Teachers As Authors? Write On!

Today I'm excited to join a few fellow educators live online with Josh Tovar to talk about being teachers and authors! Click {here} to join Dr. Seuss In The School live at 5 pm (CST) or to watch at your leisure later.

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The 'REEL' Scoop

As we inch our way to Saturday's official Book Tasting launch, I put on my reporter's hat and headed over to get the scoop with Katie, the brilliant owner of our local small-batch ice cream parlor, to film this fun reel. 

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#KnitBackTogether Debuts

Today is a special day, because we woke up to the news that our new picture book, Knit Back Together, is now available on Amazon.com. We hurdled a few obstacles, including changing the layout from landscape to portrait, so we are especially grateful to announce that we did it.

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New #B2S Tool & My New Book

Today, the end of July finds me reflecting on summer of 2025 finds.

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PPBF: Yazzy's Amazing Yarn

Today's I'm excited and grateful for this hand-knit colt,

something I ordered from my friend Audrye for the classroom but

think now that I might just have to keep for our Texas room at home.

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Knitting Kindness

Today I'm grateful because I got to bake Pumpkin LOaVEs

and share them with my teaching team during a PD yesterday.

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PPBF: A Hat For Mrs. Goldman

Today I'm excited because I got this beautiful treasure in the mail.

From a first grader in Illinois. Can you tell what it says?

Growing character. Isn't that beautiful?

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Knitting Resilience & Hope

Today I'm excited because we're showcasing empathy, resilience and hope with one of my role models and friends, Dr. Michele Borba.

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The Awakening of Joy

It's Day 3 of Teacher Appreciation Week 2020 and today I'm thinking about all of the educators out there who are finding creative ways to awaken joy even as they create not with a classroom community but remotely from a distance.

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Volunteering Kindness

We've done it, just finished our 15th year of our Knit-for-Service Club meetings. Doesn't this year's group of volunteer needle-workers look adorable?

Third, fourth and fifth graders volunteer their time,

to knit a cap to help save the life of an underweight preemie.

Photo credit: Save The Children

Unravel details about our 15 years of knitting to serve
 {here}, {here} and {here}.

Here's our keepsake Knit One, Save One video; 
these young knitters are now high school seniors about to graduate. 

I'm told a few of them still use their skill to help others.

Volunteering is contagious like that; once you get the ball rolling, you'll want to keep on helping out. Lisa Currie from The Ripple Kindness Project wrote about the helper's high in this kindness post. Volunteering has been shown to help improve the health and well-being of volunteers and donors.

And no, you don't have to have a special skill to be a volunteer;

anyone can see a need and fill a need. Consider these opportunities right in your own neighborhood: washing a car, raking some leaves, shoveling some snow, mowing a lawn, watering some plants.

Need a nudge launching a volunteer campaign of your own? Why not sign up with WE Volunteer Now, an inspired way to organize a student volunteer activity. Whether you want to visit a senior home, donate to a food pantry or raise awareness about a cause that your kids are passionate about—like safe driving or recycling— this campaign is an easy way to get started.

 Simply enter here on WeAreTeachers and you’ll get an instant download from WE Volunteer Now, full of information on how to start a volunteer campaign at your school. You’ll also get access to grade-specific lessons you can use right away. 

WE Volunteer Now Campaign Resources include:

·       A step-by-step guide on how to get started with service learning curriculum in your classroom

·       Volunteering ideas

·       Teacher checklists to keep you on track

·       A worksheet for you to complete with your class—by the end you’ll have a solid idea of which volunteering option is best for you!

