PPBF: Puddle Pug

Today I'm still on a natural high from my visit to Howard Elementary.

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PPBF: Mucky Truck

It's Friday of Memorial Day weekend, a time for new beginnings as the class of 2021 graduates and summertime starts. Our Joshua graduated from Texas A&M with his ChemE degree earlier this month! 

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Self-Twister & Great Group Leaders

Today I'm excited because I'm joined by my friend, author Susan Ragsdale and we've got an engaging new way using the fun old game of Twister to look at how we can respond when life does its level best to twist us up.

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How To Build Authentic Relationships In The Virtual Classroom

Today I'm excited and grateful because I got to co-author this important piece in which we share these five sure-fire ways to connect with our students and their families virtually and/or in person.

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Time To Play

Happy February and National School Counseling Week 2019.

It has been over a week since I've posted because

I've been intentionally playing with some new friends;

today I'm hanging out in South Dakota 
savoring my incredible Iowa memories, 
like this epic winter sunset we were gifted.

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Puppet-Tree In Motion

Today I'm excited because I was invited to share how puppets have helped me and shaped my school counseling story on a #StoriesInEdu podcast.

Do you have any puppets?
We have a parrot, an eagle, a wolf, a sloth, a bird,
a toucan't toucan, a kitten, two pigs, a turtle,
a bronco, a pack rat, a cow, a bear, a giraffe,

Hi Junior!

a caterpillar, and a pirate.
Am I forgetting anyone?
Here's they are, our Puppet Patrol, hanging out in the Puppet-Tree 
that Kaitlyn made for us in an architecture class.

It was such a blast, to go back 18 years and reminisce about Seymour, my first puppet, and remember what happened when I first got to Westwood and forgot to grab that baby harp seal when we evacuated for my first fire drill there.

Who knew that the littles would think the puppets were REAL?

And to talk about how I engage all learners from preK through 5th grade 

with our squawker, Winthrup, who tends to worry.

To share about the time that some third-grade girls

gave up recess to gather some rocks for my thieving Pack Rat,

so he has his own and doesn't have to steal anymore.

And to plant ideas for using the puppets as a tool to facilitate conversations, to solve problems, and to integrate them into curricular areas, like writing.

And to let them be kids for a bit and play.

Because play heals.

And it's just flat-out fun 

for young and old alike.

And today, this note from a fifth-grade girl

who is going to miss us.

Can you feel the puppet love?

The interview is also available as a You Tube clip:

How do you unleash the power of the puppet?

I'm so grateful to the Bretzmann Group and to Mandy and Josh

for this amazing opportunity. It was great fun chatting with them.

Speaking of gratitude, how will you thank 

your favorite teachers next week?

Click the image below to go to a guest post

I wrote for my friends at Prosign Design

sharing some intriguing ideas for Teacher Appreciation Week.

Happy May.

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PPBF: Moon

Happy PPBF; today I'm excited because you get to meet Moon.

Title: Moon

Author and Illustrator: Alison Oliver

Publisher: Clarion Books

Birthday: April 17, 2018

Suitable for ages: 4-7

Themes: imagination, mindfulness, play

Brief synopsis: Dutiful, responsible young Moon, who always does it all, yearns to know what it's like to feel wild and free. Will her imaginative encounter with some wily wolves free her up a bit?

Opening page: 

Every day, Moon walked home from school and thought about the day.

Resources:

Check out a Publishers Weekly review {here}.

Get a sneak peek from Design of The Picture Book {here}.

Purchase the book on Amazon {here}.

Visit my Mindfulness Pinterest collection {here}.

Why I like this book: 

1. The eye-catching illustrations are simply stunning.

2. The tale, although fictional, has a believable flavor.

3. The conflict resolves weaving in mindfulness.

I'm a big fan of practicing mindfulness.

Staying in the moment,

mindfully aware,

without judgment.

In other words, being where your feet are.

That's how author Julia Cook explained it in a recent interview.

And it stuck.

In Moon's dream-like outing with the wolves,

she learns how to pounce, how to play, how to howl.

In the moment. 

And then, and probably most importantly,

how to be still, how to listen and feel.

To unwrap the present.

Isn't that magical?

And that's just it.

Mindfulness can be magical.

But since it's a practice,

it takes practice.

