Tuesday means art and pond work for our family. We have two teachers on Tuesdays, Sister Alyce Jones and Mrs. Rebecca Costello.
Alyce Jones has taught the kids to paint with oils and watercolors since June of 2008. We meet with her every few weeks on Tuesday afternoons. We like her approach to art teaching. She gives a few instructions and then encourages the kids to explore the art of painting. She has a huge art library in her home and she’s allowed the kids to borrow probably 20 books and several videos to help them. That reminds me, I need to return some of her best brushes that she loaned to Paige. She is like a grandmother to the kids, bringing them gum, sharing her cookies and never critical. She has taught the kids to enjoy painting and they have a lot of satisfaction from their work this year. My house is full of beautiful oil paintings by my favorite little people, thanks to Sister Jones. She is also very musical and attends the kids’ piano performances. She wrote the nicest note to the kids after she heard them sing in church. She also works at the Family History Center in Tucson and she helped us learn more about Family History there. We love you, Sister Jones!
Mrs. Rebecca Costello has been our aquatic ecosystem teacher this year at the community pond. Basically, she teaches the kids how to be water gardeners. She knows all about plants and fish and how maintain a pond. We spend one or two mornings a month with her, taking water samples, planting things, or just enjoying watching the pond. She is very knowledgeable and generous with her time. She’s a busy person, teaching her own son and meeting the demands of her job. It means a lot to us that she works so hard to see that the kids have meaningful activities. We appreciate how she has given the kids a real hands-on science experience this year. Daniel and Timothy look forward to wading in the pond, even if it means removing nasty filters that need to be cleaned. Thank you, Becky, for the time, the patience, your generosity and knowledge this year at the pond!
We have one more teacher on Tuesdays, but we’ll highlight her on Friday since she teaches on that day, too!