Fairy Flower Dolls

The girls began crafting fairy flower dolls this morning using tissue paper and pipe cleaners after a brief how-to by Mrs. DeLorbe. Sparkly sand was added to depict the hair on the dolls.

An important part of this project included careful fan-folding of thin tissue paper.


A completed fairy flower doll!


Ms. Pinkard popped by for a special visit before snack to share a set of her own paper dolls with the girls. All of the dolls had intricately detailed clothing, some of which Ms. Pinkard even painted herself! What fun!



During the second half of the morning, the girls created doll backgrounds using a cut section from a trifold white board. They illustrated their white boards using magazine clippings and their own drawings to depict rooms found inside of a house (such as a bedroom, office, or kitchen). Some even created outdoor rooms (complete with a backyard pool!) for their dolls to play in!

Excellent job, girls!

Darling Dolls Camp- Paper Dolls

The first session of camp began today!

The girls received pink Darling Dolls t-shirts- what a great photo opportunity!

After a brief introduction inside, the girls received a storage bin to keep their creations throughout the week. They enjoyed personalizing these containers with colorful foam stickers and markers.

After the storage containers were complete, the girls learned how to create paper dolls. They began by choosing a doll body, then stenciled, colored, cut, and glued on hair. Facial features and hair "gems" were then added.

Patterned paper was then used to make clothing, which was affixed with velcro. Take a peak at these adorable completed dolls!

Throughout this week, the girls will continue to add to their doll collection by creating multiple paper dolls and clothing. They have really enjoyed adding rickrack and various ribbons, sequins, and gems to their dolls as embellishments.

Is it a secret that Mrs. Delorbe and I are having so much fun at this camp?

Thank you, 6D!

My students have had an absolutely amazing year, and I am so proud of their hard work! Some noteworthy events from this year included:

• making new friends and meeting new teachers




• planting seedlings for Real Food Farms




• the Lower School Halloween parade




• performing in the fall Thanksgiving Play




• learning Calvert upper and lowercase print, as well as strengthening our fine motor muscles




• eating snack and lunch in the cafeteria




• the winter visit from the Ravens Cheerleaders!




• giving back to our community through new and used toy donations and clothing




• having two recesses per day!




• hunting for Easter eggs on the Castalia lawn




• joining and participating in our first ever Seventh Age/ Sixth Age book club!




• reading, reading, reading- and participating in March Reading Madness!




• learning all year about the continent of South America, and performing in the spring Geography Play




• visiting the National Aquarium and the Baltimore Museum of the Arts




• visiting with our 9th Age and 5th grade friends




• the Chinese New Year's acrobats assembly in the MS gymnasium!




• learning how to read!




• celebrating Sixth Age spirit week




• learning how to tie our shoes and zip our coats independently




• losing tons of teeth!




• adopting and visiting our class tree during each of the four seasons




• learning about and listening to books by the following "Authors of the Month": September- Lois Ehlert; October- Virginia Lee Burton; November/ December- Tomie dePaola; January- Ezra Jack Keats; February/March- James Marshall; April- Shel Silverstein; May/June- E. B. White




• practicing our manners with teachers and friends




• Track and Field Day 2011




• spending time with parent and classroom visitors




• learning how to independently solve problems at the class "peace table"




• discussing how to be an activist and learning about activists in our own community and around the world

This summer, when you are away on vacation or are relaxing at home, you can click on my summer reading link (see sidebar for "Summer Reading Suggestions") to find reading ideas to keep you occupied and engaged. Don't forget to check out Calvert's home page for the rising 7th Age summer reading link as well. And of course, who could forget? Have a great summer!

6D- you're not off the hook yet...expect to hear from me soon...

xoxo Mrs. Armstrong

Thank you, Soldiers

In honor of Memorial Day a few weeks ago, 6D wrote thank you letters to soldiers around the world. Here is an example of one student's thoughts. (I covered over his name with a post-it.)

What a wonderful way to celebrate how much these brave young men and women do for our country.

Learning About Uganda

My brother-in-law, Derek, is a scientist who travels the world. Although he resides in Baltimore, his current stop is Uganda. My students were curious about this country in Africa, and had the following questions for Derek. We are hopeful he will answer us, and will have time to Skype us this week from South Africa. We look forward to hearing from you, Derek!

A bird? A plane? No- it's Mrs. Armstrong!

I know what you're thinking- Mrs. Armstrong? A rock climber? Alas, it is true! This past weekend one of my students invited me to learn the art of rock climbing at Earth Treks in Timonium. This is a photo of what the facility looks like inside.

Here is a photo of my student and I with our instructor. Notice the harnass, special shoes, and rock climbing lines.

My student (he's only 6!) has been learning and practicing his skills for quite some time and was seriously impressive. He is mastering knot tying, positioning his feet and hands, and letting go of his fears. I am so proud of his hard work!

Here he is making it look so easy... and for the record- he made it all the way to the top!

When it came to be my turn to climb, I followed my student's lead by letting go of my fears and insecurities, and ended up having a terrific time! Thank to you my student and his mom for making this opportunity possible.

Track and Field Day 2011

Yesterday we celebrated Track and Field day at Calvert School! The 6th Agers wore orange t-shirts on the field. The day kicked off with a faculty/staff challenge.



Afterwards, the Pilot and 6th Agers met on the Brown field and competed in a variety of events, including: musical dots, relay races, the parachute, and potato sack races. The students were in great spirits and put forth their best efforts!



Thank you to Mrs. Sewell, Mr. Vorsteg, Miss Clark, and other additional teachers for your planning of this wonderful morning!

Fun was had by all!