St. Louis Art Museum

2025-26 School Year–Week Thirteen

I’m not going to lie…this was another kind of weird week, starting with the fact that I went on a field trip without my single student. We had already planned to make our annual autumn visit to Cahokia Mounds on Veteran’s Day before Chickadee broke her ankle, and she wasn’t up to that kind of trail walking, so Bunny, Ladybug, and I had to go without her. It was a beautiful, cool day, and I guess I’m counting it as a teacher inservice? I promised Chickadee we’d go back in the spring, too.

To make up for Cahokia Mounds, we went to the St. Louis Art Museum to check out the Native American art, and we saw some cool things, including this bowl and necklace, but a lot of those galleries are currently undergoing renovations, so that didn’t really work as planned either.

But we did get a lot of regular work done. Chickadee reviewed the FOIL method in algebra and also multiplied larger polynomials. She learned about synthesis & decomposition reactions as well as single & double replacement reactions in science. In religion we discussed the Office of the Keys and the difference between the releasing and binding keys. She read about the Balkan wars in history…WWI approaches! We continued reading Treasure Island. We began a study of the U.S. Constitution. And our recipe from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook was a good one…we made “Day at the Beach Cupcakes” inspired by 2020 Girl of the Year Joss…they were delicious and cute!

Next week we get to delve into all of our favorite Thanksgiving stories!

Chickadee Thursday

Chickadee wasn’t up to our annual trek around Cahokia Mounds because of her broken ankle, but we did visit the St. Louis Art Museum yesterday…we thought it was funny to recreate the pose of Degas’ “Little Dancer” with her boot!

Summer School 2025

This year’s summer school was very fun and something close to my heart…we looked at the history of fashion and fashions from around the world!

We had a small list of books and hands-on activity kits that were the basis for our historical knowledge:

  • Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style
  • What People Wore When: A Complete Illustrated History of Costume from Ancient Times to the Nineteenth Century for Every Level of Society
  • Sketch Your Style: A Guided Sketchbook for Drawing Your Dream Wardrobe
  • Coco Chanel: Pearls, Perfume, and the Little Black Dress
  • Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe
  • Klutz Tiny Fashion Studio Craft Kit
  • Fashion Design Kit

From there, we started with the basics…how color, pattern, and texture are the foundations of any fashion, and how fashion and true style are different. This was the part of the summer where I got to share my opinions on the topic, especially emphasizing that “fashion is about fitting in; style is about standing out.” We talked about things like couture vs. fast fashion, how popular fashions have influenced body image, the purpose of uniforms in various settings, and how things like rationing during war times forced styles to change. We even watched some bits from fashion shows, and discussed how the styles at shows do not necessarily reflect what even the designers expect the average person to wear in any given season.

What was really exciting, though, were the field trips we were able to go on, neither of which I was aware of when I chose the topic! First, we went to “Roaring” at the St Louis Art Museum, which focused on art, fashion, and automobiles in France from 1918-1939. We got to see a lot of cool designs (including one by Coco Chanel!), and Chickadee worked on sketching some of her favorites:

They even had a whimsical photo opp, which we both enjoyed:

And on a more serious note, we also toured the “Stitching History from the Holocaust” exhibit at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. This exhibit gave us beautiful clothes to admire, but also a lot to think about…I’m very grateful that I ran across it!

There were plenty of opportunities for crafting and creativity this summer:

And we even had a guest designer make a beautiful creation…Bunny crafted this gorgeous pink dress!

This year’s summer school was very different because I only had one student, but it was also a lot of fun to talk about fashion throughout time and across the world!

Chickadee Thursday

Chickadee really enjoyed a summer school field trip to the St. Louis Art Museum to see the special “Roaring” exhibit, which is about fashion, art, and automobiles in France from 1918-1939!

Roaring

On Friday we took advantage of the “Free Friday” at the St. Louis Art Museum and checked out the latest special exhibit, “Roaring.”

The exhibit focuses on art, fashion, and automobiles in France from 1918-1939. They have a total of 12 cars on display, and they are themselves works of art!

I really enjoyed getting a chance to look at some of the details up close…like most things, I find that the design of early to mid 1900s automobiles, with their curves and bright colors, to be much more pleasing to the eye than modern design. There were also some surprises…I couldn’t believe the kind of patterns they used to place on the outside of cars!

There were pieces of art mixed it in with the cars and clothes, like this classic by Dutch painter Piet Mondrian:

Of course my favorite thing about the exhibit was the fashion. There were primarily dresses on display (we even got to see a Coco Chanel or two!), but there was also some outerwear, a pair of beach pajamas, and even examples of what we would call “Athleisure Wear” today!

I learned so much about how automobiles influenced fashion design, and how in turn, cars became fashion accessories themselves!

There were also drawings of fashion designs:

And some other textiles mixed in…the colors of this rug were so vibrant!

I really enjoyed seeing the colors and prints of the time…it’s easy to think of the past as being dull and flat, but the opposite is true!

This is one of the best special exhibits I’ve seen at the St. Louis Art Museum…I learned a lot, and I’m so thankful that they gift their visitors with the opportunity to see them for free on Fridays!

Live Culture Force 1’s

When we went to the St. Louis Art Museum today, these oversized Nike Air Force 1 basketball shoes by Aaron Fowler immediately caught my eye. They’re made from car parts (and other media), and while modern art is not normally my thing, there’s something extremely striking about them!

2022-23 School Year–Week Thirteen

This was a busy and fun (not to mention short!) school week! We had one day that was a field trip day (Tuesday) and one day off (today, for Veteran’s Day). But first…cooking! Ladybug helped me make another three recipes from Recipes from the World of Tolkien…Lembas Bread (spicy cornbread), Sam’s Coney Stew (but actually chicken thighs according to the suggested substitution in the cookbook), and apple and blackberry cake:

Chickadee also did some baking with me this week…we made “Canterlot Cornbread” from the My Little Pony Baking Book. It was some of the best cornbread I’ve ever had!

Our previously mentioned field trip was to Creve Coeur Park for our annual walk on the four-mile loop around the lake. We timed it so Turkey, Bunny, and Moose could come with us, and he had a great time!

We did get some school work done, too. In algebra 2, Ladybug learned how to identify discriminants. In chemistry, she learned about decomposition, formation, and combustion reactions, and did an experiment to break down water into its constituent parts using an electrolysis machine. She read about dynasties in Japan and China in history. She has almost finished the second part of The Scarlett Letter. She tried her hand at crime and horror writing in creative writing.

Chickadee had mostly a review week in math, covering many of the topics she’s worked with so far this year. In science, she learned about chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas. She learned about early Greece and the Mycenaeans in history. We continued to read through Centerburg Tales. And we got to tag along with Bunny on a visit to the St. Louis Art Museum today!

Next week we have a full week of school, with some Thanksgiving fun thrown in, and then it will be Thanksgiving Week already!