·       We Volunteer Now curriculum

Made possible by The Allstate Foundation, the WE Volunteer Now grants help schools and youth groups in their effort to give back to their local communities in a creative and unique way. As a bonus, 500 schools will receive a $250 grant to use towards their volunteer project. The grants will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to all eligible schools/groups, to be used toward supporting your volunteer project. The eligible school or youth organization must:

·       Have an educator, administrator, or adult group leader to fill out this application 

·       Be based in the U.S. and registered in the WE Schools program

·       Plan to use the provided funds between October 2017 – October 2018

·       Include students/youth participants in grades K-12

·       Participate in the WE Volunteer Now Campaign

Check out the reasons to join WE schools {here}, then enjoy these benefits:

Inspire your students to make a real difference. When you join the WE movement, you’re giving your students a chance to make a difference in their neighborhood and in the world. Together you’ll find something you are passionate about and can work toward as a group.

Fit service into your curriculum with ease. You signed up and took the first step. Now, you can use the WE Schools Kit to figure out which action or campaign your students want to work on throughout the year. The kit is packed with ideas for teachers and students to brainstorm ideas and set goals.

Earn your way to WE Day. Once you’ve decided on a project, finished your good deed, and reported your results, you’ll get a chance to earn your way to WE Day. It’s a stadium-sized event (there are six held annually in select cities across the country!) that brings together amazing speakers and performers. And YOU and YOUR students could be honored; students can tune in and watch live.

Be a part of something huge. Last year, 4,200 schools across the United States signed up and participated in WE Schools. That’s 1.3 million students! Plus, over 3.1 million viewers watched the WE Day Special on CBS this past August.

Help your students earn service learning hours and AP credits. High, middle, and even elementary schools are requiring students to log the time they’ve spent on service learning and volunteering. The WE Schools framework gives your students more options to gain volunteering time in ways integrated with your lessons.

Instill a love of volunteerism in your students (that they’ll have forever) just like we've done with our knitters. In a hectic world that values achievements and grades, it can be tough for students (and their parents) to make the time for giving back. WE Schools and the WE Volunteer Now campaign show us all how accessible volunteering can be.

Sign up for WE {here}.  

NOTE: This post is brought to you by WeAreTeachers, the Allstate Foundation and WE. Please join me in thanking them for their sponsorship.

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Inspiring Kindness

When I arrived in DC on October 30th, there was a package waiting for me at the front desk of the hotel from my friend Jill. It was this magnet and a Starbucks gift card. A text followed shortly afterward, welcoming me to DC and sharing a kind compliment. For a brief moment, I thought maybe she'd come from CA to DC after all, because I could feel her sweet presence through her inspiring kindness. 

Words can't adequately describe the warm feelings that came over me on that chilly Autumn afternoon. I have always gotten those feelings from giving, but am finding out that they also come from allowing myself to receive these beautiful acts of kindness. Because kindness matters, regardless of which end of it you're on.

Happy World Kindness Week 2014.

Click the graphic for a Ripple Kindness newsletter FULL of ideas.

As I was researching and preparing for my kindness keynote,

I found that the virtue of kindness has a magical, magnetic effect that parallels the Law of Attraction. 

If you go looking for kindness, kindness is bound to find you.

So this week, I'm going to share kindnesses that have found me lately. First, our friends over at KindSpring posted this over the weekend:

It is super kind of them to share our story with their readers.

In case you've not seen our video, you can watch it {here}.

Then I found this package in the mailbox from my brother in WI:

Such a thoughtful surprise. I combined his fall foliage with the leaves I picked up in DC to make a colorful bouquet on the table outside of my office. Ah, the sights and smells of autumn. Many of my little Texans asked, "Are these real?" One of them proclaimed confidently, "I know you made those, Mrs. Gruener!"

No, I couldn't make anything quite that beautiful, little buddy.

The third and final example for today is the kindness shown by Midwest Book Reviews. As you can imagine, they are inundated with books to review and they simply do not have the resources to review them all. When my book didn't make the cut, they kindly offered to give it a shout out in their November newsletter. 

I'm so grateful for their generous gift.

I didn't know how valuable words could be to someone, until I wrote a book and they were crucial for endorsements.

An act of kindness doesn't have to be a grand gesture. Small things count, too. In fact, sometimes it's the littlest acts of inspired kindness that make the biggest difference.

A bear hug.

