Rooted

So today I'm thinking about roots and wondering what today's kids, tomorrow's leaders, are rooted in these days.

And those thoughts take me to this maple tree:

I know that it's kind of hard to tell, but this is the same sapling, time-lapsed three weeks. It's actually a stowaway from Wisconsin that we figured we'd try to raise in Texas. When we first got it home at the end of June, we temporarily housed it in water. Within a week, the hubs replanted it in some fertilized soil and put it in our breakfast-nook window to expose it to sunlight without risking the outdoor elements like heat, squirrels, or birds messing with it, impeding its growth.

Like this thriving newbie,

who recently traveled from one state to the next, 

there will be students that we're about to transplant, 

from one grade to the next, 

one teacher to the next, 

one class family to the next.

Maybe even one school to the next.

Kids who aren't rooted in something will fall for anything.

What promising practices will nourish those roots? 

What conditions might we need to be on the lookout for, 

that could impede their growth? 

How do we maximize their success 

as they branch out and gain strength?

How do we ascertain that they'll thrive?

What skills will they need to survive next year's transplant?

As you contemplate your answers to those reflective inquiries,

 check out these books and celebrate these virtues:

Individuality & Playfulness ...

Thanks, Kindergarten Love, for the lead on this one!

Generosity & Friendship ...

Connection & Healing ... 

Happiness, Courage & Peace ...

Click {here} for a clip about The Happiness Tree Project.

Transformation & Miracles!

What will you root your little transplants in?

Here's to a 

miraculous, 

transformational, 

tree-mendous 

school year!