January 12, 2026
Important Dates…
Thursday, January 15: Overfield Family Partnership Meeting, 6:30 p.m. in the Gathering Place.
Monday, January 19: School CLOSED for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Tuesday, January 20-Friday, January 23: Residency with Omope Carter Daboiku, Muse Machine Artist.
Saturday, January 31: Kindergarten-3rd Grade Information Meeting, 12-1 p.m. in the Gathering Place.
Saturday, January 31: Open House for Prospective Families, 1-3 p.m.
Monday, February 2: Current/Alumni Family Registration for the 2026-2027 school year opens at 8 a.m. online.
Monday, February 9: New Family Registration for the 2026-2027 school year opens at 8 a.m. online.
Insights from the Studio
Our Kindergarten class developed a fascination with arthropods this fall. From insects to spiders to roly-polies, the children immersed themselves in this topic through observation, research, discussion, drawing, and sculpting. Recently, the topic has provided a deep well of inspiration for small group work in the class block room. Over the course of several weeks, many children eagerly responded to the invitation to work with their classmates to build an “arthropod city.” As in the construction of a real city, much negotiation was required. In some cases, individuals drew and shared their ideas first, and then teams decided which proposals to pursue and how to share space and materials. On other days, building unfolded more organically, with whispered ideas drawing pairs and small groups together. Math and physics concepts were in constant play with the children and their arthropod figurines. Social studies concepts, like “What do you find in a city? What does a city need?” also figured prominently. A great diversity of building strategies and civic forms were undertaken: a Magna-Tile castle that included plumbing; a hotel fashioned with wooden blocks and prescription bottle columns next to an arthropod beach; roads and ramps; stoplights; and an arthropod school with one open room and a tiny door “for babies and toddlers” and a second room with desks for Kindergarten. Of course, there was also a large playground of trees outside.
Observing this and other kinds of world building offers a window on the structures and roles that children view as important and exciting. In their first days of creating Arthropod City, many of the children made homes. As the work continued, vacation destinations and schools began to emerge. Often the homes included security systems, a way to keep the “bad guys” out and the “good guys” safe. Symbolism and imagination were important tools in the builders’ tool belts. A plain block that was rounded on one side could be used as a mailbox or a sink. A blue scarf worked well as a pool when laid flat on the floor. Another day, when it was draped across the top of a chunk of wood like a veil, a child referred to the stump as the “tree that got married.”
I’ve seen and heard about plenty of other communal construction projects this year. North Siders recently painted a collaborative mural representing underground groundhog tunnels and the imagined details inside. A group of Primary students were delighted to be interviewed about the video game Minecraft, and went into detailed descriptions of the different elements (wood, metal, water, etc.) that could be digitally mined, and the rules for their use. Last week, a group of mixed age students took advantage of the ample mud on our playground to build a fairy village behind the climbing trees. Some of the Minecraft fanatics were also part of this hands-on building crew. The team clearly gave thought to their building site before they began. The low, shady corner offered plenty of mud and access to shovels from the nearby sandpit. The spot also offered protection from foot traffic by being secluded between trees and fence.
A construction project allows the children to try on different roles, all of which are necessary to success: Dreamer, Tinkerer, the Visionary who inspires others, the Realist who latches on to someone else’s vision and directs what is necessary to get it done, the Recruiter who finds more friends to help, the Supply Manager who offers materials to those focused on building, the Optimist who says, “We’ll re-build it!” when a structure topples too soon.
To create our own new worlds, we have to reflect on the ones we already know. We draw from them and adapt them to our own needs, resources, whims, and desires. There is so much richness in this play as children construct worlds. You can feel how real it becomes for them by seeing their intense passion for the work.
Elizabeth Perry – Atelierista
We are thrilled to be welcoming Omope Carter Daboiku–affectionately known as Mama O–back to Overfield as a visiting artist! Many thanks to the Ohio Arts Council and Muse Machine for helping to provide this opportunity. We will be using the concept of “Dreaming a Peaceful Future” as a centering theme, with story-poetry coupled with visual art as our mediums. Please join us in welcoming back Mama O!
