Those lovely and expressive photos, taken by your children to convey information to their friends, will be moving on to Mar Vista Park's Fall Festival – student art exhibit this Saturday.
NSW has been invited to be the first preschool to exhibit in the student's annual art show as a result of our communication with the Mar Vista Community Counsel. Albert Olson, a graduated dad from NSW, serves on the community counsel and we spoke with him about the children's environmental awareness.
A group of children had noticed trash floating down the gutter and headed for the storm drain. They were able to 'read' the picture sign on the drain and determined that the trash would kill the ocean animals. They met to discuss this back at NSW. The teacher read them a poem by another student at a sister preschool. M.J.'s poem "Trash Talking" inspired our children to act. It was determined that making paper signs would not help because the paper would fall and become more trash. They brainstormed and came up with a phone tree idea. A small delegation of three friends came to the office and called a friend to warn them about littering, remind them about recycling and composting, and ask them to tell a friend. This same awareness has spurred neighborhood walks to pick up trash, a recycling program within NSW and interest in composting.
So, what does all this have to do with photography? It's another language for the children. Like clay, wire, paint and song, it's another medium to express their thoughts. After talking with the children about these photographs, we discovered a deep relationship with nature. Many of us believe that this kind of relationship provides children with a sense of calm and a reserve to pull from when city life gets frenetic. We hope these photographs share the same peaceful reserve with you and remind you that the children dedicated this exhibit to their parents. We hope you come take a peek tomorrow (Saturday, October 3rd) at the Mar Vista Park auditorium.