The Purpose and Passion of Teaching

Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator by Dave Burgess

(Published by Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc., San Diego, CA, 2012)

Let me just start by saying this is by far one of the most favorite education-based texts I have read. It was real, raw, and inspiring. It was not an encouragement to hop on a bandwagon, or speak in regards to one breakthrough way to make teaching more like everyone else. In fact, it was near opposite. In encouraged each educator to be the full version of themselves, immerse themselves in their students, and give students an experience they won't forget.

I agree with the Dave Burgess that our goal as educators is to build life-long learners. Our job is to help students seek knowledge, ask questions, and want to be the best version of themselves. In order to do this, teachers need to seek knowledge, ask questions, and want to be the best version of themselves as well. Collaboration is a huge factor to success in good teaching, as is being true to yourself as an educator.

I remember doing some “crazy” things inside and out of the classroom that other teachers may not have been a fan of. However, my passion for the learning experience was there and the students engagement was through the roof. One example was when I challenged my eighth grade science students to get light to go from our classroom out the end door of the building, one story down. This meant finding a way to get a straight light beam to travel from an upstairs science classroom, out the door, down the hall, down the stairs and out the door on the first floor. The principal was not impressed to find several of my students in the hall during academic time, but the students were impressed that they were able to make it happen despite how impossible it seemed. I could have shown them a video about reflecting light, blah, blah, blah, or I could challenge them to figure out for themselves how it works and they DID!

This book encourages all educators to dive into the content, learning experiences, and mode of each individual class to make it the most meaningful time together possible. When the teacher is excited for the day's activities, the students start being excited to show up and see what's next. It's not a plan of perfection, but rather a plan of teachable moments.

The most important piece to the success of an effective classroom environment is knowing yourself and the students well. The rapport and respect foundation is crucial to meaningful journeys and moments together as a class. I like how the author emphasized laying this foundation in the beginning of the class/semester. Most teachers feel like they have so much to “cover”, but really they have so many humans to get to know quickly. The good rapport established allows the classroom to run like a well-oiled machine, ready for any adventure that comes its way.

Coming from an interdisciplinary undergraduate study, I also loved the way the author pointed out the valuable ways to include music, art, movement, etc. in any lesson or unit. Burgess also pointed out that tapping into student's interests outside of school is a great way to build engagement as well. Beyond engagement, this encourages the students to become the best version of themselves, once again an important focus for each student.

Connecting anything in the classroom to that outside the classroom is so effective. Show your students why what they are learning is important, powerful, and/or necessary. Burgess suggested even tying content to current events, or even a popular TV show. I believe connections are all around us. If you start pointing them out to your students, it will not be long before they start pointing them out to you.

“Much of your success as an educator has to do with your attitude towards teaching and towards kids. The rest of your success is based on your willingness to relentlessly search for what engages students in the classroom and then having the guts to do it.” (pg. 84)

Burgess's approach to being an enthusiastic, true-to-self, engaged teacher benefits all students, all abilities, and fellow teachers. His book was kind of like a big pep talk on how the career of teaching is worth the effort. The rewards are infinite. We chose this profession to make the world a better place and to touch the lives of children of all ages. Thank you to Dave Burgess for reminding me of the passion for teaching I still hold! 

For more about this author, visit:

http://DaveBurgess.com

Story Stones

As summer was winding down and the transition back to school neared, I was eager to do an activity to get the creativity of language flowing. I wanted to combine art, nature, and language to make it most appealing for this particular group of children. Let's take a look at the activity!

All summer the kids were fascinated with rocks and shells, so by August we had quite a collection. This special collection was something the kids hoped to keep, but I knew we could do more than just collect these beautiful treasures from nature. We picked the smoothest, flattest, and most intriguing stones out of the collection to turn into an art activity.

We started our activity by reading If You Find a Rock by Peggy Christian. In this book all types of rock explorations are discussed and it served as a good conclusion to all our various rock collecting throughout the summer.