I love that Moon comes back from her dreamy outdoor outing

ready to practice being her new-found carefree, playful self.

After a discussion about mindfulness, encourage your readers to create a bookmark explaining what mindfulness looks like to them.

Here's a design I'm working on to give to participants at

a Mindfulness Expo I'm keynoting next week.

Of course, you could always research wolves

or the moon. Or both.

Find out if wolves actually do howl at the moon.

And if so, why?

Check out this book;

it just might leave you howling for more.

Next, head over to Susanna Hill's blog to devour 

today's other KidLit authors' PPBF picks.

Enjoy the weekend.

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Take Me Out To The Ball Game

As we swing in to April, we eagerly await Opening Day of another baseball season, especially this year here in Houston. So far our Astros are 3-1; this week we'll get our hometown heroes back on home turf. This is the first baseball season that we won't have a boy in the house talking baseball with his Dad and talking him in to attending Dollar Dog Day at Minute Maid Park. 

I can't help but yearn for a season years ago when this little boy donned these adorable uniforms, put a huge glove on his little hand, and ran enthusiastically into the outfield to pick flowers. Sigh.

And I can't help but feel that he'd have loved this newcomer from Sports Illustrated Kids, hitting the market tomorrow. The Baseball Fanbook is all things baseball and will surely hit a home run with your sports enthusiast.

Care to check out some startling stats?

Want advice on securing an autograph? 

Interested in a side-by-side comparison of two all-star players?

Looking to learn the lingo so you can talk the talk?

Hungering for trivia like how many stitches each ball has?

{Fun fact: It's 108.}

This prized ticket behind home plate has those bases covered and more.

Just look at the comprehensive Team Tidbits pages that 

tell the stories of the thirty Major League Baseball teams.

{Isn't it cool how we just happened to open up to the Astros page?}

Check out this hard hitter for your young sluggers;

it'll leave you singing (and begging that special someone to) 

Take Me Out To The Ball Game.

Want a fun Opening Day idea to engage community stakeholders?

Cook up Hot Dog lunch for your school's faculty and staff.

Our character cam snapped this shot a few years ago;

this year's event happens today at Westwood and Bales.

Yummmmmmmmmm.

It promises to rival (and be every bit as tasty as) Dollar Dog Day; 

batter up!

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Peaceful Hearts Playground

What a wonder-filled week it has been for us; tonight I'm at once exhausted and energized about our Peaceful Hearts Playground

 and our Kindness Rocks Peace Garden.

Photo source: Kids For Peace

Upon our return from winter break, students started working on Kindness Rocks in Art class. Once they all finished painting theirs, we held a Paint For Peace event so that families could also paint a rock for our Peace Garden. 

Here's a sample of how amazing they turned out.
I made a FlipGrid to showcase some of the rocks; click the link and use the password PeaceGarden to view the video clips. 

All of this was prep for the big day on Tuesday, when Friendswood was the ninth stop on the Kids For Peace #KindnessMatters bus tour! Isn't their bus dreamy?

Part of the Kindness Team spent Tuesday beautifying our school grounds with this heart-shaped serenity spot ... 

while the others crafted these beauties for our playful hearts tree!

On Wednesday morning they created this magic. 

That afternoon, students came out with their rally towels in hand ...

to experience the ribbon cutting and celebrate the grand opening of the new state-of-the-art GameTime Challenge Course built in partnership with our PTO and the Kids for Peace Kind Coins campaign contributors.

As you may know, our third-grade meteorologist Jet Stream Jax served as their spokesperson for this year's campaign, so we went on location from the playground a few times this week to talk with students in New Jersey and Montana. What a thrill and joy it was to watch this young role model in action connecting with peers from coast to coast. 

We are forever grateful to all of the school who fundraised with Kids For Peace to give our school family the gift of play as we continue to heal from Hurricane Harvey's fury. Hasbro, a company synonymous with play, is going to match donations until February 15th if you haven't had the chance to contribute to the Kind Coins campaign yet. The Kindness Team's plan is to head to Puerto Rico next, to build a play space there to help them heal. 

I'm hopeful that they'll need a translator.

When I asked Jax to sum up our experience in just three words, 

he eloquently replied without pause,

Live. Love. Play.

If ever you're in the Houston area,

please come and play with us.