A kind text.  

A covered duty.

A thank-you note.

A happy phone call.

A treat sent in the mail. 

A slice of something savory. 

An affirmation or a compliment.

A smile when you need it the most.  

♡

What will you to do inspire and attract kindness today?

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Monday Made-It: Fingerless Gloves

Happy Character Counts! Week.  

How will you celebrate healthy choices?

We've got a Coins 4 Character collection going on,

to help our friends at Post Elementary recover from a fire.

We're also sending our character message out into the community when we deliver pizzas for our Papa John's Fundraiser on Thursday night. I can't wait.

This weekend I decided to knit something besides a scarf or a baby hat and, guess what? I finished in time to link up with Tara's October Monday Made-It!

Check out these fingerless gloves. I didn't really use a pattern,

but this link will take you lots of free pattern downloads.

So here's what mine looked like when it was still on the needles:

And once sewn up the sides, here's the finished product.

Isn't that fun?

And the yarn is so yummy 'cause it's from an alpaca in Peru!

So this is what I did. I cast on 36 stitches, then knit five rows using the basic garter stitch. Then I switched to a knit one row, purl one row pattern for about 40 rows. This will vary depending on how high up your arm you want your gloves to go. When you have your desired length from the thumb up, start to cable with a knit two stitches, purl two stitches pattern for about 10 rows, again depending on your hand size and desired amount to cover it.

Bind off and sew up the sides, leaving a two-inch slit for your thumb to come through.

I'm so excited to have tried something new. 

What have you made lately that makes you happy?

Finally, I'm delighted to share that my book 

What's Under Your Cape? 

is now available in Kindle format {here}. 

To kick off Character Counts! week, I'm offering it for free today (10/20) and tomorrow (10/21), so head there now and download it to your Kindle at no charge. 

Cape Up and Crusade On.

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Goofus & Gallant

Birthday blessings to my baby little younger brother Paul!

Wish we were in WI to celebrate with you today.

Who remembers Goofus and Gallant? 

I totally loved reading about them at the dentist office 

when I was a kid!

Check this out ... our service club was featured in the Gallant Kids section, page 21, in Highlights magazine back in August of 2008!

What a highlight for us!

In its 11th year, the Westwood Knitting Club has found nearly a thousand boys and girls learning how to knit and then giving their handiwork away. 

In service to others. 

Bookmarks,

squares for afghans, 

scarves, 

and baby hats.

For good.

To warm them up. And possibly save their lives.

Click {here} for more info on 

our third-grade knit-for-service club.

Sheila at Pennies Of Time invited me to guest post 

last summer and tell our story {here}. 

And now, she's hosting a linky party so that we can share our promising practice for the MLK Day of Service {here}. Thank you, Sheila; what a wonderful collection of service learning ideas!

How are you knitting kindness in your world?

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The Yarn Angel

In the middle of the week last week, a fifth-grade girl who just got her cast off of her arm greeted me with an uncharacteristic smile and told me that she learned to make worry dolls while she was healing.

Intrigued by her new-found skill (and the fact that this is probably more conversation than she's ever engaged in with me in her six years at our school), I told her I'd love to see one and here's what she handed me the very next morning.

She wanted me to have it after explaining to me that you can also braid the skirt if you'd rather that your doll have legs.

So struck by how cute they were and the potential I instantly saw for hope and healing, I asked her how much it would cost to make a few more for me. She said she would make as many as I wanted but that she wouldn't charge me anything. 

Not. a. penny.

So I've already given this first one away and I've gotten requests for three more already, along with a plea to meet the yarn angel who's making these healing dolls for us.

The students in our third-grade Knitting Club are also yarn angels because they're creating caps, an essential tool to save the lives of preemies babies around the world. 

Here are some other projects I've recently learned about that would put your old yarn to use for good.