Each child picked a special spot to paint her rocks. I let each start with minimal prompting, then worked my way around to observe and give leads to ideas as needed. I asked them to paint each rock with a different object, color, etc. Here are some of the things they came up with...

"sunset"

"house"

"ladybug"

The peace and contentment was contagious. They were each in their own world, creating and imagining. 

The stones were lined up on the railing to dry in the sun

and a flood of activity ideas arose... story prompts, sequencing activities, writing prompts, guessing games, poem writing, descriptive verbal communication, etc.

• Writing Activity
• pick five stones that have been painted
• arrange in a sequence of your choice
• write a meaningful narrative including characters, setting, and dialogue
• (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3)
• Verbal Share Activity (younger children)
• share a few stones with peers by describing painting you did on each
• give detail on features and meaning of picture
• use a clear communicative voice
• (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6)
• Verbal Share Activity (older children)
• paint a stone, or stones, that inspire(s) you
• use complete sentences that include detail to describe the image you are conveying on the stone
• speak clearly
• allow peers to ask questions and answer them with detail
• (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.6)

The box of story stones has been an attraction for children that have seen it. It immediately calls to be investigated and most children who peer in ask questions. They guess what each one is a picture of, comment on one that may be a favorite of theirs, and of course want to know who created these little treasures. In other words, they have just enough curiosity to start the next activity without even being the person who created them.

What other activity ideas would you do with a project like this? Share your ideas below!

Establishing a Climate

Whenever I present my children, or students, with a new learning situation, I believe it is important to establish a climate. By this I mean that I make it a point to assess where we are, where we are headed, and how we may get there.

My first example of this is establishing the climate for our home learning this summer. We will all be spending much more time together, so I thought it was wise to revisit the topic of mutual respect. I reverted to a book I absolutely love and then found that there is now a sequel! The books I read aloud and used to establish a climate for our time together this summer were Maple by Lori Nichols and Maple & Willow by Lori Nichols.

In the first book a little girl welcomes a little sister. In the second book the big sister and little sister need to work out some differences. For my children, this was a great reminder of speaking with respect to each other and respecting other ideas and perspectives.

Time to Remodel and Update

It's hard to believe three years have gone by! Life has changed quite a bit in those three years...

I'm excited to be back in the blogging world, share new ideas, and hear from those who like to talk all things learning!

Welcome and thanks for stopping by! 

Growth Greats!

Last Spring, I found an excellent way to record the accomplishments of my 3 year old and 5 year old.
While looking on education.com, a website that provides educational worksheets and activity ideas, I came across the explanation of a "Growth Flower."  From construction paper I made the center and stem of a flower for each of my girls.  Every time they accomplished something new, we'd add a petal to the flower with the accomplishment written on it.

We hung the flowers on the wall as constant reminders of all of the girls' achievements.  They were eager to add new petals to their flowers each time a personal goal was met.  In addition, their self-confidence and pride shined as they showed all that they were capable of doing to interested family members and friends!

With Summer at its end, I thought of a new way to record my girls' new feats.  To coincide with the beautifully colored leaves of Fall, I created the "Growing Tree."  With each new accomplishment a leaf will be added to the branches.

Is there anything better than celebrating the growth of a child?! 

Enjoy watching the self-esteem and smiles of your young ones blossom and grow as you record each milestone.  Not only is this project something for your children/students to get pleasure out of now; a nice little piece of artwork has been created for them to reflect upon and appreciate later in life.

Below are some suggested titles to read with your young ones to accompany and enhance this project.

All By Myself, by Mercer Mayer

The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper

I Believe in You, by Marianne Richmond

I Think, I Am!, by Louise L. Hay and Kristina Tracy

Incredible You!, by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer with Kristina Tracy

On My Way To A Happy Life, by Deepak Chopra with Kristina Tracy

Seeds of Knowledge

Seeds are everywhere!
Everyday, my girls and I encounter seeds.  Yes, we have planted them in our garden and have experienced the joy of watching them grow, Asters - Zucchini.  However, my 5 year old and my 2 year old were quick to point out every seed we came across during each meal of the day:  flax seeds, sesame seeds, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, orange, lemon, kiwi, cucumber, pepper, seeds...the list goes on and on!  So, we decided to collect the seeds we came across until we could fill an old egg carton.  (The girls were amazed to learn that pits, such as in nectarine, avocado, cherry, etc. were seeds as well.)

