Monthly Archives: March 2020

The Past Two Weeks – School Then and Now, Part 1

I am missing the children.  I know they are missing me.  Learning will always happen, these tender moments won’t.  In the past two weeks our class has completely changed.  Yet, change can be a good thing.  Resilience is born.  Let … Continue reading

Posted in art, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, geography, Inspiration, Learning About the World, music, preschool, Teaching young children, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 81 Comments

Whimsical Wednesday ~ Social Distancing Edition

Originally posted on By Hook Or By Book:
https://youtu.be/oHx_slAQfMM https://youtu.be/4S2v3DMnb10 ? ?

Posted in Uncategorized | 27 Comments

“The Story of Little Babaji” – a Classic Children’s Book

This week I read aloud one of the children’s favorite books on YouTube.  In order to understand the book and its popularity, first let me back up – a long time ago. I vividly remember the book Little Black Sambo … Continue reading

Posted in Book Review, books, children's books, Diversity, Early Education, picture books, play performances, preschool, reading aloud, reading aloud, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 81 Comments

Cyber Dinner is Socializing

How can we socialize today?  This is so engrained in our everyday life.  During this pandemic we need to find meaningful ways to connect with each other.  I am connecting with my students every day on YouTube and email, and … Continue reading

Posted in behavior, Expressing words and feelings, Family, Inspiration, Love, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 93 Comments

A “Jennie Story” – On YouTube

This has been a whirlwind of a week.  Each of the past five days I have posted a video of me reading aloud a picture book, and an episode of chapter reading, every day on my new YouTube channel. It … Continue reading

Posted in books, chapter reading, children's books, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, picture books, preschool, reading, reading aloud, reading aloud, storytelling, teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 95 Comments

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade!

It happened quickly.  Schools closed for two weeks.  Teachers went in on Friday to do a deep cleaning, from surfaces to toys, even markers and the cover of every book.  Over the weekend the closings of public places skyrocketed.  On … Continue reading

Posted in Book Review, books, chapter reading, children's books, Early Education, Inspiration, picture books, preschool, reading, reading aloud, reading aloud, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , | 140 Comments

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Originally posted on charles french words reading and writing:
(https://pixabay.com) May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your…

Posted in Uncategorized | 21 Comments

Rodgers and Hammerstein, My Mother, and Me

It was my tenth birthday.  Ten was the age when we graduated from birthday parties with paper hats and streamers and playing ‘Pin the Tail on the Donkey’. For my birthday I had the choice of taking three friends to … Continue reading

Posted in Death and dying, Diversity, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, music, Singing, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 80 Comments

Children’s Words, Trees and a Poem – A Finale

I wrote about our Tree Walk on a windy day in Part 3.  This walk was just one part of the blog post on Children’s Words.  Little did I know at the time that the walk, and their words, would … Continue reading

Posted in art, Expressing words and feelings, Nature, Poetry, preschool, Teaching young children, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 46 Comments

Sometimes Kids Just Need to Play During School

Originally posted on User Generated Education:
Teachers get so much pressure to meet standards and prepare students for state mandated tests, that I believe they forget their students are just kids. Because of this pressure, too many teacher education and…

Posted in Uncategorized | 40 Comments