MeMe Comes To Visit

Pete's mom, otherwise known as MeMe, came to visit in March and April. We had a great time taking her on our homeschool field trips as we learned about Japan and just resting at home. Each child has special time with MeMe. Emma showed her how she makes bowls with her pottery wheel, Kristen sewed a pillow with her, and Hannah and Kristen made a pot holder with her. Kelson, well...let's just say he was just Kelson...always playing with his trucks and keeping busy. MeMe did manage to sneak in some cuddle time with him during books.

We celebrated her birthday by taking her out to dinner at MiMi's Cafe. It's not spelled the same but it was fun taking her to a restaurant with her name in it. And as a special surprise we took her to see Celtic Women. She didn't know what we were going to see until they handed her a program with the name on it. If you've never heard any of their music on PBS you've got to check them out on line. They are from Ireland and sing beautifully!

The Komodo Dragon comes to Jacksonville

The new Asian Exhibit at the Jacksonville Zoo opened right at the time we were learning about Japan. Pete's mom was visiting from Vermont so Pete took the kids and his mom while I worked to the zoo. Kelson, who is 3.5 yrs old tell everyone he went to see the Komodo Dragon at the zoo.

Here is a write up on the exhibit:
The Asian Bamboo garden serves as an introduction to Asian animals. Rather than create an authentic garden specific to any one country or culture, we are creating a garden that we hope will resonate with peoples with experience of Asian cultures – people from Asia, Asian-Americans, or people who have visited, or lived in Asia. Significant features include the Moon Gate, a traditional Asian gate with a circular entry that symbolizes perfection, the Lotus Pool, featuring rock and water expressing the yin and yang principles of Chinese garden design, and the Moon Bridge, which reflected in the water becomes a full circle recalling the moon. The Orchid Pavilion, surrounded by bamboo, overlooks the Koi Pool, and kids and adults will love the Bamboo Mist Forest, home to our new bronze Giant Panda sculptures.

The Komodo Dragon exhibit will be set in an Indonesian fishing village on the Island of Komodo. It will appear that the Komodo Dragons are wandering the backyards of the village or basking in the sun. The exhibit will feature opportunities for zookeepers to train the dragons through an interactive panel in public view.

Japanese Kimono Exhibit

While Pete's mom was visiting from Vermont in March and April we were learning about Japan so we went to see the “Fashioning Kimono: Art Deco and Modernism in Japan” showcases nearly 100 elegant kimono at the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art. The garments are from the late 19th to early 20th centuries and include formal, semi-formal, casual and kimono-related styles such as haori jackets.

The show was like a magnificent maze, as we walked around and between the rows of kimono. With every step, a kimono can be seen at all times in this display; each one is more breathtaking than the other with its rich fabrics, exquisite detailing and bold, dramatic prints.

The exhibition spans the era of the “living” kimono, the 1890s to the 1940s, when the kimono was the attire of choice for the majority of Japanese men, women and children. During this time, the kimono faded as Western clothes became everyday wear. Eventually, the kimono took on a solely formal and ceremonial role.

The designs that cover traditional kimono are rooted in the beauty of nature. Cranes and dragonflies are dominant images, as are flowers and bamboo. But with time and technology, more ornate and large designs began to blossom as the Western art movements Art Deco and Art Nouveau started to inspire East Asia. Some of the kimono in the show boast abstract and geometric prints, as well as ethnic motifs such as African and American Indian.

The boys’ kimono feature some of the more unique and historical images. There’s one covered in hand-painted mice to signify the Year of the Mouse and several with Japanese war planes, tanks and ships on them. Baseballs, puppies, dragons and even images from Christianity can be seen on the male kimono.

There are several types of kimono textiles and techniques. Silk is the most common fabric, but a few of the summer ones are made of a gauze-weave or linen-like fabric. Patterns are produced by weaving, hand painting, embroidery or use of stencils. The more intricate and complex designs were created by the “kata-yuzen” method. Developed in the late 19th century, this method uses chemical dyes mixed with rice paste applied through stencils and onto the surface of the fabric.

Studying India

While studying India we read a book called Elephants Can Paint Too! It's about a Russian art teacher who compares how she teaches her students in Russia and her students in Asia (elephants) to paint. After reading it we painted like elephants using pool noodles as trunks with paint brushes stuck in the end of them and painted on a big canvas on the wall. The girls invited two of their friends over and had a blast!