Once we collected the 12 seeds, we sorted them from biggest to smallest.  Then, the girls examined the seeds under magnifying glasses to better notice each seed's details.  Finally, the girls created a poster drawing each seed as they saw it in relation to the others.

This exercise got them focused on a subject and made them eager to learn more - they wanted to plant each seed to see what would happen next!  While we were collecting the seeds, they had to exercise some patience...it took us a few days to collect 12 seeds.  Also, it sharpened their observation skills; while eating a meal, they would search for seeds among their fruits and vegetables.  In addition, it served as a review for counting, sorting, and making comparisons and contrasts.  Finally, it gave my five year old a chance to act as teacher to my 2 year old!

There are so many other possibilities for learning with this activity.  The seeds could be sorted alphabetically, school aged children could write the name of each seed, and if the seeds are planted students/children could make observations as the seeds grow and sketch what they see on a "growth chart."  

Seeds are not the only option:  you could use rocks, seashells, flowers, bugs, buttons, etc. to accomplish the activity.  It doesn't matter what you use, or exactly how you do it, as long as some seeds of knowledge are getting planted and your young ones are excited about learning!

If you do choose to work with seeds, the following books are great extensions of the topic:

How Groundhog's Garden Grew, by Lynne Cherry

-Squirrel teaches groundhog how to grow and care for his garden through each of the seasons.

The Pea Blossom, by Amy Lowry Poole

-Five peas inside a blossom all what different things.  Follow each pea's unique journey.

Seed by Seed, by Esme Raji Codell

-This book highlights the importance of Johnny Appleseed.

For more book suggestions, check out this blog's "Suggested Reading" list.  

Enjoy learning! 

Motivating and Celebrating Learning

We motivate our children, and students, to do their best and celebrate those milestones that they accomplish. We see how proud they can be at these moments and want to bottle up the feeling

for them. However, as proud as each child can be at certain times, each child at some point experiences a feeling of not really being "into it" or not really feeling that he/she is making progress in the direction he/she would like to. Thankfully, there are many ways to motivate and celebrate learning!

"Word Wall"

The "Word Wall" works well because it is a constant visual, almost becoming a piece of artwork. It grows and changes as the learner does. It quickly becomes personal if he/she is the one physically putting the words onto the word wall. (This could also be done with magnets on a fridge, digitally through photographs, cut out word from magazines/newspapers, etc.)

For this word wall, I printed most words on card stock paper, then cut them to size.
Some words are hand-written on card stock as well.

• For emerging readers...
• as child is able to sound out word independently, post word onto word wall
• words can be grouped by rhyming families, or other logical categories (i.e. irregular words, number of syllables, etc.)
• For elementary spellers...
• as child is able to independently spell words, post word onto word wall
• words can be grouped by weekly spelling lists, or other logical categories (i.e. nouns, adjectives, etc.)
• For elementary/middle/high school students...
• as child is able to define content-area vocabulary in his/her own words, post word to word wall
• words can be grouped by subject area, or other logical categories (i.e. ABC order, root of word, etc.)
• For anyone learning a second language...
• post matches of words from two different languages (i.e. "el gato" = "cat")
• use the word wall to show verb conjugations
• sort nouns by the feminine and masculine definite and indefinite articles
• sort words by parts of speech

The options and ideas are endless, but the process gives such a visual for learners on their growth! (It also gives the teacher/parent a great jumping off point for other ideas and activities, based on what is or is not on the wall.) It is a great way to celebrate the learning and to watch it grow!

"Reading Around the Room"

(This idea was taken from a "Helping Hands" display that was used in my daughter's classroom. In her classroom, a hand was posted on the wall each time there was a good deed in the classroom. The good deed was written on the hand and it was posted on the wall. These hands continued to go up one-by-one around the classroom throughout the year, with a special celebration planned if the hands made it all the way around the room by the end of the school year.)

