The Time Is Always Ripe

The time was ripe to get away, to unplug, to escape for a bit.

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Grow On The Go

Today I'm excited as I started the day listening to a podcast on my walk before church, grateful for the chance to grow on the go. And it gave me the idea to share my top six podcast picks. Click the picture to tune in and subscribe.

Counselor Hans Appel just launched this inspiring student-led podcast; soon I'll get to interview them on Character Speaks. Don't miss their episode with servant-leadership guru James Hunter.

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Pray For Peace

It's a big day in America, the Inauguration of our 45th President.

And since this election was so controversial and emotionally-loaded, Free Spirit Publishing asked me to write this post with suggestions for helping children who might be experiencing some uncomfortable or difficult feelings. 

Because of the sensitive nature of the subject, I will freely admit I hesitated momentarily when they pitched the idea, wondering if maybe it was a little too controversial for me and not necessarily a topic I'd like to tackle. But only for a split second, because when I visited with one of my third-grade girls shortly after President Trump was elected to assuage her fears about a wall that might separate her from family members, her anxiety was palpable, those tears real. 

So I agreed to write it, even though some might ask,

"Are you kidding me right now?"

or think to themselves,

"Our kids don't even care about the Inauguration."

Some might even say,

"It's the parents, not the kids, who need these suggestions."

And they might be right.

But as riots continue into the darkness of the night,

I'm super glad I did.

In an ideal world, we wouldn't need to worry about processing through tough emotions with these strategies,

but the truth of the matter is, 

it's difficult to shield our children from current events,

so we do need them.

Even if we have the television turned off in our homes,

kids go to school with children who are plugged in,

who know things that are way beyond 

their developmental age and stage.

And children talk.

Because they're curious.

And they want to know what's going on.

So they ask questions.

And sometimes they get misinformation.

Maybe yours won't; I sincerely hope that for you.

Please keep your children as far away 

from hate

and corruption

and violence

for as long as you possibly can.

Because they deserve a peace-filled, hopeful childhood

of wide-eyed wonder and innocence.

No question.

But if they do have questions

or are exposed somehow to the

tantrums of the people whom the media are showcasing, 

I hope you'll find a way to calmly assure them 

that they are safe and that we will be okay.

Ask them to come together for peace,

to pray for peace.

To be catalysts for peace.

Without ceasing.

Encourage them to be on the side of America,

our home of the free and the brave.

Maybe even use today as a teachable moment to find out

what cause they might consider a peaceful protest for.

What would their end goal be?

How would they make sure it stayed peaceful?

What might they do were it to start getting out of hand?

In the meantime, let's join Reba in song, 

and Pray for Peace.

  

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PPBF: What Does It Mean To Be Green

Today I'm happy, because we're celebrating my Dad's 79th birthday. 

On Earth Day. 

So fitting for a farmer, who made his living off the land, right?

Today's PPBF is the perfect fit for Earth Day, too.

Title: What Does It Mean To Be Green?

Author: Rana DiOrio

Illustrator: Chris Blair

Publisher: Little Pickle Press

Date: March 15,  2010

Suitable for ages: 4-8

Themes: recycling, conservation, citizenship

Brief synopsis: This treasure trove offers lots of ideas that we

 {young and old alike!} can all use to go green and save our planet.

Opening page: What does it mean to be green?

Resources:  Sign up to download lesson plans for the book {here}.

Share this beautiful tribute song to the earth. 

Encourage students to upcycle something, like this, brought to me by a fifth grader. It's an empty tissue box that he filled with handwritten, heartfelt cheer-up notes, perfect, he said, for a counselor like me. And he was spot on! 

Download an Earth Day freebie from Denise at Sunny Days {here}.

Watch the book trailer on You Tube:

Let your students host a recycling campaign.

Our Student Council is collecting clean grocery bags this week.

Don't you love their handiwork that's hanging all over our school?

Or make a Go Green wall of fame, like this one spotted by the character cam in the second-grade hallway at the school next door.

Why I like this book: Its silly start and simple conservation suggestions hooked us; its adorable illustrations reeled us in.

