If I could leave anything for a precious newborn through a meaningful baby shower, what would it be? What experiences or material possessions of real value do I have to offer the next generation? As a third daughter (of four children) in a family of creatives, I watched my mother beautifully host gatherings, decorate rooms, […]
Meaningful Baby Shower Ideas That Build Your Family Legacy Read More »
Animal Studies are some of the most powerful things our kindergartners did. But, in our inquiry-based classroom, studying animals looked differently than many other places. Animal Observations Learning to look at animals became one of our greatest joys in kindergarten and where we spent much time. We interacted with animal studies in authentic ways: Collecting
Animal Studies: How Our Kindergartners Looked Differently At Animals Read More »
South Carolinians don’t really know much about snow and ice I bet you’ve seen some funny memes with bare bread shelves, water cases being shoved into carts, and empty milk freezers. They’re sort of… true. We love the idea of experiencing a snow day. When I was teaching though, snow days hardly ever occurred! Honestly,
Kindergartners Learn to Research: Snow and Ice Projects Read More »
Zach’s Real-life problem When our son was in first grade, he fell in love with the Pokémon game on his Gameboy. The problem: This game had tons of text and Zach wanted me to read it to him. Every word. After reading a bit about Pikachu, Squirtle, and Charizard—and being instructed on how to pronounce
The Value of Perseverance – How to Build It In Your Children Read More »
From my earliest years, I remember “Christmas Around the World” prominently in my childhood. Our family began decorating in the fall. While most moms browsed magazines, my mother studied Christmas books. Daddy even enrolled her in a special club, The World Book Collection’s “Christmas Around the World” series. “You’ve Got Mail!” The encyclopedic volumes stacked
Christmas Around the World: Our Life-Long, family study of customs and traditions Read More »
Haven’t we all heard stories of high schoolers who don’t read whole books or write papers on their own? As I watch our five-year-old grandson launch into kindergarten, I consider what real learning looks like these days. What about all of our children’s schooling, abilities to work with others, and future jobs? What will their
On Real Learning—From Our Older Students to Our Youngest Read More »
Conferences are like going to summer camp all over again. Heading up to Ridgecrest, North Carolina, for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference filled my calendar at the end of May. I excitedly chose classes, received critiques on pieces, and scheduled appointments with industry professionals. But just as important were the worship services, the
How a Writers Conference Leads to Real-Life Author Studies Read More »
“My first students are turning 50!” I squealed. “What?” My husband calculated my age and starting kindergartners’ age of 5. I interrupted his figuring. “Remember, my first job was a class of 2nd and 3rd graders in a private school? And one of them was 10.” Whoa… that thought brings the memories crashing!
Beginning again: thoughts from a kindergarten teacher – cheering her students on Read More »
Dear Tucker, How can you possibly be turning five? For this birthday, I’ll be praying five special things for you. Wish #1: I wish for you beautiful places that stir your heart—that field of grass you run through, those dunes of sand, that bumpy boat ride. And I believe one day, you’ll fall in love
Dear Tucker: Exploring The Top 5 Letter-Writing Activities that Impact Lives Read More »
How often do we put the words math and love in the same sentence? Check out some of these authentic math experiences to discover learning your children will love. And maybe you will, too! Twenty-five years ago, my daughter’s kindergarten teacher invited families to drop their leftover live Christmas trees beside their portable classroom in
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