I loved this idea so much that I wanted to find a way to connect it to reading. Instead of hands, we've been posting books around the room. Each time my daughter independently reads a book aloud, she gets a book to post on the wall. She loves to draw and has chosen to draw an illustration from the book on her paper book to be posted. This activity automatically increases confidence as she sees the number of books quickly making their way around the room. 

This activity can be used in so many ways, but if we focus on just reading, it can be used to...

• track number of books read independently
• show books read to a young child
• demonstrate chapter books read by child just starting with chapter books
• display books read with a whole class
• note literature books that have content-area connection (i.e. literature books read in science class)

The list can go on and on, but no matter how it is used, it is a visual representation of hard-work and accomplishment. It can be used as a group challenge, or individually. It can be use for reading, or for good deeds as I had originally seen it. No matter how it is used, if it involves the learner and is on display, it will motivate the learner to keep learning!

What are some ways that you have motivated and

celebrated learning with your child(ren) or student(s)?

Please feel free to add to this post in the comment section!

FAMILY TREE

About a year ago, a friend told me about the "Thankful Tree."  This is a small tree, or in our case collection of branches, to be displayed in the home.  Everyday, or when able, each family member writes something for which he/she is thankful.  With Thanksgiving in mind, we created our Thankful Tree in November.  My daughters (4 and 2) cut out small white hearts and poked a hole in the top of each one.  When we got the chance, usually during meal time, we'd discuss everything for which we felt thankful.  Each person would then have his/her thought written onto a heart which was then placed onto the tree.  By mid-November, my girls were asking, "Can we do the Thankful Tree now?" and it was full of hearts.  At the end of November we took all of the hearts off the tree and read each one, reflecting on what we had said and written.

When I began to disassemble the tree at the beginning of December, my 4 year old said, "Oh, don't take down the tree Mommy.  Let's do another one!"  So, we decided on the theme of giving and called it our "Giving Tree."  I cut mittens out of construction paper for this tree.  We discussed all the ways we could be giving, generous, kind, or in some way offer a helping hand to others.  We came up with such things as "donating food to the local food pantry" and "giving more hugs" and "being a better listener".  In addition, this tree was the catalyst for us taking action and doing what we had discussed, like actually donating food.

When January rolled around and we had reflected on our Giving Tree, once again my girls said, "Let's do another one!"  In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we created the "Changing Tree."  Since Dr. King was inspired by Ghandi who said, "Be the change you want to see in the world," we decided our focus would be positive changes we'd like to make for our world / home / selves.  My daughters wanted hearts again for this tree, so I cut out a bunch of construction paper hearts and we got right to work on letting our tree of change bloom.  We came up with a variety of things that, once again, lead to great family discussions and lessons.  For example, my oldest daughter came up with "doing things the first time I'm asked" and my youngest was proud of "no more yelling."

We were all held accountable; if my youngest yelled, she was gently reminded that she had put "no more yelling" on the Changing Tree.  If I was running late getting my oldest to preschool, she reminded me "Mommy, you put "be on time" on the changing tree.

In addition, several learning opportunities flourished from this exercise.  For example, my oldest daughter checked 4 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. books out of the library.  She wanted to learn all about the person after whom a holiday had been named and influenced the creation of our tree.
Because we liked to hang 1 "change" per family member a day on the tree, we created a banner to hang by the tree to act as a constant reminder of our goal.  It said, "Be The Change."

For February, we're doing a "Love Tree."  On our hearts, we're writing all the ways we can show / feel love as well as listing all the people / activities / things we love.  We're currently working on a banner that says, "Be Love."
For March, we're thinking about a "Spring Tree" and hanging on the tree all the signs of Spring.  The possibilities are endless...you could do a tree once a month, once a season, once a year.  Try a sports tree, song tree, birthday tree.  No matter what you choose, there will no doubt be room for learning by all family members involved.  Enjoy watching your family grow!
Below, check out some book titles that correspond to the trees mentioned above.

