Category Archives: Quotes

Remembering My Mentor and Hero, Jim Trelease

Jim Trelease visiting my classroom. Jim Trelease, the man who put reading-aloud on the map as #1 for children, has died. I had his million copy bestseller book since my kids were little. When I heard him speak at a … Continue reading

Posted in Book Review, chapter reading, Early Education, Giving thanks, Inspiration, Jim Trelease, literacy, Quotes, reading aloud | Tagged , , , | 111 Comments

Fall and Nature’s Red Fingertips

Fall in New England is beautiful.  Spectacular might be a better word.  Every year is a marvel for children on the playground at school.  We have maple trees.  They turn bright red and orange.  This year was different.  The bright … Continue reading

Posted in E.B. White, Inspiration, Nature, Quotes, Teaching young children, wonder | Tagged , , , | 78 Comments

A Trilogy in Nature

Things happen in threes, right? First there was the silver lining. Have you ever seen clouds with a silver lining? A hummingbird traveled from flower to flower. I never get to capture this on a video, hummingbirds are far too … Continue reading

Posted in E.B. White, Inspiration, Mother Nature, Nature, Quotes, Uncategorized, wonder | Tagged , , , | 86 Comments

Colors of the Day – Flowering Tree, Moonrise, Sunset

Pink is exploding on the playground at school. This beauty of a tree is beside the climber. We climbed and looked in wonder. The moonrise on the playground above the tree’s early spring leaves glowed above a perfect circle. Children … Continue reading

Posted in Inspiration, Mother Nature, Nature, Quotes, wonder | Tagged , , , | 40 Comments

Mother’s Day

Look what bloomed just in time for Mother’s Day. A mother’s love is the sun for growing, the moon for dreaming, and the stars for guiding the way. ~ Barbara Loots~ Happy Mother’s Day. Jennie

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Giving thanks, Inspiration, Love, Nature, Quotes, wonder | Tagged , | 47 Comments

Music Inspires Art

Children are painting in earnest, working on their own masterpieces, preparing for our annual Art Show.  We have studied Van Gogh, Picasso, Kandinsky, Monet and Matisse.  The range of art is as diverse as the interests of the children.  That’s … Continue reading

Posted in art, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, music, Quotes, Teaching young children, The Arts, The Beatles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 108 Comments

Words and Moments of Endearment – They Last a Lifetime

When children leave my class and move on to Pre-K or Kindergarten, we often see each other in the hallway.  A wave, a smile, and sometimes a big hug, comes naturally.  Those moments are genuine.  You can’t make children feel … Continue reading

Posted in behavior, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, Love, preschool, Quotes, School, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , | 65 Comments

An Arcing Contrail Against a Full Moon

At school, December has been a month of learning about the planets, stars, and light.  We have watched a video of the Atlantis Space Shuttle launch in 1985, and hoped to see the new James Webb telescope launch into space.  … Continue reading

Posted in Inspiration, Learning About the World, Nature, Quotes, Teaching young children, wonder | Tagged , , , | 48 Comments

The End, and Also The Beginning

Every moment outside when summer ends is a gift.  I hang on tight.  I listen to the crickets.  I often think of E.B. White when he wrote “Charlotte’s Web.”  He knew how precious those last days of summer are.  He … Continue reading

Posted in chapter reading, children's books, E.B. White, Early Education, literacy, Nature, Quotes, reading aloud, reading aloud | Tagged , , , , , , | 79 Comments

An Eric Carle Trilogy

Surely, The Very Hungry Caterpillar was here.   Words to live by.   The sun – Eric Carle’s most immortalized art. Jennie

Posted in art, children's books, Eric Carle, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, Nature, Quotes, The Arts, wonder | Tagged , , , , , | 61 Comments