I am finding today to be an odd day. I feel deflated, almost. On my morning errands, which started late due to falling back to sleep after my son left for school, I found it to be really quiet out. The convenience store where I often stop for a latte, was empty! It is usually…
Community
My Thoughts on Community Gardening During the Summer: Take Two
Due to being short on time again today, I am reposting a blog piece I had written and put on the Evergreen Garden club at the end of August in 2016. Looking back at the date, I realize now that the post foreshadowed my dissolution of the club (after 13 years) in June of 2017….
Reaching out – Out Reach: The Last Two Weeks.
It is the height of the monarch migration season. By all reports, it has been a great year to be involved in the conservation of this species. Summer numbers are up and my own experience supports that observation. As school restarts, it is a busy time for me as a non-formal educator. In the last…
Silent Sunday: The Fruition of the School Flower Garden At North Woods
What Do You See and Do at The Biggest Youth Soccer Tournament in the Western Hemisphere?
This year my son’s youth soccer team decided to participate in the USA Cup, held this week in Blaine, Minnesota just north of the great city of Minneapolis. The last few years he participated in league play through a team associated with MYSA, one of the youth soccer associations in the state of Minnesota. We…
If You Fill It, The Frogs Will Come
We have a new housing development going in adjacent to our property. There are 45 homes being built on what was a very large corn field up until 2 years ago when the process of putting in the roads began. We are located on the outskirts of our town which has always imparted a country…
How Can We Prepare Students to be Global Citizens When We Rarely Hire From”Outside” Our Own Communities?
Teachers, Principals, Superintendents, all with links to our community. Some of these people were students at our high school, student teachers in our classrooms, life long community members residing in our neighborhoods, and we hire them. We hire them to teach our children. Our school district has a vision statement of “Educating every student to…
A Tit for Tat System of Gardening
The month of May was consuming. This year, I had a new school garden to manage. It is very large, much larger than the school garden I was previously in charge of caring for. It’s been a struggle to get it planted and weeded. Before planting with each of the 400+ students that attend this…
With a Little Help From My Friends…
You know this old Beatles tune, right? “I get by with a little help from my friends….” In 1967, it was part of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Over the last week, and particularly yesterday, the song came to mind as I readied for my middle son’s high school graduation party. …
Monarch Migration Update & How to Report Sightings as a Citizen Scientist
Journey North, an organization that monitors migrations of some of most beloved species of animals, posts updates on the Monarch Butterfly on Thursdays. Their site also has a wealth of other information for those interested in teaching or learning about the patterns found in nature such as seasons or life cycles. It is a user-friendly…








