Teacher Appreciation Week

Have you thanked a teacher this week? There is still time- Teacher Appreciation Week is the 6th-the 10th. Dimple Prints  has some cute free downloads (like the one above) to send in with your little one if want to express your gratitude. 

Earth Day 2013

 

Happy Earth Day! 

If you are like me, then you feel guilty when Earth Day rolls around, wondering if there is anything more you could do -beyond efforts in household recycling and conservation- to mark the now 43 year old celebration of our planet...

 I have found a project for next year. I am thinking the Earth Day Groceries Project might be the perfect thing for our elementary school to get involved in- it would be a great way to get the kids talking about Earth Day and an easy way to spread awareness throughout the community!

Images: foodem

"pretend to be someone who is wise"

Neil Gaiman's keynote address at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia is making me happy right now. It's the kind of message we should all be following (whether we're artists or otherwise).

 

"Someone asked me recently how to do something she thought was going to be difficult, in this case recording an audio book, and I suggested she pretend that she was someone who could do it. Not pretend to do it, but pretend she was someone who could. She put up a notice to this effect on the studio wall, and she said it helped.

So be wise, because the world needs more wisdom, and if you cannot be wise, pretend to be someone who is wise, and then just behave like they would.

And now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art."


via uarts.edu

arts education

I am ashamed to admit that my town just voted on a proposition 2 1/2 for our schools, more specifically that we needed an override to save the arts programs in the elementary school. Because of various budget strains, numerous unfunded state mandates and a perfect storm of unforeseen costs in the district, the school was in danger of losing the visual art, music, library, computer and physical education curriculum they have in place now. It was proposed the arts program be cut to balance the budget and an override to save the arts was added to the town ballot.
I am proud to say that the town voted for the override, even in these difficult economic times, and the program will remain intact at the elementary school.....for at least one more year.
In working with the committee that was formed to support the override, I came across a very good article on Edutopia entitled "Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best" .  There is one quote in particular that I loved:

" 'When you think about the purposes of education, there are three,' Horne says. 'We're preparing kids for jobs. We're preparing them to be citizens. And we're teaching them to be human beings who can enjoy the deeper forms of beauty. The third is as important as the other two.' "

I love that my kindergartner can come home so excited to tell me that a mommy fox is called a vixen, that he learned about all sorts of different acts of kindness, AND that he painted a flag for the class's imaginary kingdom. I want him to always have the opportunity to be excited about all of those things.

In a perfect world's classroom, opportunities to create and imagine would never be on the chopping block, but in today's educational system the opportunities find themselves there all too often.

Image: Google

Miss. Nelson is Missing!

I was crazy about the book Miss Nelson is Missing! when I was in lower elementary school. I was crazy for it as a librarian reading to that age group as well. Now, as a parent to a rambunctuous toddler and preschooler, I am wishing for a Ms. Viola Swamp to come in and restore order every now and then.

If you are unfamiliar with the story, it is quite clever and a general crowd pleaser. A group of rowdy students constantly take advantage of their teacher's good nature. So their sweet and patient Miss. Nelson concocts a plan -one day she goes missing and is replaced with a very different type of substitute-Viola Swamp. Ms. Swamp is strict, heavy on the homework, and never allows story hour. Oh, how the children miss Miss. Nelson- and when she finally does return- they are only on their very best behavior... of course, then Ms. Swamp is nowhere to be found....

It seems that most kids love the idea of school children trying to get rid of a crabby substitute and the fact that, at story's end, it appears our beloved Miss. Nelson and the surly Ms. Swamp are one in the same!

This picture book is interesting in that it inspires all sorts of conversations- about respect, identity, fear, but mostly it is just darn funny and fun.

Images courtesy of google

Read for the record

Image courtesy of everypicture.com

Keep in mind that tomorrow is Jumpstart's Read for the record and all over the globe people will be celebrating the joy of reading to a child. This year's book is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Jumpstart, an organization that brings community volunteers together with preschool children for year long, individualized tutoring and mentoring, is looking to break their previous reading record. Here is some information if you wish to cheer them on...

"Will you read me a story?" This simple question is an invitation to share the joy of reading with a child in your life. At Jumpstart, we know that reading aloud with preschool children lays the groundwork for strong literacy skills and future success in school and in life.
In 2006, we created Jumpstart’s Read for the Record, an international campaign to bring preschool children together with valued grownups in their lives to read the same book, on the same day, in communities all over the world. In 2008, we broke our own world record as nearly 700,000 readers shared the classic children’s tale, Corduroy. On one historic day, one amazing book was read aloud in classrooms, libraries and homes from Japan, Germany and Brazil to cities and rural communities across America. Hushed with wonder and tickled with giggles, children around the world simultaneously experienced the joy of reading.
Pledge to read today with Jumpstart’s Read for the Record and help us to make sure that our fourth annual Campaign on October 8, 2009 reaches more children than ever before! - readfortherecord.org

PS 22

You've probably seen this New York City chorus from Staten Island's PS 22 already (they've been everywhere from NPR to Perez Hilton), but I just thought that today would be a good day to share their beautiful singing and sweetly expressive faces.






Their website: tp://ps22chorus.blogspot.com

Libraries and Art

Image of P.S. 47 library courtesy of The New York Times

I have never met a library I did not love, even the musty, overcrowded ones and the too cold, too quiet varieties, but my true favorites have real character and very often that comes from their art. I do not mean simply what hangs on the wall, although that certainly is part of it, I mean how everything is laid out to welcome, inspire, support...and much more.

My friend forwarded me a slideshow from The New York Times that included the new library in P.S. 47, complete with an art installation by illustrator Maira Kalman. The image shown above, and this one from a detail of Kalman's work, really demonstrate how art and design bring personality to these towers and rows of books.

Image courtesy of The New York Times

As I clicked through the slideshow and read about this library and the others featured, I learned about the Robin Hood Foundation L!brary Initiative. I became intrigued by the collaboration of the Robin Hood Foundation and New York City's Board of Education to revitalize and maintain the school libraries in many of the impoverished communities of the city.

Individuals saw the need to re-invent the forgotten libraries- these spiritless rooms were certainly not the vibrant centers of learning the schools and students needed - so the initiative was born. Nine years and sixty-two schools later, the program continues to marry libraries and art and their union brings happiness to countless children.

The following are just some examples of the new spaces.

Image of P.S. 96 courtesy of The New York Times
Image of P.S. 192 courtesy of Architectural Record

Images of P.s. 36 and P.S. 186 courtesy of Pentagram

There are two great articles about the initiative at Architectural Record and Pentagram. They introduce you to some of the people whose designs and art have breathed new life into the school libraries.

School days memories

The Christmas before my oldest son started kindergarten, my sister gave me this adorable keepsake book from Chronicle Books. Now son is in 2nd grade and the book is already stuffed full (maybe I need to be more choosy about our keepsakes).

School Days offers space to record facts about each of your child's school years--friends, favorite subjects, teachers--and 13 accordion pockets to fill with report cards, awards, drawings, and writing assignments (my favorite). The book's sweet retro illustrations are just decorative icing on the very useful cake.

My middle child starts kindergarten this year, and I ordered another copy because I love this book so. What's better, I ordered during Chronicle Books' annual Friends and Family sale, so it was 35% off and shipped for free--same deal for any in-stock Chronicle item until August 5.

Maybe I should have ordered several copies. I can't imagine that one copy is really going to hold 13 years worth of the stuff I have to save, unless my enthusiasm wanes a bit as the years go by. Maybe 9th grade writing isn't as charming as 1st grade writing. Here's hoping.