Looking for green things like the frogs subtly placed on the pages sealed the deal. Actually, it took an observant kindergartener to point that last part out ... 

and oh, what fun we had going back through the pages once we realized that there were little green frogs hidden on most every page!

We started the lesson with Boris the bear, who told our young sponges that he was "green with envy" that they get to go to school at Westwood, his former school. That engaged them and got them laughing and thinking and ready to read. 
But first, a song.

If You're Green And You Know It

by Barbara Gruener

Sing to the tune of If you're happy and you know it. 

If you're green and you know it, plant a tree. {clap clap}

If you're green and you know it, plant a tree. {clap clap}

If you're green and you know it,

then the world will surely show it; 

if you're green and you know it, plant a tree. {clap clap}

After singing the first verse, let the students write the next verses by suggesting phrases to replace the lyrics plant a tree. 

We sang about four verses, then we read the book aloud before singing a few more verses, all sparked by the new ideas we gleaned from the book. Check it out and enjoy going green!

For other PPBF picks today, hop to Susanna's blog next.
While you're there, wish HER a blessed day as well.
{A little birdie told me it's her dad's special day, too!} 

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Aaaargh You Up For A Kindness Party?

Today I'm excited because I've been re-reading Dave Burgess' treasure,

 Teach Like A Pirate, and it beautifully dovetails with something adventuresome. creative, and daring that we're trying tonight on FB: A Kindness Party!

Consider it a hook, to engage our readers by sharing stories and strategies for making kindness an intentional, purposeful ritual in our homes, our school and our communities. And it's your chance to chat with some ordinary individuals who are doing extraordinarily kind things.

Door prizes include a copy of my book, What's Under Your Cape?, and two Carol McCloud titles, Have You Filled A Bucket Today? and Growing Up With A Bucket Full Of Happiness. Just click either graphic above at 8:00 pm {CST} and be transported to the fun.

We'll swap ideas like the Which Wich? #FlagYourBag campaign. If you decorate the back of your sandwich bag, they will recycle it by filling the bag with goodies to send to the troops. Isn't that AmAzInG? So, here's mine. It was a blast to color. All it took was a Penny of Time, and it creates such a citizenship win-win.  

I'm just delighted that we're reading Pirate as a faculty because I connect personally and professionally with so many parts of Dave's pirate treasure, especially the engagement, passion, and movement pieces. 

In fact, I used this quote from his book in mine.

 Shelley makes the best graphics!

Then I sent him a copy of my book, to thank him for his ins-pirate-ion, and he invited me to host a #tlap chat last September, on Labor Day. In case you missed it, here are the questions we discussed. 

My friend Jen and I are planning to channel our inner pirates and host a practice chat in the second part of our Hashtags and PLNs and TweetChats, Oh My! workshop in our August Tech Symposium, so we're going to use these questions.

And last, a story from yesterday. I was driving the carpool when I saw a homeless man on the corner of 288 and Binz. At the red light, I gave him $5 to help him out a bit. After he thanked me, he introduced himself and told me that he'd be happy to help me if I were ever in the area and needed anything. 

Isn't that thoughtful, his offer to lend a hand, to pay me back.

Because kindness matters, 

even when things aren't going very well. 

Maybe especially then.  

See you tonight!

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PPBF: Talking Walls

My stars, check out the nearly-finished visual display in our cafeteria, courtesy of some of our leaders in Student Council. Each star responds to the inquiry: 

How will you make 2015 better?

I'm going to keep looking for new PPBF titles to share;

today's pick, at more than 20 years old, is actually new to me.

Title: Talking Walls

Author: Margy Burns Knight

Illustrator: Anne Sibley O'Brien

Publisher: Tillbury House Publishers

Date: January 1, 1992 (reprint edition)

Suitable for: ages 8 and up

Non-Fiction

Themes: culture, history, landmarks

Brief Synopsis: Explore fourteen walls around the world and learn the story behind why they were built and what they represent and symbolize.

Opening page:  According to an old tale, the only structure on earth that can be seen from the moon is the magnificent Great Wall of China. For about fifteen hundred miles this ancient fortress twists and turns like a massive stone serpent across the mountains, plains, and deserts of China. Chinese children and their families and people from many other countries love to visit the wall where they walk along a path, as wide as five horses, that winds along the top of the wall. 

