Archive for the ‘OMI/Excelsior Living Library & Think Park’ Category

Apr '13

Capturing A Living Library Through Art

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 This month at A Living Library, students took a deeper look at the Gardens and Landscapes through the lens of art. Art for creation, for beauty, and for self-expression.  Students opened their eyes to details of the Gardens at the OMI/Excelsior and Bernal Heights Branch Living Library & Think Parks through Photography, Blind Contour Drawings, and Scientific Observational Drawing Classes.

Older students at our OMI/Excelsior Living Library & Think Park learned how to critically analyze images and objects using perspective, light, balance, color contrast, focus, background, and the rule of thirds. Each student used these principles of photography as they explored the Gardens taking photos.

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Blind Contour Drawings are an art form that encourages you to pay more attention to the shape and essence of your subject, rather than the detail and accuracy of your drawing. There are only 3 guidelines for this art form:

1) Never take your eyes off of your subject

2) Never lift your pencil off your paper

3) Have fun!

Our after-school students from 2nd through 7th grades participated in this activity, that is far more difficult than it seems. Students first learned the basics of Blind Contour by drawing a partner’s face, as their partner drew theirs. This show-down stare contest produced interesting art works that encouraged students to let go of perfection, and just have fun. Students were then able to take their talent to the Living Library Gardens and capture the forms of human figures, flowers, and other garden treasures.

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Our youngest students at A Living Library were encouraged to observe plants and flowers in detail, and produce scientific drawings of their subjects. Students explored the Garden and sat down in front of their subjects of choice for a closer look. Students observed their plants, and drew them as they saw them, identifying and matching shapes, colors, proportions, and growth patterns. With the A.L.L. Teacher asking, “What else do you see?”, students repeatedly returned to their subjects to add any parts they missed before.

Scientific Drawings encourage observation, critical analysis, and an awareness of the details of nature. Students were asked to take a look at the differences between these art forms. Each one brings new light and new attention to the beauty of the Garden, and the self-expression of each student, who is part of our Living Library & Think Parks

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Apr '13

Attention SF Middle and High School Students: Become an A.L.L. ECO-ART Intern with A Living Library This Summer !

 

A unique opportunity for San Francisco youth this summer with A Living Library:

A.L.L. ECO-ART Internship Flyer

See links below for more information, the application, and parent signature form:

A.L.L. ECO-ART Internship Information

A.L.L. ECO-ART Internship Application

A.L.L ECO-ART Parent Signature Form

 

 

Apr '13

Healthy Hearts of February: Valentine’s Day Celebrated A Living Library Garden Style!

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IMG_0736Love was in the air in the OMI/Excelsior and Bernal Heights Branch Living Library & Think Parks this February, and Valentine’s Day was not the only reason why.  IMG_0731

This month we took a fun turn towards learning of healthy hearts, as our A.L.L. Garden Instructors brought food choices and food fun to the garden table.  For two weeks, students from Kindergarten to 8th grade took part in a Juicing for Health Lesson that brightened up eyes and taste buds, with Hulk Green Juicing Machines !

Students of all ages worked together to categorize the foods we commonly eat, and that we know can, either support, or destroy, our bodily systems and balance. Students actively participated in acknowledging the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, and the health risks of diets, high in fats and sugars.  Did you know that a can of soda or a regular glass of fruit juice can contain up to 10tsp. of processed sugar?

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  Expressions of “Yuck” were soon overcome, with looks of “Yum”, when our students started preparing fresh fruits and vegetables from the local grocery store, and seasonal edible plants from our Living Library Gardens. We added some super power from greens, such as chard, kale, dandelion, miner’s lettuce, and even sour grass, to our mixture, for an ever-changing, new, flavor of health. 

And, with this comes the great lesson of how each food choice can support, or hurt us, in different ways.  You probably knew that carrots provide carotene for stronger eyes and vision, but did you know that parsley has been found to contain anti-tumor fighting agents?

Through preparing meals, and creating art with colorful foods as the medium, students learn that healthy food is fun, and, Yes, we should play with our food at A Living Library!

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 Blog written by A Living Library Garden Instructor Courtney Calkins.     

Feb '13

A Living Library Gardens Inspire Gratitude

               Gratitude, Thankfulness, Appreciation, Gratefulness. 