Thankful Tree Books

Let's Be Thankful, by P.K. Hallinan
This book reinforces the concept of gratitude by acknowledging people/activities that bring joy to a child's life.

Give Thanks for Each Day, by Steve Metzger
Delightful illustrations of happy animals and rhyming verse help children remember to give thanks for life's simple pleasures.

Giving Thanks, by Jonathan London
In this story, a young boy learns to show his gratitude for nature when on a walk with his father.

Giving Tree Books

Just Critters Who Care, by Mercer Mayer
Follow "Little Critter" as he and his friends rally together and volunteer to help a neighbor in need.

Rabbit's Gift, by George Shannon
Based on a folktale that's been shared for centuries among many cultures, this book illustrates the reward of generosity.

Changing Tree Books

On My Way To A Happy Life, by Deepak Chopra with Kristina Tracy
Use the ideas found inside this book to help teach your child lessons that will help him/her on his/her way to a happy and successful life.

Incredible You! 10 Ways to let your Greatness Shine through, by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer with Kristina Tracy
This book lets children know that they're unique and powerful beings, and that they have everything they need within themselves to create happy, successful lives.

Note:  If creating a Changing Tree, don't forget to check out the biography section at your child's local library to find a selection of books about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or Ghandi.

Love Tree Books

A Sick Day for Amos McGee, by Philip C. Stead
This is a story of friendship and dedication as told through an experience of zookeeper "Amos McGee."

Love is a Handful of Honey, by Giles Andreae
A little bear finds his world a secure and happy place as he realizes love is everywhere.

Care Bears All for You!, Frances Ann Ladd
Two bears brighten their friends' day as they find out what makes each friend smile.

Winnie the Pooh's Valentine, by Bruce Talkington
The charming characters of the Hundred-Acre Wood learn there are many ways to say "I love you" on Valentine's Day.

Spring Tree Books

Are You Spring? by Caroline Pitcher
This story follows a young bear on her search for spring.  In addition, it offers many child friendly activities that celebrate spring.

Springtime on the Farm, by Kristine Lombardi
"Bunny" and "Duckling" journey around a farm discovering the wonders of spring.

Here are some of the ways we've used the ABC's at home:

"Kind" was the word one of my daughters chose for "k" to help represent words
that communicate thoughts, emotions, and feelings at school.
We have been working with her to build a vocabulary that helps her accurately
communicate thoughts, feelings, and emotions with peers, her teacher, and us at home.
This also becomes a good starting point for self-awareness conversation.

"Elephant" was a word my other daughter helped choose to learn  "e" sounds.
She has been working on identifying letters and their sounds.

Each child is working on a different skill, but by following the same format of one card
per letter, they can proudly display their work side-by-side.

For both children, the one letter a week concept has led to many extension activities. Some of the activities they have done:

• Reading books with titles or topic of the given letter/word
• Art projects (making nests for "n", making owls for "o", etc.)
• Practice new words/sounds/information with other children via play and/or conversation
• Reflective thinking
• Curiosities and questions about new words, ideas, and concepts

ABC Activity Extension

The ABC's take us well beyond pre-reading skills

and simple songs. Once our children and students know the ABC's, the options are endless!

Let's explore ways in which we can

use a basic concept to branch across

multiple learning opportunities!

The ABC's works as a great place to start a new topic, or break a large unit of new information into smaller pieces. Forming an ABC list for a subject area can serve as an inspiration for the teacher, or a brainstorming session for students. Use it to explore a new culture, learn a new language, or dig a little deeper into a subject area of interest! 

(I find myself going back to the ABC's each school year as I work with my children at home to build vocabulary, write, read, and understand new concepts.)

What we have below is just barely the tip of the iceberg as to what you can do with the ABC's. However, the concept transcends itself across ages, content, and meaning. Enjoy! Be inspired and share what direction you have or will take this in!

“ABC's of Community” - (first month of school? new words to use at home with the family?)

