Ahead of His Time

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Jennie

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“Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero.”
~Fred Rogers~

Jennie

Posted in Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, Quotes, self esteem, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , | 56 Comments

The Green Mountain State – Vermont, Part 2

Posted on August 16, 2020 by Jennie

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This sight brought on a huge smile.
A big American flag against the backdrop of the Green Mountains.
Life is good.

Our destination was the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont.  There’s a back story here, which many of my longtime bloggers know.  Milly the quilter ‘happened’ because of my first visit to this museum.  I went there to see the Grandma Moses collection, was thunderstruck at their Haitian quilt exhibit, and… the rest is history.  My classroom designed quilts that now hang in National museums.  Milly hand-sewed those quilts.  The children loved Milly.  She dearly loved them, too.

Fast forward to now.  I was headed, once again, to see the Grandma Moses collection.  The museum hosted a series of webinars on Grandma Moses, which I ‘gobbled up‘, and was determined to create a unit of study at school.  Fortunately a museum director loves the idea as well, and gave me a tour of the collection.  We brainstormed about the many possibilities at school, using the paintings to learn about seasons, animals, farm life, and more.  Did you know Grandma Moses used glitter in her winter paintings?

D98C772E-0E76-48FC-84AA-CA80EF3698FCThank you Bennington Museum for this lovely gift!

There is a plethora of artifacts and art in the museum.  It houses a diverse collection of history from soup to nuts.  There is something for everyone.  Let’s take a tour.

09E4F305-D536-4136-8C2C-8E3E23C92CADA magnificent entrance.  The building was originally a church.

17AB5AA3-3CE0-4FE8-9B2D-4621688407E8This eagle is huge and graces the lobby.

CD2D2D4A-4FDD-4E0E-B7A8-6C811CDEFB29A storm coming across the Green Mountains.  One of my favorite paintings.

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This is what I saw traveling across Vermont.

B1AA078F-00E6-4B6C-8B21-9C4F7BFEF2704FC75991-FA4F-4600-AB1F-4920D3AC1B09Bennington is famous for its pottery, still being made today.

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Those clever Yankees used everything, including turning tree fungus into art.

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Headstones in the old New England cemeteries were beautifully carved and decorated.  Many were made of slate which retains its markings.
This one is made of marble- quite rare.

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Native hardwood trees make for beautiful furniture.

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This is a Memory Ware Tower.  It was popular in the late nineteenth century
to collect special personal items and attach them to pottery.
Won’t my children at school have fun making one of these?

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Modern art is exciting.  I can’t wait to recreate this with the children.

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I got lost in this room in the best of ways.  Silver, tools, hardware…

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Vermonters didn’t throw away anything.
An old fence post can become a work of art.
Maybe this one scared away crows.

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Outside the museum was a StoryWalk.
Follow the trail, read the page of the story, and build with items in the woods.
Tell your own story using words on wood chips,
hanging them on a big tree stump.

There was more driving and Vermont discovery.  Our last stop was the famous Bennington Monument.  Grandma Moses added this monument to some of her popular paintings.

E3AB83AD-74DE-4C9B-9E4A-F73194F2F4E3C4611B89-6464-4AB1-A19E-84E9B1D9A8B5The Bennington Monument is a famous tribute to
The Battle of Bennington,
a 1777 battle of the American Revolutionary War.

Thank you for coming along on my trip to Vermont.  Happy trails to you.

Jennie

Posted in America, art, geography, Inspiration, museums, Nature, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 61 Comments

Morning at the Market

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Jennie

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A giant field of gorgeous sunflowers and zinnias
greeting customers as they arrive to shop for local produce.
A delightful way to start the morning.

Jennie

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, Nature, wonder | Tagged , , , , , | 55 Comments

The Green Mountain State – Vermont, Part 1

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Jennie

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Yes, I know.  You want to be there, too.

Hubby and I put the top down on the old sports car and drove to Vermont.  Winding back roads all the way.  The weather was glorious, big puffy clouds and a bright blue sky.  We’re fans of real maps that show you more than ‘how to get there’.  No GPS for this trip, just finding the least traveled roads on our old fold-out map.