UPDATE: Phase 2 of the Peace Garden found us laying bricks and a crushed granite bed so that our serenity spot helps us ... 

to mindfully unwrap the present for a very long time to come.

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When Life Gets Dicey

Today I'm excited because yesterday I saw the most beautiful light in this child's eyes. Meet Bella, one of my fifth-grade girls. I can't remember if I shared her story yet or not, but we snapped this picture in our Clothing Exchange, shortly after Hurricane Harvey took everything but her clothes away. She wanted to donate these beautiful items, some that still had price tags on them, because the flood made her realize that she didn't need so much stuff. She said she knew that there would be someone who did lose their clothes and needs it more than she did. 

And she was right.

Just to give you a frame of reference, this is Bella's house during

 Hurricane Harvey.

Please don't misunderstand; Bella smiles every day. In fact, she's one of the sweetest children I know. In kindergarten and first, she used to draw me these beautiful pictures and write me these heartwarming love notes. It was clear early on that Bella has a heart bigger than the flood that would one day destroy her living quarters. {I'm pretty sure she gets it from her mom!}

So why was Bella's smile extra big yesterday?

Because today is move-in day, to their new house.

She was simply giddy with joy as she told me the good news and added that the move would be pretty easy, too, since all they have to move is their clothes.

Can you imagine?

Life has been really dicey for Bella and her family and their neighbors. But she has managed to find a silver lining along with a way to hang on to her joy and to 

be the rainbow in someone else's storm.

Bella, your school counselor is so proud of you

and grateful for the impact your kindness footprint is making.

We're so happy that you'll be home for the holidays!

Speaking of dicey, have you heard the great news?

Our friends Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor

have published the Dice Edition of Great Group Games 

just in time for your holiday gift-giving.

Click the image to purchase it on Amazon.

I've already read through it and earmarked the games

that I want to try with my superheroes:

My favorite part has to be that all of the games include a Going Deeper section to help sustain the activities and make them more meaningful.

 And since we all know that play heals,

this will be a great resource to keep next to that

favorite pair of dice for when life gets dicey

and you need a play break.

Click image to download and share with family and friends.

Who's ready to roll? 

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Fair Or Foul?

Today I'm thinking about the difference between equity and equality, because equal doesn't always mean fair! I think my favorite description of fair has to do with leveling the playing field. Fairness is all about meeting people where they are, giving them what they need when they need it. 

That's why we differentiate instruction in education. 

To meet individual needs. 

To give everyone a fair chance.

Some of my favorite books to 

help students understand fairness include:

It's Not Fair by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Rotten And Rascal by Paul Geraghty

Mine! by Kevin Luthardt

Squirrel's New Year's Resolution by Pat Miller

Share With Brother by Steven Layne

Read these books, then follow up by comparing and contrasting them on a double bubble map or H-map graphic organizer. 

Or play a game of Fair Or Foul? 

Ask kids to identify whether or not the following scenarios would hit a fair ball or a foul ball in the game of life. If foul, have students explain 

how they would make the situation fair.

1. You use your mom's educator discount card 

at a book store to buy a book that's not for school.

2. You let your friend cut in front of you in a long line 

to buy tickets for a concert you're both eager to see.

3. You only share with kids who live on your street.

4. You take the last cookie from the cookie jar and 

you don't share it with your sister.

5. You take a soccer ball out to recess so that 

you get to decide who gets to play with it.

6. You don't like the center that you're assigned to today, 

so you trade clips with your friend when nobody's looking.

7. The boy with emotional difficulties in your class 

always gets to be the line leader. 

8. You see your friend take something 

that doesn't belong to her and you don't say anything.

9. You save a seat for the new kid at lunch.

10. You don't know the answer to a question on your homework, 

so your friend gives you her paper to copy.

What other scenarios might you use for this riveting game?

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The Big Reveal

For many of us, it's our last weekend before we launch into another school year; savor your little smidgen of summertime. 

For others, congratulations because you're already up and running!
If you're still on break, enjoy every last morsel of R & R.

And now, it's time for The Big Reveal. 

Did you pick a second-grade me off of this blogger collage that Michelle made?

Click this graphic for all of the others and to see who won.

If you thought I was number 13, you were close because she kind of looks like my sister. If you picked number 23, you're spot on! 
Everyone who played along and guessed correctly 
will be receiving a digital copy of the template for my 
Character Cards prompts. 
But wait, there's more. 