A – attitude, acceptance

B - believe

C – communicate, communication, compassion

D – diversity, determination

E – expression, excitement, empathy

F - faith

G - gathering

H - honesty

I – individuality, independence, interdependence, include

J - joking

K - kindness

L – laughter, love

M – meaningful, mindful

N – nonviolent

O – optimism, outgoing

P – patriotism, passion, persevere

Q – quest

R – respect, reassure

S – support, strength

T – trust

U – understanding

V – value

W – worthiness

X -

Y – yin-yang

Z – zen

“ABC's of Emotions/Feelings” - (self expression? vocabulary building? used in conjunction with community building?)

A – anger, agree, anxious, angry, admirable

B - brave

C – cautious, cooperative

D – dismal, dishonest, disappointed, determined

E – embarrassed, exhausted, empathy

F – frustrated, friendly

G – gitty, generous

H – happy, honest, humor

I – invaded, included, intuition

J – joking, joy, jubilent

K – kind

L – loved, lonely

M – mad, mischievous, mindful

N – nervous

O – optimistic, outgoing

P – patient, powerful, pessimistic, proud, persistent, passionate

Q – quiet

R – relaxed, respected

S – silly, serious, sad, small, scared, strong, selfish

T – tired, teased, thankful, truthful

U – unsure, unaware

V – victorious

W – weak, worrisome

X -

Y – yearning

Z -

More possible ABC directions:

“ABC's of Literacy”

“ABC's of Japanese”

“ABC's of Spanish”

“ABC's of Algebra”

“ABC's of US History”

“ABC's of Meteorology”

“ABC's of Music”

The Alphabet and Everything!

My daughters are 2 and 4.  Sometimes finding learning activities they can both enjoy can be a challenge.  Here, we've developed ideas for working with the alphabet that apply to both age groups.

We are creating an alphabet wall.  Every week, my girls and I focus on 1 letter of the alphabet.  My 2 year old lists all the words she can think of starting with the letter of focus.  She's working on letter sounds and pre-reading skills.  My 4 year old lists a personality trait she thinks a good person would possess that starts with the letter of focus.  She's working on recognizing feelings and social/emotional skills.  We gave the title "The Alphabet and Everything List" to this project and the girls decorated a sign (they chose glitter!).

Next, I added each girl's name to the wall.  Then we began with the letter A.  My 2 year old listed several words starting with A.  I wrote 1 word using a capital A and the other words using the lower case.  My 4 year old was given a choice of 4 emotions/traits/actions beginning with the letter A and she chose 1.  Since she's also working on letter writing, she wrote the the letter A at the start of the word.  Then, she provided me with a personal experience of hers that exhibited that emotion/trait/action.  I wrote the experience under her word.  Naturally, we did the same the following week for the letter B, and so on.

      (2 year old list)                                                                                        (4 year old list)

Every week I've seen each daughter's progress.  My 2 year old wants to add more and more words to her list each week.  My 4 year old draws a greater connection to the word she chooses each week and is able to provide me with more elaborate experiences demonstrating the word.  In addition, she's been using these words more and more in her vocabulary.  Looking at the pictures below, you can see the growth when comparing them to the pictures above taken at the start of the list.









      (2 year old list)                                                                                         (4 year old list)

Of course, I try to reinforce the skills by discussing words or letter sounds and acknowledging  when they're spoken or read.  In addition, we read several great "A, B, C..." books and "personality" books.  Check out the BOOK LIST below.

Enjoy traveling down this road of discovery with your little one(s)!



BOOK LIST

Great for toddlers:

The Hullabaloo ABC, by Beverly Cleary
As we follow some young kids through their day, each letter is visited.  Rhyming verse and fun illustrations keep a young one's attention.

Girls A to Z, by Eve Bunting
Each letter of the alphabet is assigned to a girl's name.  This book not only highlights the alphabet, but reminds girls to "Be anything you want to be...Dream any dream you want to dream...The world is here for you."

Max's ABC, Rosemary Wells
Follow little bunny Max as he has a silly adventure right through the alphabet.


