#NSCW2025

Today I'm grateful to share a virtual sweet ... 

sugar "bookies," just in time for NSCW2025.

0

Inspiring Mental Wealth

It's World Mental Health Day 2019;

imagine if every day were mental health day, 

a day in which we breathe hope, speak hope, live hope?

At my new school, we've started Wellness Wednesday,

a weekly wellbeing check-in for our fifth-grade students.

0

Because I Was Loved

Good afternoon and happy Fri-yay from Junior, the giraffe.

1

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.

2

Buried Treasures

This morning I'm counting my blessings as I pack up and get ready to head to the Barnes & Noble for my very first bookstore book signing. I'm so grateful to my publisher for working with Ethan at our local B&N store to schedule a spot for me, and to Rebecca Hude for helping get the word out. 

We're kicking off Educator Week, so school personnel can have What's Under Your Cape? at a 25% discount. Yay! It's the little things.

If you're out and about, please come by and say hi.

I'll be the one in the superhero character T.

Yesterday was the best day of the school year so far, because our favorite source of character inspiration spent the day with us. 

Here we are, dressed as pirates to surprise him,

waiting for him to arrive.

And here he is, Dennis Lee, reminding kids that 

"U are a treasure!"

Mr. Peterson got a lesson in puppetry.

And Mrs. Waltenbaugh helped Dennis put out the S-O-S.

Notice the costume change? Dennis even supported our school by buying one of our spirit shirts and wearing it in his third performance.

This man is simply phenomenal, and not just because, as you'll see by the clip below, he's creative and clever and the best with puppets, hands down.

Nope, it's because of his kind, generous, and caring nature.

He's got love for others, deep in his soul,

and he shares that gift with every heartbeat.

On his way back to Dallas, Dennis tweeted this shout out:

How super cute is that?

Yep, the world needs more Dennises,

people who walk the talk to make the world a better place.

Now that's a buried treasure worth diggin' up! 

2

Puppet Power

I've recently welcomed four new family members into the fold at the Puppet Palace.

Meet Patch,

Motor, 

Honey,

and PJ.

Aren't they adorable? Each one different, each one special.

Because they were gifts, from friends, to me.

I see them as gifts of encouragement, to keep on

writing puppet scripts and impacting children

through the medium of puppetry.

It's fun, because students will actually ask me things like,

"What problem is that one going to need help solving?"

and "What's its name?" or "Is it a boy or a girl?"

And I ask myself, "They DO know they're puppets, right?"

And when they fret about the safety of the puppets during a fire drill, for example, I'm not exactly sure the answer to that question.

What I do know is this: We've got the ability to positively influence and shape a child's thoughts, words, and deed when we've got a puppet on our hand. 

Students are instantly engaged and they're listening. 

They'll say things to a puppet that they wouldn't tell a person.

 They laugh. 

They teach. 

They remember. 

And they notice.

Just last Friday, a kindergartener noticed my basket of seals and he asked, "When are those walruses going to talk to us?" Just so cute!

After school recently, Luke, another kindergarten friend, brought by an empty and thoroughly cleaned out five-gallon cheese-puffs bin that he'd labeled Puppets Sleep Jar and asked if he could tuck the new puppets in so they don't get scared in their sleep. Super sweet!!

Here's what I found this morning ... a candle to keep them warm!

And when I get notes, students inevitably tell me that they love my puppets ... or their favorite puppet is Pillar ... or say hi to Boris.

Then when they see me in the hallways, they want to know which puppet I'm going to use next. I think it'll be Patch, when we discuss differences later this week. Shhhh, don't tell.

Never underestimate the power of the puppet ...

3

Winners, The Rat Thing & An Icebreaker

Today I'm excited because we have three winners in our KOGO giveaway ... my Gruener Generator (Joshua, Jacob and John) picked one name each from the comment entries ... drum roll please ... Tammy M., Katie N. and Lisa S. ... congrats! I will be in touch for your US postal addresses and put not one, but two books - Feel Confident! and Be Positive! -  into the mail. 
Have fun giving that second one away. 
Thank you to everyone who entered; I wish I had copies for all of you. And thanks to Free Spirit Press for their partnership!

In honor of my family's hometown team, the Green Bay Packers, making the playoffs and playing later today on the frozen tundra against the 49ers, I'd like to introduce Pack, the newest addition to our puppet family team. 

I got him from Anna, my amazing intern this past semester. She had a really creative idea about doing a lesson with the things this pack rat packs away and carries around in his sack. Love it.

I was toying with a play on words with ChaRATer ... or something about RATS spelling STAR backwards. There's also potential for an adorable careers lesson if Pack had trinkets in his knapsack that represented the careers he was trying to narrow down for himself.

Then I decided on a friendship lesson. 
Friends do the rat thing ... 
say that with a southern twang ... the rat thing ... get it?

So I'm cooking on a trustworthiness lesson using 

Don't Need Friends, written by Carolyn Crimi 

and illustrated by the illustrious Lynn Munsinger.

Do you know this book? Basically this rude, cranky rat (think Templeton from Charlotte's web) decides he doesn't need any friends after his friend Possum moves away. But what will happen when this junkyard dog, who's coincidentally every bit as grouchy as he, gets sick and needs a friend? 
Listen to a podcast about the book {here}. 

I'm planning to combine Anna's idea about having junk stuff in Pack's sack ... things that will end up representing friendship ... and I can't wait!

I'm also eager for a workshop I'm doing tomorrow for Ward Elementary down the road. Because I know many of you will be home on a snow day, I'm sharing the icebreaker we'll be using:

Though it's cold outside, I hope you're feeling warm and cozy! 

3