I Spy Shadow Boxes

Just had to share this fun, environmentally friendly craft for all ages that my children have been continually making and playing with for months now. Using odds and ends from around the house or from your recycling bin, create a collage in a shoebox. Then use the collage to play "I Spy", an all-ages game that most children never get tired of. Close the sheoebox lid and take it with you for an entertaining game while you wait at a restaurant, doctor's office, or in the car.

Like in the national bestseller I Spy books by Walter Wick and Jean Marzollo , kids can choose a theme to create their collage around, or go completely random. Some ideas for materials include pictures cut from magazines, material scraps, shells, small toys left over from birthday party goodie bags or Happy Meals, stickers, foam letters or shapes, puzzle pieces, or anything you can think of.

I Spy clues can vary based on age, such as 'I see something red', 'something that begins with b', 'something that rhymes with wish', or 'something you find at the beach'. The game can also be played in a 20 Questions format as well, where the guesser is only allowed to ask yes or no questions about the mystery object. Games such as these build thinking skills, and are more engaging to children when their own works of art are involved.

My kids made their first I Spy Shadow Boxes at the Raynham Public Library's summer art workshop led by Lee Gullens, local artist and children's book illustrator. If your children are interested in art classes, the museum offers Art Exploration, a drop-in for preschoolers on Friday mornings, and Judy's Art Studio, art classes for children ages 5-18 held at the museum after school and in the evening. A local business recommended by Mrs. Gullens is Turtle Feet in Easton www.turtlefeetonline.com, newly owned by Kevin Hebb, which offers "art classes with an academic twist" for ages 3-12.

One final I spy idea: Another mom once told me when your kids do something that makes you want to pull your hair out, don't scream... take a picture. Someday you'll look back and laugh. So one day when my kids' room was extremely messy, I went around taking pictures. We now use those pictures for playing I Spy on long car trips. And yes, it brings us lots of laughs.

An American Educator in South Korea

We welcome you to our new series! If you are reading this you have stumbled upon something truly special! Today we proudly introduce to you Maria Mataragas, one of our volunteers (you may remember her as the Fortune Teller at last years Halloween Romp amongst other roles.) We are pleased that Ms. Mataragas has agreed to let us into the life of a traveling education innovator!

Teacher is a position of highest value in all cultures. Every country and person around the world is shaped by the knowledge, passion and kindness of this special group of dedicated individuals! With the economy here in the states leaving something to be desired and less steady jobs available more and more of our recently graduated and young teachers are answering the call of duty in nations across the globe. The lure of steady pay and the adventure of travel can seem almost too good to be true

Maria is a passionate educator whose involvement in teaching has carried her from one side of the Earth to the other. She now makes her home in Gangneung, South Korea, bringing lessons she learned in the states and at the Museum to the upcoming generation of enthusiastic learners! Her love of innovative teaching techniques and hands on learning through engagement makes her a leader of a new generation of teachers! Maria will be contributing articles for us about education & culture. She will also be twittering for us, keeping us all up to date on what's going on in international education and answering any and all of your questions! Check her out www.twitter.com/MariaCME. Without further adieu, here she is!

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Education is of special value. Whether it is teaching a large or a small class, the key point of success in education is to have the students trust you. Once trust is placed, everything else is easy.

This is how I felt in America. I was a Title I Reading Tutor in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. The school I instructed was the most beautiful, well organized and above all, caring environment I’ve ever worked in. This school inspired me to become an educator. The love I feel for teaching was equally matched to the love I hold for traveling.

With the recession, my job for Title I Reading was cut. As I joined others for the enormous job hunt, many websites about teaching abroad jumped directly unto my attention. The itch for travel became stronger with every resume, cover letter and email I sent to companies, schools and other businesses. Finally, the decision to teach abroad was apparent. I applied. I got the job. I left.

I teach in Solol (straight pine tree of the sea) Middle School in Gangneung, South Korea. The school is very professional, very strict with guidelines for students to abide. Guidelines such as uniforms, hair length, types of glasses and shoes are targeted and must be followed. Individuality and expressing oneself through creativity is prohibited. Studying for the purpose of exams is education according to my school. If a student breaks the rules punishment is physically severe, something which an American parent would never tolerate.

Korean students have a mounting pressure put upon them due to competitive reputations. South Korea is a community based country; everything is done together and shared. Every family name is known in this association of people and neighborhood. If a child succeeds or fails, the reflection is upon the parent’s ability or inability to provide for their child’s education. The only way to prevent their reputation from being tarnished in the community is to send their children to private schools until the late evening. For example, my students come to school at 8 a.m., stay for an after-school program until 4:30 p.m., then go to a private school for each subject that they are not passing. They don’t go home until 11:30 p.m.

I’m an American and I know what it’s like to be a child and get dirty with scraped knees. That is the spirit of being a child. American children are allowed to run wild with their imaginations, get paint on their cheeks and have gum stuck in their hair. Being a teacher to American children means I get to understand them more, help guide them to achieve any dream they want, as long as they know they can do it. Being a teacher in South Korea, the freedom to choose, the freedom to express, the freedom to get dirty and get to understand the children is not entirely there, because their future is already molded for them. These children are only allowed to study and work. From an American point of view, their childhood is taken away from them; however from a South Korean point of view, their future is being built.