More than two thousand years ago, large stones and granite boulders were used to construct much of the wall's eastern side. Bricks that were formed by pounding together moistened dirt made up sections of the western side. Some say the Great Wall was built to keep out invaders. Others say it was built to keep the Chinese at home.

Resources:  Visit the author's website {here}.

Download Curriculum Activity Page - ASCD Educational Leadership {here}.

Connect with the For Action Initiative Lesson Plan {here}.

Get details for my Wall of Trust activity {here}.

Why I like this book: Not only is this book such an interesting read about so many noteworthy walls globally, it's also got potential for a reflective discussion about the literal as well as figurative walls that people build. I connected with the philosophical questions at the back of the book and could totally see using them to spark discussions or as journal-entry prompts:

Do you know about other walls?

Are they visible or invisible?

Are they monuments?

Do they tell stories?

How are walls built?

Do they need to stay up or come down?

Do you build walls?

Would you tear them down?
Can you imagine a world without walls?

Since this book isn't necessarily a read-aloud but more of a resource guide, I would pair students and assign them each one of the walls showcased in this masterpiece. How far away from the wall do you live? How long would it take to get there? Let students plan a trip there, complete with the financial calculations for such an adventure. Encourage them to make a travel brochure or present their findings to the class aloud. Suggest a debate or a persuasive paper or talk answering the question: Should this great wall be on someone's bucket list? Why or why not? 

For more PPBF picks, visit Susanna's blog.

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A Citizenship Win-Win

Today I'm excited because I had the best day yesterday!

Our forty packages to the soldiers have arrived.

Here's a picture from Qatar; my friend Laura, whose son-in-law received the boxes there, calls it a "hug from home."

This batch of letters stayed Stateside

and made this soldier's week!

Yesterday we got to watch as these servicemen

opened their boxes from their base across the ocean.

One of them is on his eighth (8th!) deployment.

The other was in his first month with eleven to go.

Away from home. From family and friends.

For birthdays. And holidays.

Martin Luther King Day.

Valentine's Day.
St. Patrick's Day.

Easter.

Memorial Day.

Mothers' and Father's Day.

Independence Day.

Back to school time.

Labor Day.

Halloween.

Thanksgiving.

Can you imagine?

So we sent them some holiday cheer.

And they returned the favor by opening the boxes

in front of the 968 students who salute, thank, and appreciate them.

They were kind enough to give us permission 

to share our special Skype session with you.

And afterward, we got these gracious gifts from abroad:

Thank you – you made my day!!

Please reiterate to the children how much their support means to us.  When times get tough and the days get long, it is packages like these that make us smile and remind us what it’s all about.

Warm regards

You have no idea how much we were blessed. We were both pretty moved with the pledge and the moment of silence. We were extremely impressed with how disciplined and courteous the children were as well….and that is a testimony to the work you and the staff there are doing.

Again, thank you, your community, the school administration and teachers, and the students for all you did. It really motivated us and provided us an often needed reminder of why we are out here and what those of us who wear the cloth of our Nation signed up to do. It also reminded us that we are not forgotten…

PS. Please pass our thanks to all the parents who sent homemade treats. Honestly, we don’t get homemade treats in the boxes very often---so that was an unexpected bonus! Also, please thank the Friendswood Rotary Club for paying the postage for it to get here as well. I know the boxes are not cheap, so please pass on our thanks to them as well.

Seriously, they ended up thanking us.

Can you imagine?

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Angels Of Peace

Today I woke up a little under the weather, just in time for some time off so I can relax and restore, and the perfect time to reflect on what we have and how blessed we are. And I'm reminded of an angel I know named Margaret Limmer.

Click graphic for source.

I got a text from Margaret yesterday morning as I was scurrying to get on the road to Angleton for that fantastic NSOC celebration. She wrote of her concern for our friends in Ferguson, MO. My first reaction was indifference because I feel like my heart is already stretched in more ways that I can bear, but the fervency in her request was so compelling. She was hoping I'd share her idea on my blog. My second thought was to ask her to send me a guest post about it, and I went on my way down the road to celebrate with Southside.

