this summer, I was taken with rock sculptures we stumbled upon on the side of the road.  Our guide explained they were inutsuk, constructions dating from the first peoples that denoted excellent hunting, the rising of the moon, or guided travelers to far away destinations.

These immediately spoke to me, and I hoped they would also speak to the children.  I requested of the families to begin collecting rocks, and I collected rocks, and this is what we walked into this morning...

At morning meeting, I shared a book I'd purchased in anticipation of creating inuksuk together...

...and we got to work with glue and rocks.  It takes a LOT of glue to stick rocks together!  Generally, inuksuk are not glued together, but I wanted the sculptures, once created, to be given a meaning and to have some permanence.  Perhaps we'll move on another time to creating ever changing inuksuk.

Lili's mom, Rebecca, shared that her grandfather creates inuksuk along the Potomac.  She promised to send some photos...

They are all quite different, as unique as the sculptors...

Tomorrow we'll attach some meaning to them.  Mine has a large rock on a base, with three stones, one for each of my children, all side by side.  Resting on top, is a smaller stone to represent my only grandchild.  The inuksuk can tell all kinds of stories.  I wonder what stories these will tell?

At another table, we balanced stones from the game Pagoda.

This is a task that calls for a steady hand. Miles is up to the challenge!

While I shared my Alaskan memories, some of the children came back to school with their summer treasure boxes filled with natural finds from their summer travels...Children were careful to include small treasures that would fit easily in the box, although a few spilled out or were held in by rubber bands or enclosed in larger baggies.

Enzo shared his box during share and care.  His held a snake skin found on the beach, a dead bee, and several other unidentified bugs.

Someone chose not to put any summer memories in their box!  Isn't it true that often the most precious of memories are held in our hearts and too treasured to be shared?

On home visits, I was often met at the door by a child holding their box, anxious to share what they had collected with me.  It was exciting to see the boxes take their place in the simple display area I had waiting.  I can't wait for the rest of them to be shared!