This morning we cleaned, my son and I. We cleaned out his room and had much to enjoy! Who knew it would be so much fun? We laughed when we saw the dried-up tube of paint, its cap left slightly askew. I jumped when a plastic spider was found in a corner and sent my…
Since my work a week ago when I conducted a mini-lesson on writing Haiku at Wetland Education Days, I have been thinking a lot about writing. One of the most common questions I received from the students was whether their haiku needed to rhyme. Of course not, was my response! Flow trumps rhyme in poetry…
There is no doubt that I love information. I often felt being a librarian would have been a good profession for me as I love to research, look up, learn, and sift through all kinds of information. In pondering what to write about today I considered the following: Superstitions Past Halloween Celebrations and Costumes Halloween Parties…
Recently, my son bought an iPad for his artwork. It was part of a deal we made when he agreed to create a mural on the outside wall of a business as a school project this fall. As the mural was completed, he asked again about the iPad. So, last Monday night we went out…
If you read my blog yesterday, you know I’ve been teaching during the last two days. Today, was more of the same – connecting students in grades 4-8 to our local lands through writing Haiku. The theme was wetlands but many wrote about Autumn, tree color, and other such observations that were encouraged in my…
Wetland Celebration Today I was part of a group of Environmental Educators celebrating our Wetlands. We hosted fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from 9 – 2pm in thirty-minute stations. I had the pleasure of seeing 177 students, plus all their teachers today for lessons on Nature Poetry. Since our stations were only 30 minutes each,…
The Sweet Stuff and Climate Change Do you realize that maple syrup production is being affected by climate change? It is! On a hike late this summer, I met a gentleman who had been tapping his maple trees for sap and making maple syrup for several years. Last year was different, he said. He had…
On a Saturday in mid-September, I was at large event for work. It was an event I organized. There were at least 125 people in attendance, probably more. It was an event to celebrate land conservation hosted by our local land trust and promoted by the state governing body of land trusts. It even was…
This past August we went to Banff National Park in Canada for vacation. It was a spectacular trip with gorgeous mountain scenery. One of the most memorable parts was riding the Sulphur Mountain Gondola to the visitor center and then walking to the lookout on a boardwalk while sweeping views were visible from any direction…