October in My New England Town

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Jennie

The poetry of Robert Frost is a perfect accompaniment to October photos in my small town.  These images and scenes are much the same as what Robert Frost would have seen.  Surely he was inspired to write poetry in order to paint a picture, with words, of the beauty he saw.

October
by Robert Frost

Oh hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
To-morrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
To-morrow they may form and go.

           

Oh hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow,
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know;
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;

One from our trees, one far away;
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!

     

For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost-
For the grapes’ sake along the wall.

   

Reading poetry aloud to children is important.  I watched our son read poetry to his firstborn, long before she could walk.  He read to her “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost, and “O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman.  The results speak for themselves in academic success and humanity.

Jennie

Posted in America, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, Mother Nature, Nature, Poetry, The Arts | Tagged , , , , | 65 Comments

Reading Aloud “The Giving Tree”

Posted on October 9, 2020 by Jennie

My post yesterday about The Giving Tree was well received.  Only one thing was missing – reading the story aloud.  Thank you John Howell at Fiction Favorites for his comment:

Darn.  I settled in and thought you were going to read the whole book.  Yes, I read it but would like to again.  Our copy was destroyed in a flood.

I hope hearing the words read aloud, and seeing the pictures, bring back the book for you.  For those of you who have never read the book, and for those of you who have never heard the book read aloud, grab a tissue and fasten your seatbelt.  Here it is:

Jennie

Posted in Book Review, books, children's books, Expressing words and feelings, Giving, Inspiration, picture books, reading aloud | Tagged , , , , | 44 Comments

The Giving Tree

Posted on October 8, 2020 by Jennie

There is a tree on the playground that is old and big.  Its branches dip down.  Each one seems to have a mind of its own.  The boughs sway and reach, and children look up.

I wonder if the tree loves the children.  The children love the tree.

Trees are one of nature’s greatest teachers and also givers.

Yes.  Givers.

Shel Silverstein made that connection with trees decades ago.  His book, The Giving Tree is both beloved and revered.

My copy is well loved and well worn.  I have read the words aloud to children (and to myself) more times than I can count.

Thank you, Dana, for giving me this book.  You knew it was a treasure.

The story is timeless.  A tree loves a boy, and the boy loves the tree.  The beginning pages read:

Once there was a tree…
and she loved a little boy.
And every day the boy would come

and he would gather her leaves
and make them into crowns
and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk
and swing from her branches
and eat apples.
And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree…

very much.
And the tree was happy.

But time went by.

Those words set the stage for the story.  I have only shown you a few of the illustrations.  Every line in the book has an illustration.  Yes, and each one is just as simple and powerful. The tree keeps giving as the boy grows up… well, you need to read the book.  While it’s a children’s book, it pierces the heart of adults.  It reminds them of all that matters, all that made them feel good.

Everyone needs to read this book.

The trees all around as I drive and walk seem to have low, bowing branches, much like the tree at school.  Everywhere I look, trees are reaching down… or reaching out, like The Giving Tree.

I am continuing my reading aloud to Miles as he recovers from his brain injury this summer.  I posted his story August 24th, “Reading Aloud to the Rescue.”  This week, the tree in his front yard had the same branches.  How could that be?  I asked Miles and his sister to stand by the branch so I could snap a picture.

Your greatness is not what you have, but what you give.  –Winnie the Pooh-

Jennie

Posted in Book Review, books, children's books, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Giving, Inspiration, Kindness, picture books, reading, reading aloud, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , | 104 Comments

Today’s Quote

Posted on October 5, 2020 by Jennie
Posted in Uncategorized | 40 Comments

Smorgasbord Children’s Cafe and Bookstore – Share your Children’s book reviews – #PictureBooks with Jennie Fitzkee Part Two

Posted on October 4, 2020 by Jennie
Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Life is Beautiful

Posted on October 3, 2020 by Jennie

This gallery contains 44 photos.

Originally posted on Mitch Teemley:
 Yes, life is hard. But it’s also beautiful.  And funny.  And sweet.   And we aren’t the only ones who know it. “If animals spoke, humanity would cry.” ~Manuj Rajput Click on any image to enlarge…

More Galleries | 32 Comments

When Children Uncover the Learning

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Jennie

There is a teacher term, ‘Emergent Curriculum’, which simply means that a teacher pays attention and follows the interests of children in order for real learning to happen.  It means stopping to listen to what children have to say, and answering their questions. When the questions become abundant or when a child discovers something, then it is time to change horses.  Climb off that teacher saddle and find a new one, because the children are now driving the horse.

That’s exactly what happened this week.

We walked up to the big hill to sing songs.  It was a long walk to get to the top of the hill.  Suddenly, children saw hundreds of dandelions, the bright yellow flowers, and also the dandelions in seed.  We picked flowers!

Music could wait.

