"Do kids in the rainforest get loose teeth?"
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Reflections from the journal of visual art teacher, Carol Tombers, The Blake Lower School, Blake Campus Dec. 2007
"Do kids in the rainforest get loose teeth?"
It was a first grader's question that brought together two of the most pressing concerns of Lower School. The question generated much excitement, sadly unrelated to our topic of study: The History and Techniques of Weaving. Yet curiously, this query had come on the same morning as a related question, one in an email from a friend living on the edge of the Amazon rainforest: "How can I bring a smile to the children of my village? I see their faces weighted with the challenges of poverty and war."
My friend Campo had recently returned to his Colombian home after working for three years in Minneapolis, work which included being a guest speaker at The Blake School in social studies and Spanish classes at the Upper School.
We took a break from our weaving. I read Campo's question to the children first in Spanish, then English, and offered a little background information. We considered the questions one at a time and came to some consensus on each:
Do kids in the rainforest get loose teeth?
"If they smile we would know if their teeth were gone."
How can I (Campo) bring a smile to the children of my village?
"War can kill jaguars."
"It's the job of moms and dads to keep kids safe."
One more global, or "big picture" question was added. What makes children smile? After a short, lively discussion there was a definitive and unequivocal answer: "Love and toys."
Students quickly proposed a service learning project, and K-2 children and their families were invited to purchase a toy to be sent to Putumayo, Colombia. We will also send a digital camera in order to confirm, via email, if the children are smiling, and if they have toothless or toothy grins.
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