365 Days of Earrings

Monday, May 2, 2011

Mosaics in May

Mexican mosaics adorned my ears today. My husband bought this pair for me almost 20 years ago when he visited Mexico during a music conference in San Diego.

They were perfect for today! Not only was I leading a project in which 100 children made 100 mosaic stepping stones, but the people who made it happen were Hispanic immigrants, many of whom spoke no English but worked with good humor and kindness in a playground swarming with young children and their teachers.

Each child designed a stone during our 100th day of school. They counted the green gems to use in making their numbers, and the tiles to make a decorative circle around the edge of the stone. After two rain delays, we built the path today.

Each stone is a 15 inch circle of concrete, made in a plastic form. I got home and realized that I should have taken a photo of my earrings on a stepping stone, but had to settle for this one of a prototype that I made back in February.

After my third graders finished their own stones, they helped younger students complete theirs. We plan to use the stones in math, allowing children to skip count by jumping along the path.
My hope is that the children will remember this experience and be able to revisit their stones over the years. I will always remember the amazing men whose labor enabled us to build our path.

1 comment:

Käthe said...

What a neat project! Love this idea.