One Warm Scarf Campaign

Project Linus

Stitches of Love 

Knit Michigan 

Forever Warm 

Newborns in Need

Hatbox Foundation 

Knit A Square Care 

Knots Of Love 

Binky Patrol

Why 'knot' get the ball rolling 

by supporting one of these angelic opportunities?

Then follow up by reading and reflecting on this treasure
whose storyline has the most beautiful thread:

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Our Gifts Live On and On

I would be remiss if I didn't give a huge gratitude shout out to Susanna Hill before the holiday break for her continued willingness to add our favorite books to her ever-growing and comprehensive Perfect Picture Book list. We aren't officially having a PPBF today, but if you get a chance, stop by here today to say thanks! Here's a book that I think warm your heart and keep you in stitches as the author knits together fact and fiction to weave this tale of generosity and warmth.

Title: Kiki's Hats

Author & Illustrator: Warren Hanson

Publisher: Tristan Publishing

Date: September 15, 2007

Suitable for: ages 4 and up

Themes: kindness, compassion, generosity, warmth, pay it forward, knitting

Brief synopsis: Based on the story of the author's real-life neighbor who hasn't ever taken a cent for her hand-knit treasures, Kiki's Hats tells the tale of a woman who knits hats and gives them away, two at a time.

Opening page:

 

Kiki loved to sit and knit.

She knitted for the joy of it.

Summer winter, fall and spring,

she sat there, knitting just one thing...

Hats, Hats! Hats!! HATS!!

Ziggy, zaggy, stripey hats!

Brown hats, white hats,

yellow, red...

A heap of hats

for any head.

Resources: 

Visit the author's page for an interview with Kiki and information about the musical play script {here}

A book review I wrote in the Character Educator {here}

A book review at A Book And A Hug blog {here}

Children's Books About Yarn, Mittens & other Knitted Things {here}

Why I like this book: This book was sent to me this summer as a gift from a Wisconsin teacher after she attended one of my workshops. Who does that? It was so special to think that someone would select a book for me that so beautifully connects to the knit-for-service club we started at Westwood ten years ago. Click the picture to be transported to our school's Knitting Club webpage.

Barbara's hats: I knit these preemie caps to help Save The Children!

Because students might not have the skill of knitting (yet), when I read the book I preface it by asking what word the kids could substitute for the word hats: Kiki's compliments? Kiki's kindness? Kiki's smile? We also talk about how the author uses alternate words (dome instead of head) to maintain the rhyme, and how he uses hyperbole (exaggeration) to make his point. Because there's a halo over Kiki's hat on the back cover, we talk about the phrase, "You're an angel." What does someone mean when they say that? Then find out whom they know that's an angel and why. 

Check out this book; its message is a gift that you'll enjoy giving.    

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PPBF: Knitting Nell

It's another Perfect Picture Book Friday at Susanna Leonard Hill's blog AND it's Make A Difference Monthly over at Maria Dismondy's blog, so today I've got a book that fits both bills! The topic? Generosity. Why not link up with both of them?

Title:  Knitting Nell

Author & Illustrator: Julie Jerslid Roth

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Date: July 24, 2006

Suitable for: ages: 4-8

Fiction

Themes: service, charitable giving, generosity, friendship

Brief Synopsis:  Nell doesn't knit simply to pass the time; she knits for service. She makes blankets, scarves, mittens, and caps for babies, family members, and soldiers - all before she knits for herself. The Mayor notices Nell's generosity and honors her service with a Citizenship award at the County Fair. 
Opening Page: This is Nell. She knits . . . a lot.
Resources: 
A Knitter's Review blog book review {here}
Watch the Knit One, Save One video {here}
Westwood-Bales Elementary Knit-For-Service Club info {here}
An interactive community art project - Project Scarf Blog {here}
Knitting Community: Knitting For Charity list {here}

Why I like this book:  Nell uses her craft to generously help others. In doing so, she finds her voice and ultimately makes friends with Danny Tucker, a boy who once made fun of it. Use Nell as an ambassador for generosity. If 'knot' knitting, then how could your littlest learners serve? 

