Category Archives: Peace

School – Day One

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Jennie

I tossed and turned the night before school, as I always do every year. Will I remember the children I met last week? Will they remember me? Will we connect? I walked into school smiling at our Peace Dove. I … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, Love, music, Peace, preschool, School, Singing, Teaching young children | Tagged , , | 79 Comments

Finding Peace

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Jennie

Tonight was a beautiful evening, the kind that makes you stop and take notice, spend time looking… and thinking. I needed to do some thinking.  A child who was in my class years ago passed away.  The funeral was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Death and dying, Expressing words and feelings, Family, Mother Nature, Nature, Peace, wonder | Tagged , , | 75 Comments

The Art Show – the Very Beginning

Posted on April 17, 2023 by Jennie

I told this story long ago, and it needs to be told again, with photos.  There are moments in teaching that make a big difference for the student and also for the the teacher.  This is one I will never … Continue reading →

Posted in art, Inspiration, museums, Peace, preschool, quilting, Teaching young children, The Arts | Tagged , , , , | 54 Comments

Elvis, and Martin Luther King

Posted on January 16, 2023 by Jennie

When Martin Luther King died, Elvis Presley was devastated- along with everyone else.  He was scheduled to perform a few days later, and he was troubled.  He stayed up all night and wrote a song, and sang it instead of … Continue reading →

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Giving thanks, Inspiration, music, Peace, Singing | Tagged , , , | 52 Comments

9/11 and Kindness Peace and Love Day at School

Posted on September 11, 2021 by Jennie

Honoring 9/11 at school is Kindness, Peace, and Love Day.  It has been twenty years since that tragic day in September, and for children it is a day to remember the heroes.  How do we help young children honor the … Continue reading →

Posted in America, American flag, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, Kindness, Love, music, Peace | Tagged , , , | 64 Comments

Milly – Part 9

Posted on August 8, 2021 by Jennie

In Part 8, Milly and the children were guests of honor at the one-year anniversary of the Boston Fisher House.  With a full crowd in attendance, including members of the Fisher family, we presented the God Bless America quilt.  And, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Family, Gloria, Imagination, Inspiration, Peace, preschool, quilting, The Arts, wonder | Tagged , , , , , | 62 Comments

Milly – Part 4

Posted on July 24, 2021 by Jennie

In Part 3, Milly brought in beautiful fabrics and placed them on the sketch of the Peace Quilt spread out across a big table.  Children came to her like moths to a candle, picking out just the right fabrics.  At … Continue reading →

Posted in Gloria, Imagination, Inspiration, museums, Peace, preschool, quilting, Teaching young children, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , , | 59 Comments

Milly – Part 3

Posted on July 21, 2021 by Jennie

In Part 2, Milly came onto the scene, meeting the children and Gloria.  She accepted the “challenge” – as she called it – of quilting a mural which would become a Peace Quilt.  Gloria started the ball rolling with her own … Continue reading →

Posted in art, Diversity, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Gloria, Imagination, Inspiration, Peace, quilting, Teaching young children, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , , | 47 Comments

Milly – Part 1

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Jennie

Our “This Land is Your Land” quilt was the last quilt my class made. Let’s start at the beginning. How did quilting in my classroom even begin? It was a divergent pathway. Every good story has a great backstory.  To … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Imagination, Inspiration, museums, Peace, preschool, quilting, Teaching young children, The Arts, wonder | Tagged , , | 53 Comments

A Tale of Two Dale Chihuly’s – Part 2

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Jennie

In Part 1, I discovered a magnificent Dale Chihuly work of art at the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia.  The glass structure is 21 feet tall and titled “Flame of Liberty”.  In the same museum is a Peace Portal, a structure with … Continue reading →

Posted in art, books, children's books, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, museums, Peace, picture books, Poetry, reading aloud, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , | 64 Comments