This spring River and Sky students have participated in explorations that spanned both dance and art classes. Classroom teachers participated by sharing the children's book, Matisse’s Garden, by Samantha Friedman with their classes. Natasha and Annie created a series of classes that explored aspects of the bold colorful nature of Matisse's imaginative designs. 
Using a common focus of positive/negative space, shape, repetition, and placement, the children have been creating art and designing dances. They have explored these concepts while developing skills and creating artwork and dances to be shared with the rest of their class. Children have worked in pairs and collaborated in the process.
When the children have a chance to embody the concept or "paint an idea in space" as well as "dance an idea on paper", the learning takes on a magical quality as well as a special way of knowing. It was an exciting time as the children translated images from one form of expression to the other amidst laughter and connections.