Nell's charitable work totally parallels what we do in our third-grade knit-for-service club, making blanket patches and baby caps to donate to people in need. Here's an example of our handiwork.
Enrichment:  Compare and contrast the following titles with a double-bubble map:
Shall I Knit You A Hat? by Kate and Sarah Klise
KiKi's Hats by Warren Hanson
The Knitting of Elizabeth Amelia by Patricia Lee Gauch

Check out this book; I think it'll wrap you in a blanket of warmth.

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A Project With A Purpose

Today I'm excited about a special delivery I picked up at school yesterday . . . I knew it was coming because of this email I'd received from Wisconsin after presenting up there:

Good morning, Barbara!

I just wanted to make sure that you knew a copy of Kiki's Hats (by Warren Hanson) would be arriving at your school this week. I wasn't exactly sure what address to use, so I sent it to the Westwood address on your school's website.

Once again, I loved your presentation in Jefferson last week. You amazed and inspired, and I love that I can send you this book and share a little of "me" with you. :)

Happy summer!

Deanna

I'm not sure whether it filled my bucket more to KNOW it was coming or to actually find it in my box when I went there this afternoon to unpack my stuff. Just look at how bright and colorful it is!  Kiki makes these adorable hats and gives them away, just like our knitting club at my school and, although one of my knit-club volunteers had actually shared an article about the Musical version of this story a year or so ago, I just hadn't gotten around to ordering the book . . . and now I don't have to . . .  let's hear it for Random Acts of Kindness . . . thank you, Deanna, for this thoughtful gift!

I'll extend the Berry Fun Bucket Filler giveaway through this afternoon until 5 pm (central), so don't forget to leave a comment to enter!

We picked WAY too many berries . . . 

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When Character's Contagious

Today's post in my character series has to do with your building's character climate. What's hanging on the walls in your school? The poster I saw in one of our classrooms that reads - Your Attitude Is Contagious; Is Yours Worth Catching? – got me to thinking; could I swap the word character with attitude, I wondered. That sparked the idea for this bulletin board: 

YAY - click the picture to see this design featured at Bulletin Board Ideas!

  
But doesn’t the word contagious have a negative connotation? If I say you have an infectious smile, for example, is that a good thing? Isn’t an infection something we work hard to avoid? If I said that you’ve got Character Fever, would you have to stay home until the fever broke?

Silliness aside, character is something that's just as effectively caught as taught. Leading by example is a powerful thing as evidenced when we’re taking our daily moment of silence. If I’m silent with my head bowed and my hands folded, all those little eyes watching me instantly take that stance to observe that moment with me. I don’t have to shush them to quiet them, I just have to get quiet myself.

Knitting is contagious, too. When our younger students see the third graders knitting for service, they set a goal to be in the Knit Club when they get to third because their role models are doing it. Who wouldn't want to make these cute caps?

Knit One, Save One - Third graders knit to help Save The Children!

The Go Green movement is also catchy and spreading like wild fire. When we throw our recyclables into a blue recycle bin instead of the trashcan, our little conservationists are more likely to do so as well. What we encourage, we teach. How do our little ones best learn how and when to use manners? Is it by hounding them to say “please” and “thank you” or simply by modeling those manners ourselves? 

What about the simplicity of a smile? You’ve undoubtedly heard the adage, “If you see someone without a smile, give them yours.” How quickly do smiles spread? Try it and see. And since kindness begets kindness, add a kind word and you've got the power to transform! Seal the deal with an act of service and you've got synergetic movement in the right direction down character road.

Do you have a culture that's positively contagious in your classroom? At your school? In your home? In your community? If so, keep paying it forward. If not, what will you do to get a character outbreak sweeping through 
your world?

We made our Character Cameras from a Bag Lady template.

Bonus activity: Send your little photographers into the school with their Character Cameras to catch kids making good choices and capture their smiles. On the lined or white paper inside 
their little camera journals, students can write about or draw what they see through the lens of their character cam. Smile!

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