We were kids again, not caring if the wind blew our hair or if we we were lost.  We had a map, we were good to go.  Time was unimportant- a rare thing these days.  I was writing poetry in my head.  I was singing, everything from Frank Sinatra to the Beatles.  I was thinking of my children at school and what I could bring to the table.

We both love history.  As we drove over mountain after mountain (no wonder it’s called the green mountain state), we talked about the pioneers who traveled west.  Surely, when they crossed one mountain they thought “this is it”, only to see more mountains to cross.

Cool rock fact: Everything to the west of the Green Mountains is marble.  Everything to the east is granite.  I learned that at the Vermont Marble Museum some years ago.

Vermont is beautiful.  Period.  Cities are charming, towns are friendly, and you can find everything from agriculture to art.  It was a perfect drive, our summer getaway.

We actually had an ulterior motive, visiting the Bennington Museum in Bennington (Part 2).  Grandma Moses was the driving force in the best of ways.  Oh, yes!  Stay tuned.

Jennie

Posted in America, geography, history, Inspiration, Nature, wonder | Tagged , , , , | 84 Comments

A Belated Graduation

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Jennie

Pete Springer is an outstanding teacher who cares as much for his students as he does for education. He is retired, yet he still reaches out to ‘his kids’. This year with Covid-19, he felt a big loss for his former third grade students. Read just what he did!

Pete Springer

Schools in our area shut down in March, and the students finished their school year online. The high school decided to postpone graduation with the hope that they would be able to hold a formal public graduation ceremony on July 31st. Sadly, health conditions have worsened in our area. I don’t know all the specifics, but today the school district is doing the responsible thing and holding a virtual graduation.

One of the little-known secrets about education is that many teachers get emotionally invested in their students’ lives. In other words, the kids become our students for life. The relationship doesn’t suddenly end when they leave our classrooms. It does not conclude for many of the students, either. Some occasionally drop by or reach out online to say hello. It’s always great to catch up and hear about the latest news in their lives.

Over the years, I’ve…

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Becoming Inspired to Write

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Jennie

The days have been hot and humid, not the best for writing.  Today I had a huge dose of inspiration.  I played with E.B. White’s Underwood typewriter.  Really.

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I was so very careful.  Of course I didn’t hit a key.  What I did was even better; the keys on the typewriter are slightly indented and round, perfect for a finger.  I fingered the keys, running the tips of my fingers in circles on each key.  I was soaking in all the words E.B. White had typed.

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This typewriter typed “some pig”, “terrific”, and many more wonderful words.  Did I find those letter keys?  T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C?  Of course I did.  Can you imagine the feeling of touching the words E.B. White wrote?

There’s more.

E.B. White read aloud Charlotte’s Web.  His original recording, chapter by chapter, was made on record albums in a boxed set.  I had no idea.

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I opened the box and read the labels on the albums.  Each record side has two or more chapters.  This boxed set was a gift from E.B. White to his grand niece.  He is Uncle Andy to her.

“Jennie, you’re crying.”

“I guess I am.”

“He wrote me a letter when he sent the recording.”

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“Do you see where he started to sign it E.B. and then crossed it out, remembering it was for his grand niece?  Will you read the letter aloud to me?”

I noticed the signature.  Very cool!  And, I read the letter aloud.  Gifted writers use few words to convey many thoughts.  This letter is a case in point.  And, when was the last time you used the word ‘dispirited’?  What a lovely letter to Lindsay from her Uncle Andy.

When a new school year begins, I start chapter reading on ‘day one’.  Every year the first book I read is Charlotte’s Web.  It is always the favorite.  I have written many blog posts on Charlotte’s Web and on reading aloud.  This is the most important thing I do in teaching.  Having the opportunity to touch E.B. White today inspires me to write. Oh, does it ever!  It also gets me excited for the new school year and reading aloud Charlotte’s Web.

Jennie

Posted in books, chapter reading, children's books, E.B. White, Early Education, Inspiration, reading aloud, reading aloud, Teaching young children, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 77 Comments

Tonight

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Jennie

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“It was a dark and stormy night.”

