August calls me to come to the water, and so I obey. Salt water and sand - just what I need to slow down, reflect, and write. I take my camera along to record the images that stand out to me.
Tag: imagination
Time to Play
For the last three weeks, the girls have been thoroughly engaged in the process of creating. They set goals, planned, organized materials, worked collaboratively, monitored their own progress and adjusted their plans to complete their projects. I saw their independence and self-confidence blossom. They were play engineers. They were in charge of their learning.
Word Play
Imagination is so for learning. I think about how we don’t so much need to carve out time for play, but just need to step aside and trust the children. They know what they are doing. They can take simple words and create a whole new inspiring language.
Magic & Imagination in a Box
Magic & Imagination in a Box - A few weeks ago, one of my colleagues showed me the great gallery of objects her 4th grade students had created. I decided the 4th graders each needed a box of objects with which to create - fidgetneering boxes.
Getting Wild in the Wonder Lab
I don’t think I have a very wild life, but I do have a wild mind. A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to be allowed to create a hands-on maker space in my school called the Wonder Lab. It is a place where elementary students come to work on independent projects and … Continue reading Getting Wild in the Wonder Lab
Magic in the Middle
I am in love with words. I don’t know when it happened. It might have started with “Mama.” Words held meaning, and I was eager from the beginning to express myself. Writing is like breathing to me – I cannot differentiate one from the other. When I go long period without writing, it’s like … Continue reading Magic in the Middle
Invitations to Wonder…
Last week, Ruth Ayers invited her online writing group (SOS: Sharing Our Stories) to write about 7 small things. Instead, I chose to write about anger. Anger is not a small thing. Anger is a big thing, an explosive thing. It starts small and then grows. As I read some members' blog posts this week, … Continue reading Invitations to Wonder…
Ming Tao Xuan or How to Relax in Old Montreal
My travels in Old Montreal, finding peace and mindfulness
Poet Found: Ross Gay
Back in February, I bought a slim volume of poetry because I loved the cover - a bright floral abstract and the title, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay. I flipped to the first page - a poem about figs. Figs - my Grandpa Charlie's favorite and my favorite too. I often splurge and buy … Continue reading Poet Found: Ross Gay
Write What You Notice
I recently attended a teacher's workshop presented by Penny Kittle at Rutgers University sponsored by Rutgers Center for Literacy Development. I've seen Penny many times. Usually, she talks to teachers about creating reading and writing workshop spaces in high school classes. Penny was a high school English teacher in New Hampshire and her mentor was … Continue reading Write What You Notice
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 