Great for preschoolers:

The Way I Feel, by Janan Cain
Read with your child to discuss different emotions we all experience.  Playful illustrations and rhyming verse make this book attractive to the young age group.

The Way I Act, by Steve Metzger
Young ones can learn different personality traits as they look at illustrations of kids doing a variety of things and listen to you read the rhyming verses.

Big Words for Little People, by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell
This book helps "little people" to understand some grown-up words and helps them communicate in a big person's world.  Readers can learn words such as cooperate, respect, and patience while enjoying some hilarious illustrations.

I Think, I Am!, by Louise L. Hay and Kristina Tracy
This is a great tool for teaching kids the power of affirmations.

On My Way To A Happy Life, by Deepak Chopra with Kristina Tracy
This ideas in this book are presented in the simplest of terms to help make it easier for kids to navigate through the world with joy and love and happiness.

"For the Birds" update, again...

Our bird chart is growing like crazy!

We have seen so many different species, in all sorts of places, around our house!

Here are FIVE Turkey Vultures we saw over the weekend, down the street from our house! We pulled over and got out of the car to check out one that we saw on a tree by the road... Within in minutes, one-by-one, multiple Turkey Vultures joined the party for a total of FIVE in one tree!

As I was minding my own business and updating the blog this afternoon, I was treated to a little show from TWO Pileated Woodpeckers! They have been around our house for a good month now. We often hear them both calling and pecking, but it was so neat to observe them in action right outside my window.

Worm Excursion!

"Rain, rain, go away...", but not today!!!

What a great day for a worm excursion!

Sometimes the best lessons and activities come when you least expect them! On our regular adventure to the mailbox this afternoon we were pleasantly surprised by a HUGE earthworm crossing the driveway. What started as a few questions from my daughter, led to a fun adventure in the rain!

There were so many questions coming from both of us...

• How does it move?
• Where's the mouth?
• Where does it go to the bathroom?
• What is it doing?
• Why did it scrunch up and stop moving after we tried to touch it?

We observed the worm for a bit and brainstormed all sorts of ideas about where it was going, what it was doing, etc. We then proceeded out to the mailbox and came up with some other ideas and questions, such as... "I wonder if there are more worms out and about right now?"

For quite some time we sloshed down the driveway, across the lawn, near the woods, and over to the freshly rototilled garden looking for more worms. We didn't find many more, but one special worm was enough to open up a can of worms of excitement to learn something new!

(Here's an Earthworm crash-course and a great site for kids.)

Here are some directions we may go in from here...

• Make dirt cake! (Three versions of this recipe can be found on allrecipes.com.) Using the edible experiment, discuss layers of the dirt, places worms may go, how worms help plant roots in soil, etc.
• Label worm body parts! (Use a gummy worm and toothpick flags to label all the parts to the worm.)
• Learn all about animal adaptation! (How do different animals move, protect themselves from predators, eat food, and survive?)
• Ecosystems! (What roles to the animals and plants in an ecosystem play? How do worms help and ecosystem?)

If you're looking for educational, hands-on fun, visit "Discovery Hour"! (http://discoveryhour.blogspot.com/)

The most recent "Discovery Hour" was all about seeds and growing plants! Not only did we come home with our own planted seeds, it opened up a whole bunch of extension activities at home!




Here are some sunflowers sprouting (less than a week after planting at "Discovery Hour")!

After placing our planted seeds in the sun at home, we were inspired to plant some more things. My daughter and I found a spinach container to use as a mini-greenhouse and bought some watermelon seeds to plant. We heard about this idea at "Discovery Hour" as well. Not only is the re-using of the plastic container so Earth-friendly, but it is a great way to have a contained growing environment for little ones to explore with!

Here's a peek in our mini-greenhouse today! Something is sprouting and it's big news around here!
(I'll let my daughter figure out that it's not watermelon yet at a later point,
but to see something growing in there already is just amazing!)

Here's a peek at our indoor extravaganza of plants!
We have sprouts from the Daisy pot, watermelon greenhouse,
and the sunflower newspaper pot!

The connections and extensions seem infinite...

