education | Shearwater Productions

Children in Kabul using the masks they made

Arts in Education: Mobile Mini Circus for Children in Afghanistan has returned

April 26, 2023

Since I visited this incredible program in 2013, they were forced to shut down and seek safety when the Taliban again grew powerful and violent in the Autumn of 2022. Now, once again (as of January 2023), they have 27 teams in 11 provinces, serving children of all ages and genders, with a social circus program that also provides food and other instruction. You can learn more about them on their Facebook page (they post most often on Facebook). Support by sharing or donating if you can. — I am walking down the dirt road, my headscarf up over my

A group of students planning out their project

How does the collaboration circle work

May 7, 2015

As I write this, I pause to quickly grab a pencil and jot down one more thing on my “Bring” list, so I don’t forget when I leave for a foreign country at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning. I have more anxiety than I typically do — normally I am happiest and most content moving through space (or preparing to), and love my collaborative-creative projects best of all. So what, I asked myself, was I worried about this time? I had done quite a bit of social, cultural, and language preparation, spent time with friends and colleagues from this country to

Living Art: creating common beauty

January 18, 2015

It’s winter, and winter wonderlands bring to mind evergreens and warmer climes — for me, at least! So this blog is focused on Living Art—projects to do with your school or community that engage everyone, are stunningly beautiful, functional, and full of science and history exploration opportunities. What the heck is Living Art? In a nutshell, structures and sculptures made from alive plants (and some people would include running water). These are not just your king’s topiary! I was recently in Texas, and visited the Houston Museum of Natural History and it’s adjacent Japanese Gardens in Hermann Park . Gracing

War on Play?

September 28, 2014

Now that the school year is in full swing and folks are beginning to stress about test scores, the idea of extending the school day, cutting recess, eliminating creative activities and so on comes again to the fore. “Play is under pressure right now, as parents and policymakers try to make preschools more like schools. But pretend play is not only important for kids; it’s a crucial part of what makes all humans so smart, ” Alison Gopnik wrote in “Let the Children Play, It’s Good for Them! A leading researcher in the field of cognitive development says, “When children

A group of clowns standing together during a performance

The Importance of Theatre Education

July 20, 2014

“Best times of my high school life.” I just received this comment on my Facebook page after posting a PSA on how theatre transforms students’ lives. This comment does not represent a desire to goof off and party, nor is it an isolated sentiment. Theatre Education programs provide a safe place for students to be themselves, explore relationships, develop compassion, and discover delayed gratification. These are the obvious take-aways. Here’s some less obvious ones. Success in school By any definition of “Youth at Risk,” the percentage of those who graduate from high school is doubled when those students are coming from

Guest Blogger Mikel Moss speaks on Drama Therapy and Community

November 9, 2013

Mikel Moss is an Ithaca Native and Drama Therapy Alternative Training Student with the North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA). He was recently awarded the “Student Volunteer of the Year” Award by the NADTA and he currently serves on their Diversity Committee. He is vice president and co-founder of the Affinity Group “Blacks in Drama Therapy.” He gave the below speech at the annual Drama Therapists’ conference this year. In it, the community to which he refers is that of Drama Therapists. I have very vivid memories of my childhood: Singing, playing outside, riding my big wheel, laughing, my favorite