Posted in Mother Nature, Nature, wonder | Tagged , | 54 Comments

The Calm Before the Storm

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Jennie

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Mother Nature is giving us a delightful and playful calm
before tomorrow’s storm.
Wispy clouds are dancing, like children.

Jennie

Posted in Imagination, Inspiration, Mother Nature, Nature, wonder | Tagged , , , | 47 Comments

Home schooling and how it has impacted my attitude towards teachers

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Jennie

Parents and teachers are anxiously waiting as schools take steps on how to reopen. As a parent whose children have different learning styles, Robbie writes an excellent post on distance online learning at home. As a teacher, I know she is spot on. This is a must read for educators and parents.

Robbie's inspiration

Gregory in a school concert when he was 8 years old

My sons have been home schooling since our schools first closed on 18 March this year. That equates to four and a half months of my having to drag my youngest reluctantly from his bed each school day, feed him and force him to sit in front of his computer for at least some of the day. It also involved me having to try to get to grips with all his Google classrooms, on-line tasks and their submissions and even his school email. It has been hard work to say the least.

I had no such issues with Gregory, my older son. Greg is exactly like me, hugely driven and determined. Nothing was going to stand in the path of his personal goals and success. Greg simply got stuck in and spend most of my 8 hour working day…

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More at The Carle, the Art of Maira Kalman, and “Fireboat”

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Jennie

After visiting the Angels exhibition at the Eric Carle Museum, I viewed the art of Maira Kalman.

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I knew this dog, at least I thought I did.  While there was something familiar here, I had to admit I don’t really know the author or her books.  It’s a good thing I toured her exhibit.  What I recognized was her style.  Most of Maira Kalman’s art that I had seen was on many covers of The New Yorker magazine.  How prolific to write and illustrate children’s books, and also grace the covers of well known magazines.

There’s more.  Maira Kalman illustrated the book, The Elements of Style, co-authored by William Strunk and E.B. White.  This book is a classic for writers.  I was both impressed and surprised to learn that she did the illustrations.

Here’s where it gets even better.  Alongside every exhibit at the museum are the books by the author and illustrator.  Visitors can sit and read while admiring the art. Which is exactly what I did.  Thank goodness, as I discovered Fireboat, The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey.

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Are you familiar with the John J. Harvey fireboat?  I wasn’t either.  It was launched in New York City in 1931, the same year Babe Ruth hit his 611th home run, and Snickers hit the candy stores.  The popular word Hot-Cha was invented.

The book opens with events and structures in New York City, such as the George Washington Bridge suspended over the Hudson River.

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All the illustrations are beautiful.  The reader becomes part of the city in years gone by. Time passes.  We learn about the working parts of the fireboat and the crew.  The John J. Harvey helps to fight the fire on the ocean liner NORMANDIE.  Sometimes it goes out in the water just to celebrate, shoot water, and have fun.

By 1995 there were many fireboats, and the Harvey was set to be retired and sold for scrap. Of course the people who loved her rallied to save and buy the boat.  She was repaired and spent her days on the water, visiting other boats.  Did you know that four toots means hello?

Then something terrible happened at 8:45 AM on September 11, 2001.

The John J. Harvey wanted to help and get back to work.  We learn what each crew member was doing at the time, before they rushed to the fireboat.  No, she was too old to fight the fires, but she could help rescue people… and then at last she got “the call”, she was needed to supply water to the firefighters.  She was once again a real fireboat.

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Can you see the many firefighters in this illustration?  That is one of the paintings at the exhibit.  A lump-in-your-throat painting.  The John J. Harvey was a hero.  The book shows the award she received, and a beautiful illustration of the harbor and the fireboat.  Among the last words are, “All that’s left to say is HOT-CHA and thank you.”

You can believe I will be reading this book to children.

Thank you to the Eric Carle Museum for another wonderful exhibition.  I learned much.  I am once again filled up.

Jennie

Posted in art, Book Review, books, children's books, Early Education, Eric Carle, Giving thanks, history, Inspiration, museums, picture books, reading, reading aloud, Teaching young children, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 52 Comments