my hands are my heart

I went to see the Hobbit movie over the weekend. There was a scene that has stayed with me while trying to process the recent horrific event that has broken all of our hearts- Gandalf the wizard is explaining why he chose a hobbit to help in their journey:

"Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps because I am afraid, and he gives me courage."

Funny that wizards, elves, dwarves, and hobbits helped to restore my faith in humanity. I wish powerful laws could protect us and we had better mental health care for all. The thought of all that probably not happening in my lifetime leaves me feeling powerless though. What I can do, and what we can all do, is keep evil at bay with small daily acts of kindness, love, and courage.

I'd like to share our 4th grade creative art journaling on the theme: My Hands Are My Heart. They give me courage!

my hands are my heart

Our fourth grade artists watched an interview with Art21 artist Gabriel Orozco. We used his work My Hands Are My Heart as a starting point for an exploration of clay, process, and the connection of creating and caring. This fit in beautifully with our fourth grade theme, Artists Making a Difference!

Students were asked to only use their hands to create a heart (no tools allowed other than stamps for their name). Some hearts took the form of vessels, baseballs, mountains, or beloved pets. Some hearts wore their family names, some touched deeply with fingertips, and some hearts were perfectly smoothed. All of these hearts were a wonderful play in process and a great way for us to start our year of caring and creating.