Children blew dandelion seeds over and over again.  Big breath in, and blow hard!  This is not easy to do.  Do you know that blowing is excellent for oral muscle development?  The children didn’t know. They just had fun trying so hard to blow those seeds.

Music could wait.

Just when we were ready to sing, a red leaf landed on my head!  Wait, the tree had green leaves.  We looked up, and sure enough there was one clump of red leaves.  Well, we immediately went on a red leaf hunt.

Music could wait.

At last we enjoyed music and dancing and moving.  The great outdoors made it all the better, in a field of dandelions and fallen red leaves.

We brought the red leaves into the classroom and made an impromptu science table with magnifying glasses for children to explore the leaves.  This was an important follow through to discovering the red leaves.

Thank goodness I stopped when children saw dandelions on that hill.  Lessons and learning are far better ‘in the heat of the moment’.  We talked about wind and seeds.  We watched what direction the seeds were flying.  We speculated where they would go.

None of this wonderful discovery would have happened if I had been focused on music and ‘tuned out’ what children were seeing.  Emergent curriculum is one of the best things that has happened in education.

Jennie

Posted in Early Education, Inspiration, music, Nature, preschool, Teaching young children, wonder | Tagged , , , , | 80 Comments

House At Pooh Corner (Redux)

Posted on September 28, 2020 by Jennie

Filosofa's Word

I have played this one only once before, in July 2018.  Now, as then, I think we all need a bit of relief from the things that fill our minds, a bit of a reminder of the simplicity of life.  Who better to provide that relief than Winnie the Pooh and Kenny Loggins?

Who cannot love both Kenny Loggins and Winnie The Pooh?  When you combine the two, you have … sheer magic!  pooh-1From Wikipedia …

kenny-loggins“House at Pooh Corner” is a song written by Kenny Loggins, based on the popular children’s book of the same name. The song was first performed by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on their 1970 album Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy and then performed by Loggins and Messina on their 1971 album Sittin’ In. It is told from the perspective of both Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin, and serves as an allegory for loss…

View original post 270 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | 35 Comments

My Morning Greeting, a Frosty Heart

Posted on September 27, 2020 by Jennie

When summer turns to fall
and nights become cold,
the mornings are frosty.

I am greeted with a heart, every morning.

People tell me it is a message from above.
I think about that.  I also think of Nan, my grandmother hero.
She would be the one to smile down.

I think these hearts are good wishes and blessings.
The start of the school year has been challenging.
I know this is love and hope and ‘you can do it’.
All in a frosty heart.
Every morning.

Jennie

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Giving thanks, Inspiration, Love, Mother Nature, Nature, wonder | Tagged , , , , , | 68 Comments

Music and Movement – The Brain and the Body

Posted on September 25, 2020 by Jennie

We are spending more time outdoors with children at school.  That includes music and movement.  I take my autoharp to the hill or the Woodland Grove, and we sing and dance and move.  Music is at the heart of children’s interest, whether it’s singing a familiar song like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”, or using their bodies to move to a song.  Movement is most important for their development – and not just the body.

One of the great educators in Early Childhood says flat out, “There is no learning without movement.”  She’s right.  Specifically, children benefit from moving. There are certain movements that children actually need as they grow, such as spinning, jumping, bending up and down, dropping, swaying, stretching, rolling, and running.

And that’s exactly what we did with this song in the video.

Music is joyful for children. When it is combined with movement, that’s even better.  These sensory experiences increase the attention span.  And of course, nature is the ultimate sensory experience.  Often the child who fidgets, or has difficulty focusing, or is clumsy, simply needs more movement, including unstructured outdoor play.  Yes, unstructured.  They need to figure things out on their own.

The song in the video (which I made up) includes many of the movements children need.  No wonder children love it!

After we came back inside we played a game of “What’s Missing?”  Using the numbers 1 – 5 from our calendar, we lined them up in order, covered them, and took one number away.  Children had to figure out what number was missing.  For older children we removed two letters.

You could have heard a pin drop.  Children were focused.  This was a successful and fun learning experience.  Why did it work?  Because we had just finished music and movement outside.  Children’s bodies and brains were ready to learn.

Our early morning music has been Frank Sinatra, which has given children a happy and relaxing start to their day as they arrive at school.  Rest time is quiet music.  Oh, and I sing to children – spontaneously and often.  From rhyming words sung to a familiar tune, to making up a song about a child, to singing a book (yes, singing instead of reading the words), there is a constant flow of music throughout the day.

Any opportunity for music means listening, learning, moving, joy…and fun.  Even clapping a beat is movement and focus.

“Music acts like a magic key, to which the most tightly closed heart opens.”
-Maria von Trapp-

Jennie

Posted in Early Education, Inspiration, joy, Math, Mindfulness, music, Nature, preschool, Singing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 82 Comments