Froggy Phonics; Art Activity

Every end of unit (fifth lesson) in Kindergarten Phonics has an optional review activity. Up until recently I had been skipping them with hardly a glance. Last week, though, the activity was too good to pass up. There were about 8-10 sheets of paper, each with a letter or digraph (two letters that make one sound, like sh, ch, th, wh, etc.). These were to be taped to the floor. Then there were about a dozen slips of paper, with one word per slip. Kaith and I took turns, each reading a word, then jumping on the papers to spell it out. I don't know when the last time was he was so excited about phonics! The next unit finished with a Bingo game, which he enjoyed as well, but is looking forward to another episode of "Froggy Phonics" later this week, which will challenge his skills acquired this week--ending words with the trigraph tch or the digraph ck. Maybe this time I'll do it before Sterling wakes up. He was so determined to rip those papers off the floor.

We also pulled another activity out of Art for the Very Young. I got out the Crayola washable fingerpaints and a few washable toys. The children were instructed to dip the ends of the toys in the paints, then make lines on their paper, which could be straight, wavy, zigzag, etc. Trevor enthusiastically went through a large quantity of paper as he experimented with the physical properties of his available tools. Miriam, however, stayed with it the longest. I think Kaith had long left the table when she placed the finishing touches on her first piece. I have great hopes that she will make a charming artistic companion for me, once she matures a little more. Ah, working side-by-side with various mediums, subtly inspiring each other . . .

Byzantine Art History

I just submitted my art history post. This is the picture I chose to discuss.

This icon, called “The Harrowing of Hell,” comes from the Katholicon (cathedral) of the Monastery of Hosios Lukas. Circa 1020, it appears to be original to the building, which is dated to around 1011. While the word “harrowing” usually is a synonym to distressing or agonizing, its root “harrow” is an archaic word meaning to plunder or sack. It appears that the title of this icon refers to the latter, archaic meaning. Here, Christ, through the power of his cross, is plundering hell of her victims, one of which he holds by the wrist. This is symbolic of the belief that, without Christ, all would endure the agonies of hell, and that people are only saved from hell through the redeeming power of Christ. Here, Christ is holding a Byzantine “three bar cross.” The upper bar is the wooden plaque that had the criminal accusation written on it, in three languages: “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.” The middle bar is too narrow in this icon to function in its original purpose. It is stylized, representing a wider bar that his outstretched arms had been nailed to. The bottom bar was for his feet. More modern likenesses of the crucifixion show Christ’s feet overlapping, with a single nail fixing them to the upright bar behind him, but the early icons had a bar for his feet. In this image, Christ is not victim of the cross, but master of it. His pose is similar to a hiker with a walking stick or a wizard with his staff. The cross is now his instrument of power. To the left are two holy persons, identified by the halos around their heads. They are less holy, however, than Christ, and therefore appear smaller to us. This is similar to the ancient Egyptian tradition of drawing the servants and warriors much smaller than pharaohs or gods. They stand to the right of Christ symbolizing that they have now come into his favor and may reside with him in Paradise. To Christ’s left, then, appears hell. One humble, kneeling figure has his arm outstretched, which is now held by Christ. He is in the act of rescuing this man from hell. Another man, clean-shaven, (or is it a woman?) stands, beginning to stretch forth his arm, which is concealed under his cloak. He looks uncertainly at Christ, as though wondering if he, too, will be plundered away from hell.
Citations
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, fourth edition
The Holy Bible, King James Version http://instructional1.calstatela.edu/bevans/Art101/Art101B-2-MiddleByzantine/WebPage-Full.00004.html