That afternoon, I was visiting with two second graders (Mrs. Limmer's former students) and her name came up, so I mentioned how she's still the same wonderful woman, worried about others. The girl, whom I'll call Mercy, immediately wanted to know what was happening, then offered to pray for those friends in Ferguson. It was her next thought that connected to her former teacher in a way that I felt was providential: 

Doesn't that town have a Mayor? 

And that takes me back to Margaret's idea. See this angel? She's sending it to the Mayor of Ferguson, along with her prayers for peace. And she's hoping that we could join her, in praying and in showering Mayor Knowles with angels so that he can share them with his community.

An angel statuette. 

A picture of an angel. 

A pocket angel. 

Who's in? 

Here's his information:

Mayor James W. Knowles III

110 Church Street

Ferguson, MO 63135

Thank you, Mrs. Limmer, for being an angel of mercy. 

Your influence and inspiration lives on and ripples out.

Now I need to go find the perfect angel to send.

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Sweets For Soldiers

Today I'm excited because our families are taking citizenship into the kitchen and the baked goods for our servicemen and women who'll be away from home at holiday time are rolling in. Brownies? Check. Rice Crispy Treats? Check. Pecan Pie Bars? Check. Sugar Cookies? Check. Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Oh, I can practically see the smiles on their faces and totally feel

 the happiness in their hearts as they devour our homemade goodness ...

and read our students' wonderful notes of admiration and thanks.

It's one of my favorite service-learning projects each year, 

because we get to give back to those who are giving up so much,

to serve and protect, 

to keep us safe and free.

I hope they feel pampered, appreciated and loved.

We're hoping to chat by Skype with a few of those heroes

on the Monday that we're back from break, so stay tuned.

On another note, I'm so grateful to character.org {formerly known as the Character Education Partnership} for filming and sharing the video footage of my Kindness keynote.

They also posted Mary Gordon's keynote on empathy and Eduardo Briceño's presentation on growth mindset, so check those out, too. You'll be glad you did.

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PPBF: I Pledge Allegiance

Happy PPBF! It's so good to be back after a week off.

Look what's in the character case as we launch into Veterans Day:

Today's pick perfectly complements our citizenship focus this month.

Title: I Pledge Allegiance

Author: Pat Mora & Libby Martinez

Illustrator: Patrice Barton

Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers

Date: April 22, 2014

Suitable for: K-3rd grade

Themes: citizenship, patriotism, pride

Brief Synopsis: Libby and her great-aunt Lobo practice the Pledge of Allegiance together, but for very different reasons. Libby is a young child who gets to lead the pledge in her classroom; Lobo, her adult relative of Mexican descent, is studying to become an American citizen.

Opening page:

Resources:

*Check out a review from Publishers Weekly {here}

and a review on Mundie Kids blog {here}. 

*Download the Educators' Guide at the authors page {here}.

*Learn the Pledge of Allegiance in sign language.

*Download the Pledge of Allegiance Cut 'n Paste Activity

from Lori at Teaching With Love and Laughter {here}.

*A pledge is a promise, so use this as an opportunity to review your classroom constitution or social contract. Discuss or write about what's working well in your classroom community so far. What needs more work? How do we hold one another accountable for the promise that we make when we say the pledge?  Challenge students to imagine an instance in which we might no longer be able to uphold the promise that we made in a pledge. What might that experience be like and what would we need in that situation?

*Make a patriotic visual display thanking soldiers for their service;

here are a few in our first-grade hallways celebrating the Veterans who've served to protect our country and keep us safe and free.

Why I like this book:  Whether you're born into America or you've moved here, like Lobo, and been a resident for awhile, citizenship is a big deal. It's all about making wherever you go better because you're there. In this heartwarming, intergenerational tale, Lobo explains to her young niece why she'd want to become an American citizen despite her love for her native Mexico and its Spanish language and culture. As the two practice the pledge side by side, it becomes clear that there's something very special about gaining Citizenship.

Use this gem to find out from your learners what makes them a good citizen. How do they make where they go better? How is their class better because they're in it? How are the Scouts or their sports team better? How is their family better? How about their community? Discuss and map the ways that citizens can work individually and in concert to make the world a better place.

For today's other PPBF selections, visit Susanna's blog {here}.

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