Primary and Robin's Hood.

We had a much needed break from the hormonal teenagers and took a trip to the local primary school where we did an art project with some of the students. We worked on two large scale mosaics which are going to be displayed at the entrance of one of their playgrounds. They had us work with Year 1 and 2 classes which was such a treat. We loved their uniforms (green jumpers and tights) and their cute little accents. 
We chose a 'garden' theme for the two mosaics that was based on a drawing by one of the students. She had drawn a picture of the four stages of a seed growing into a flower, so we copied it and added a few small touches. It was so nice to be around children, so we're glad we get to come back next week to finish up the project. 

Aren't they adorable?!?

After our long day at the primary school we headed east to Nottingham a.k.a. Robin's Hood, where we browsed through some shops, which closed at an unusually early time of 6:00, took some pictures of the castle, ate at a Portuguese restaurant suggested by Katie's cousin called Nando's, and enjoyed a nice coffee before we headed back to Long Eaton. 

Natalie finally got over her fear of bus rides when she took the bus home all by herself. It took about five minutes of Katie convincing her that she wasn't going to get kidnapped or stranded without a phone for her to get on. Had a great day exploring the city and are so excited about our weekend in London.

Ta.

N&K.

Mon-Wed.

Happy friday! Here's a glimpse into our week of teaching, having officially taught the English. We both taught Year 7 and 8 (6th and 7th grade classes). They seemed to love the project we had for them. Starting with a PowerPoint about Kentucky artist Leslie Nichols and her work we began working on a value scale using text and then eventually create a self portrait entirely made from their handwritten text. The students could write about anything that was of interest to them, like a song, poem, quote, or even words that describe them. Natalie chose the first page from Pride and Prejudice (duh!) and Katie chose some song lyrics. They won't be finished for a few weeks, but hopefully we can get some final products for you to see.

 

 

The students certainly knew how to test us. They came ready and armed for our first lesson and we fought back quite bravely. Some incidents included mimicing our accents (to be expected), and rude gestures. But after a week with us, they've learned that Americans don't put up with much. Certainly not disrespect. Thank you WKU education classes and student teacher mentors for showing us some good classroom management. We would be in the corner of the room crying without you.

The second lesson we taught was about the Elephant parade that traveled to London in 2010. The students were really excited to be having their own parade at Long Eaton. They've created sketches so far and a final draft of their clay elephant design. They'll be starting work with clay next week, so we're both excited about getting our hands dirty.

Today we're headed to London for the weekend. Natalie hasn't seen all the sights, so we'll try and get to most of them tomorrow. We really want a nice afternoon tea so if anyone knows a good spot, hook us up! We've also become obsessed with London designer Cath Kidston and her amazing country floral handbags. Most of the teachers at Long Eaton are sporting one, so we might have to splurge a little.

Pictures of London trip to follow.

Also, it's rained for three days straight. We're getting the full experience of England.

Love,

N&K

Chatsworth House.

Ello poppets. We spent a relaxing weekend in the English countryside of Derbyshire. We kept it local.

Expected forecast: rain. Weather on the day: Sun. We drove through the peaks on our way to the grand Chatsworth House. Home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. (No...we didn't get to meet them) Natalie has officially achieved her life long dream of being Kierra Knightley, except with red hair.

  

  

It fulfilled all expectations. Lots of gold leaf, painted ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and awkward portraits of pale English royalty not smiling. The grounds looked like a movie set; as seen on "The Duchess, and Pride and Prejudice". Trimmed hedges, naked statues, rows of tulips, manicured grass, and the occasional hound. We were in love. Of course. Let the pictures do the talking.

There was a great farmers market outside the grounds selling homemade cheeses, breads, marmalades, cakes, and a HOG ROAST. We made a pork roast and stuffing sandwich our lunch. Delish. And worth all five pounds. Katie went home with a yummy Victoria Sponge cake, and Natalie...cheese and some gifts for baby sis. 

Also, these are our host families, the ones who've been kind enough to take us in for a month. Katie is living with Rosie, and Natalie is living with Anna. We love them both.

Wonderful day in England. 

With love,

N&K.

The Long Eaton School. (TLES)

The Long Eaton School

Hello people who love us. We've had a hectic first week of school. Monday through Wednesday was a series of long (read: boring) introductions to the school environment, classrooms, timetables, and the school online system. Tuesday we had a pupil pursuit. Now this sounds quite creepy, but actaully it was just us following around a class to all their different subjects. Highlight for Natalie: Food Technology making cherry scones, and then getting to eat them. Cheers. Highlight for Katie: Watching Year 7 (6th grade) figure out how to use a protractor in Maths. (Yes, it is pluralized here.) It was a great experience for us to see what the students have to go through on a daily basis. We were both exhausted at the end of the day. How do they do it?

Yesterday and today we've been in the art classrooms observing and lending a hand when needed. There are three art teachers in the department, and one floating teacher that takes on a couple classes a week. We're excited to start teaching next week. We've decided on a clay project based on the Elephant parade which took place in London a couple years back http://www.elephantparadelondon.org/ , and a self-portrait project that is constructed entirely from the students' handwriting, inspired by Kentucky artist Leslie Nichols. http://studionichols.com/.

We've loved seeing the differences between American and English schools. One thing we noticed about art classes is their focus on keeping up a good sketchbook to study with. Each class starts with the students looking through their sketchbook, either at old drawings, or creating some new sketches before they start a final piece. We wish there was a stronger focus on sketchbooks in the states because it seems to really pay off for their final pieces. They end up being really thought out and their reasonings behind every decision are easily defended.

We've met with some older Years today and the students were very open and receptive to our thoughts and questions, (unlike some 11th graders I've met) which was a pleasant surprise.

This weekend we head to the coveted Peak District, a bit north of us, to see Natalie's current obsession (being in Pride and Prejudice) Chatsworth House. If you aren't a 22 year old girl, this will mean nothing to you, so for those that apply, this is one of those old girls-wearing-long-dresses-and-bonnets films, set in England, filmed at a beautiful estate home, a.k.a. Chatsworth house. http://www.chatsworth.org/ Notice there is a tea room. Pictures of this trip to follow.

Cheerio!

N&K