These are just a few words that express A Living Library and Life Frames, Inc.'s sentiments towards its generous donors, partnering schools, hardworking teachers, and engaging students.  We feel lucky and grateful for the giving nature of A.L.L.'s strong garden community, and these sentiments can not be expressed enough.

In January, OMI/ Excelsior and Junipero Serra Branch Living Library & Think Park's students welcomed in the New Year, 2013, with much needed reflection on the bounty around us. Upon returning from the winter break, students shared highlights of their vacations of celebrating time with family and friends over meals, travels, and holiday celebrations. Our students discussed the importance of articulating appreciation, and how we can show appreciation, and share our gratitude at school and at home.

While our youngest students practiced their reading and writing skills through hand-made, Thank You Cards, with full illustrations, our older students took their introspection skills a step further, and developed beautiful poems of gratitude.

Students were able to find quiet and healing spaces in our OMI/Excelsior and Junipero Serra Living Library Gardens  for inspiration in peaceful surroundings, which helped them reflect upon the love of their families and appreciation of A.L.L. Most students expressed appreciation for the love of their families; even the 5 yr. olds knew how important love is !

 By the end of January, we turned our eyes towards the IMG_0425Garden where our OMI/Excelsior Student Stewards Mentors and After School classes learned about an ancient companion planting trio, Corn-Bean-Squash.  They harvested and prepared a feast to pay homage to the bounty of the land.

These Three Sisters, are traditionally planted together and work to support one another in providing nutrients, structure, or protection to the others. In legend, the Sisters are always to be grown, eaten, and celebrated together, and thus exude environmental, nutritional, and cultural sustainability.

This year our Three Sisters had a true blue star, the Hopi Blue Corn; a many hundred year old corn variety originating from the Hopi territory of the Four Corners.  Hopi Blue Corn not only boasts increased nutritional value over common yellow and white corns but it is also a cultural idol signifying the rising sun, the beginning of life, wisdom, and understanding (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopi_maize).

January's Meal of the Month is a Three Sister Succotash       IMG_0550

Ingredients:

-1/2 medium Cinderella Pumpkin, de-seeded, peeled, and cubed (any of your choice can be substituted)

-2 cups Pinto Beans, cooked

-1 cup Hopi Blue Corn kernels, fresh

-1 tbs. Olive Oil

Pre-cook Pinto Beans from dry storage by soaking them in a deep pot of water  overnight. When beans are plump, boil them in excess water for 30 min-1 hr.  Add subtle flavors, such as garlic, onion, salt, and pepper to taste. Or, buy pre-cooked beans. Heat a pan with olive oil. Add pumpkin cubes; as they cook, their color will brighten, to a deep orange.  When pumpkin is soft, and easy to pierce, add fresh corn off the cob, and cooked beans.  Stir constantly, while beans and corn are warming.  Sprinkle with seasoning if desired, but other flavors really don't need to be added to this hearty, complete-protein meal.

Cheers to Land.  Cheers to Life.  Be Grateful for it all, and Enjoy !

[caption id="attachment_3713" align="aligncenter" width="500"]Enjoy your Three Sisters Succotash Enjoy your Three Sisters Succotash[/caption]

 Submitted by Courtney Calkins, A.L.L instructor

Feb '13

Life Frames, Inc. & A Living Library Projects Overview

project experience

Please have a look at an Overview of some of our projects over the years.

Life Frames, Inc. & A Living Library Projects Overview

Life Frames, Inc. (LFI), and it’s Founder & Director, Bonnie Ora Sherk, have been planning, designing, and building place-based, content-rich, ecological and multicultural, learning landscapes with integrated community programs, hands-on, interdisciplinary curricula, and green skills job training for youth and adults, in New York City, San Francisco and other cities, nationally and internationally, for over 35 years.

LFI offers practical processes and imaginative solutions resulting in ecological land use planning, landscape architecture, participatory design with multiple, systemically linked, interactive, community and school programs, which also function as community and economic development for the area, resulting in transformation of the community.

As named, the Life Frame literally frames and incorporates life and local resources, so we can see, understand, learn from, appreciate, and experience more profoundly - our community, our world, each other, and ourselves. The Life Frame is Cultivating the Human & Ecological Garden.

© 2024 Life Frames, Inc. & A Living Library

A Living Library, Life Frame, Think Park, & A.L.L. are registered trademarks

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