• plant life cycle
• requirements for plant growth
• water cycle (mini-greenhouse has all phases!)
• environmental factors, affects, etc. on plant growth
• ecosystems
• seed/plant components

Happy spring, everyone! Enjoy all the beauty and opportunities of this wonderful time of year!

Plant the Seed!

Together, my family planted seeds for what we hope will be our luscious, productive, green garden. We had so much fun sitting around our kitchen table getting our hands dirty.  What better way to stay grounded than sticking your hands in some earth?!
With planting seeds, there are endless possibilities for learning.  From sorting to labeling to observing things grow the lessons abound.  Like seeds and plants, children grow better the more we nuture them.  Hopefully, some of the ideas/activities/lessons below will  help your children blossom!

Conversation Starters:
-Why are all the seeds different shapes/sizes/colors?
-Predict how long it will take each type of seed sown to grow into a plant.
-How long do you think it will take a plant to flower and then fruit?
-What's needed to help a plant grow?
-What could be detrimental to the growth of a plant?

Activities/Lessons:
-(For the wee ones)  Sort seeds by shape/size/type and count how many of each.
-Guess what each seed will grow into.
-Act like a growing seed:  Starting curled on the ground, using your body show me how a plant grows.
-Keep a photo journal:  Take a photo of seed before planting, once planted, and through each stage of growth.
-Tell the story of a seed: Make a homemade book illustrating the stages of growth.
-If preparing a garden:  Count rocks removed from the soil.  List insects seen.  Measure the width and length of garden.  We measuered the length and width of our garden below with our daughters.

-Once garden fruits:  Count what's collected.  Examine what grew successfully and what did not and hypothesize why.
-If not able to prepare an outdoor garden:  Create a window garden.  You can use an old egg carton, old boot, old soup can, or just about any container to grow something on your window sill.  Below, you can see some of our tomato seeds planted in an old egg carton are growing.

-Plant a seed in a glass jar so child can observe roots growing as well as plant.
-Child can learn months and make observations if charting how seeds/plants grow.  Check out our "GROW WATCH" chart below.

-If not already composting, start!  Children can watch things decompose and be used again to help the garden grow.   My daughters enjoy taking turns spinning our compost barrel shown below.

-BEST OF ALL:  Children can take part in and witness the cycle of life!

Useful and Enjoyable  Garden Literature:

Plant Secrets, by Emily Goodman
Good for any school-age child, this book illustrates the stages of growth:  first seed, then plant, then flower, then fruit.  A wide variety of differnt plants are discussed.

Eddie's Garden and How to Make Things Grow, by Sarah Garland
Another great book for school-aged children, this book follows "Eddie" as he prepares his garden, plants seeds, nurtures them, watches them grow, and eventually enjoys the fruits of his labor.  In addition, there is a planting guide with useful tips in the back of the book.

A Green, Green Garden, by Mercer Mayer
Emergent readers will enjoy this story as they follow "Little Critter" as he learns that planting a garden is a lot of fun and a lot of work.  He also learns that as a result of all of his hard work, there's something for him to enjoy: a green, green garden!

REMINDER:  Earth Day is April 20th and Arbor Day is April 27th.  Do your part and help the planet; if you can't plant a tree on Arbor Day then plant a seed!

For Earth Day, check out these books for little ones:

I Can Save The Earth!  One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, by Allison Inches

The Berenstain Bears Don't Pollute (Anymore), by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Grover's 10 Ways to Help Our Wonderful World, by Anna Ross

How to Help the Earth - by the Lorax, by Tish Rabe

It's Earth Day!, by Mercer Mayer


For Arbor Day, check out these books for kids:

We Planted a Tree, by Diane Muldrow

Trees, by Lisa Jane Gillespie

You can visit websites to find out more about trees:  go to the Usborne Quicklinks Website at http://www.usborne-quicklinks.com/ then type the keywords "beginners trees".


Besides the books mentioned above, many more for you to explore can be found by checking out what we've got listed under "Suggested Reading" .


In the words of the great Eric Clapton, "Let it blossom, let it grow..."!