If you didn't play but you'd still like those prompts, 

just email me (or leave your email in the comments) 
and they're yours.

It's an editable document so you can add and delete to make them yours; change the fonts to cutesify them if you'd like. Print them out on an Avery 5160 address label (1" x 2 5/8") and trim them slightly to fit your standard-sized deck of playing cards. Don't feel like trimming them? 

Affix them to colorful 3x5 index cards and use them for 

morning meeting discussion starters or writing prompts.

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I've thoroughly enjoyed being on the grid a lot less this month. Once I resume a regular school routine, I'll likely be blogging a bit more, though probably not daily like in the past. Thanks for checking back in the few times I've posted this month. It's been a much-needed chance to unplug and recharge my battery.

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Somebody Come And Play

As the mom of teenaged and adult children, I often wonder if I did a good job. Ah, the million dollar reflection ... If I had it to do all over again. Some things I did with great ease and success; other things, not so much.

Let's talk about play.

Look at how positively filled with joy this exuberant child is. She saw our fourteen-year-old in a tree and watched her older brother follow him, so she wanted to climb up there, too. I watched a younger me as her mom reluctantly agreed and then held her every step of the way. Sometimes Often times Too many times I was overly cautious and protective to let my kids explore and discover through play. To be honest, it was a mix of caution and the fact that playing seemed kind of frivolous; it really ought to be a more like a treat rather than an every-day occurrence ... or at least that's what I thought. 

Now I wonder why we didn't climb more trees.

And at the risk sounding like a drill sergeant, let me say that my kids did play ... I just hope that we played enough. 

We definitely played in the kitchen. When the kids were younger, they'd pull out the utensils and gadgets to sort them by size, to line them up, to use them to make noise. Just yesterday, Jacob peeled the figs while I mixed the batter and, voila, out came some delectable fig muffins. The kitchen was our chemistry lab.

We took the kids to the farm almost every summer and a few times had a blast navigating through a corn maze. Have you ever done that? It's great fun. The boys have also played gardener with their dad every summer; there's nothing tastier or more satisfying than home-grown produce!

 When the weather isn't cooperating for outdoor play, we're inside with a puzzle, a deck of cards, or a board game. While I tend to not be patient enough to look at 1000 pieces and picture the whole, this form of play had definitely sharpened Joshua's skills. 

The pool that we built after hurricane Ike took six of the trees from our backyard forest and turned it into a prairie has definitely been a wonderful playground for us in the recent past. I find it therapeutic to simply relax on my raft but the kids enjoy games like volleyball and Marco Polo.

Playing with pets has to be the best therapy ever. We found this little kitten, lost and alone, underneath my dad's back porch and quickly adopted and tamed her. Jacob commented later how easy it was to transform her from a timid and scared little ball of fluff to a friend who would follow them wherever they went, just by showering her with a little bit of time, attention, and love. Well, that and a little bit of warm milk ... 

Mostly we've just had hamsters in our suburban home, but pets are pets and love is love. And we do love to dog-sit.

Finally, another way we've played is through our music. And while I will admit that music is as much a discipline as it is actual playtime, it served as both for our kids. I just love it when the house fills with music. What it treat it was after Jacob's graduation party when he and his friend sat down and played together. All three of our kids started playing the piano in kindergarten which planted seeds of appreciation music that will last them a lifetime. Joshua's at the point now, entering high school, when he wants to be done with piano lessons. I understand, because that's when I quit taking formal lessons, too, but John and I are both hoping he doesn't give it up.

I'm reminded about Ernie singing the old Sesame Street song asking that Somebody Come and Play. 

To smile a smile ...

And sing the songs ...

Rhyme the rhymes ...

All day long ...

And laugh the laughs ...

See pleasure in the wind ...

And be my friend ...

to watch the sun ...

'til it rains again ...

Playtime ... it's not just for children anymore.

One of my favorite things is when a friend texts to ask if 

I want to play. 

Sometimes it's a pedicure, other times it's a girls night out. 

Last night a friend actually invited me to play Bingo,

but I already had plans to go to a baseball game with the boys.

 Whatever the case may be, I'm glad to get a new chance every day to learn from and enjoy playtime. And I hope that my kids will always know that you're never too old to learn to 

appreciate the benefits of play.

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