Sharing Interest for Valentine Celebration

Valentine celebrations are a great time to invite children to share their interests with classmates.  It's a great way to personalize a holiday that becomes more and more homogenized.  My son, Sam, is a total little science nerd.  He also makes valentines for his classmates.  We talked about a couple options, and I told him I thought this one would be really cool.  He had to see a demonstration before he was convinced!

This year Sam and I are making Borax Crystal Hearts for each of his classmates.  My greatest contribution is adding the boiling water to the borax powder and helping form hearts with the pipe cleaners.

We started adding Borax to a container.  It takes more than one might think!  {Add about 3 tablespoons per object.}
Then an adult fills the container with boiling water and stirs.

Twist pipe cleaners into any shape.  These make stunning snowflakes!

Suspend the shapes in the solution.  We hung ours from chopsticks.

Take them out the next day and let them dry.

When they dry they look like they're covered in gems.  They sparkle in a window when the sun shines!

HERE is a great site for specific directions and the science behind it.

What ways do you encourage your children or students to celebrate their individuality for Valentine's Day or other holidays?

Harry Potter Birthday Party

So this weekend sweet Sam turned 7.  He is always interested in fairies and wizards and gnomes and magic, so when he first listened to Harry Potter on CD this summer he was hooked.

He gets to choose a theme for his birthday, with parent guidance, of course.  We settled on Harry Potter, and then we proceeded to see how we could pull of something that felt magical for Sam and inexpensive for his parents.

Here is where we ended up:

We made a Hogwarts trunk that we added a scarf I made, glasses bought online, a wand we made, spell book and map printed from the internet.  We enjoyed playing with these in the week leading up to the birthday.

With a piece of kraft paper that was sponged and a printable from the internet our backdoor became Platform 9 3/4 

We printed out a banner from the internet and other free Harry Potter finds--maps, et al.

We made snitches

We made wands

We made chocolate frogs with trading cards, but they did NOT come to life1

Cupcakes with wizard hats and lightening bolts.

Crescent rolls baked up as sorting hats.

And here is out very own Harry Potter!


It was a fun challenge to limit expenses, but make it fun.  This was a great theme because lots of grown ups enjoyed it, too.  Our other food was mostly salads because that's what the birthday boy wanted.  There were only two other children, cousins, and they painted their own paper mache trunks.

More Yoga Story Scripts on Sale

Earlier this school year I started writing down the stories I tell as part of my kid yoga programs.  I just put 5 {and a bonus one} of them together in a little PDF over at Brave Teachers Teachers Pay Teachers Shop.  This is not a cutesy resource.  It's a basic text document that gives you the exact words to read while you lead a group of children in a mindful calming practice.  I've also included a link to a goofy video I made if you need a little refresher in the basic breathing or postures of these routines.

Yoga Story Scripts:  Seasons, Nature, and Imagination, Volume 1, includes five unique original Yoga Story Scripts to give your students more exposure to a mindful yoga practice.  Yoga can improve, flexibility, strength, focus, body awareness, and self confidence, while reducing stress and anxiety, among other benefits.  This set includes these Yoga Story Scripts:  Walk in a Winter Wonderland,  Walk in the Rainforest, On the Hunt for Pirates, Walk Along the Beach, and Relaxing Robot{Corpse Pose for Kids}.  There is also a bonus script:  Suggestions for Warm Up or Cool Down that can be used first thing in the morning, after recess, before a test, or at the end of the day.

You can grab the whole bundle for $7.50 or for the next couple days at 20% off!  Check out the other scripts and lots of FREEBIES in the TpT shop.

Let Kindness Take Root

Section of a new painting:  Kindness Takes Root
12 x 24, acrylic on canvas, $165

Today, in honor of Dr. King I am inviting you to give kindness roots in your classroom.  This invitation is a tricky one, because by this time in the year you know all of the foibles of your students and your tolerance for shenanigans is very low.

As is the case with most valuable teaching, it all begins with the teacher--that's you!  Tomorrow choose one area to bring kindness into the sacred space of learning that is your classroom.  Greet students at the door with a smile and handshake.  Empower your most challenge student to lead--this might just be passing out papers.  Elevate a shy student by pointing out their work ethic or problem solving.  Find something to compliment in the child who is most difficult to like.

Here is the secret:  At first this may all be suspect.  But you are allowing kindness to take root.  It begins in your heart and over time it spreads and lives are impacted--especially your own!

Seeking Support and Making Magic

I am not good at asking for help.  Even if I was drowning {literally or metaphorically} I'm not sure I would ask for help.  My mom used to joke {I think it was a joke} that my first words were, "I'll do it my way."

I have lived long enough to know that even when we think we are doing it our way, there are miracles and magic surrounding us, thanks to amazing people who offer us support.

I want to spend the rest of this year as a full time artist and author.  I make stuff every single day, and I put it out into the world to make it a better place.  For this reason, I am asking for support via my Patreon site.  I'm inviting you to make a monthly contribution, and I make cool stuff and share some of it with you.

Thank you so much for your consideration in joining my on this magical adventure!

CLICK HERE to see one time purchases that provide magical support, too.

Day of Inspiration and Action

It's that time of year.  It's cold.  It's dark.  The holidays are over, and our to do lists are LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG.  This makes it difficult to do two things:

1.  Feel inspired
2.  Take action.

"Just let me stay in bed and procrastinate a little longer,"  might be our first thought.  

And from this place it is so easy to spiral down into guilt and shame--which is just an ugly pit that can be difficult to escape.

​So today I am inviting you and me to take action--maybe even mini, micro actions.  Let's take little steps together to get our inspiration back and our action on track.

Let's start with inspiration:

• Take a walk--even a quick one and look at trees.  Here in Ohio there is a light blanket of snow that makes the trees look gorgeous.  Breathe in the beauty of trees.
• Scroll down through this site or another site for inspiration.  Set the timer for just 15 minutes.  This is inspiration, not a time sucker.
• Choose to eat one meal that really nourishes you.  It tastes good and it's good for you.  Let this inspiration fuel you.
• Be an observer of inspiration--just seek it out today.
• ​Grab yourself a Brave Inspiration card deck
• Do a fun activity for just a few minutes or a few hours--you decide.

An now for action:
{When you have lots to do the getting started part can be the biggest obstacle, so let's get started!}

• Make a list of the 3 most important things for you to accomplish today.  {I did NOT say 3 pages, just 3 things!}
• Take the first step in doing the first thing on your list.
• Solicit support for completing your list.
• Stay focused, even when there are interruptions or roadblocks--3 Most Important Tasks
• YOU HAVE THIS!
  
  P.S.  Tomorrow I'm going to ask you for some support.  I hope you will be able to help me take action!

Advent Celebration and Gentle Rhythm

Are you just coming down from the hectic days around the holiday?  Did Christmas feel like a let down after all the resources you invested for just a few hours of unwrapping and overeating?

I have felt that way for so many years.  That is not what I want my son to think Christmas is all about.  So this year we tried an experiment that we have deemed a success and plan to continue next year.

Before I tell you what it was, please know it was way less insane than many Christmas Days I've witnessed.  We hosted an All Family Advent Celebration.  We {the six year old boy and I} talked and roughly planned it in the Fall.  {We both love to offer hospitality, but we don't do well with big expectations.}  We sent out invitations in October so that people could mark their calendars.  Here are the highlights:

• Each Sunday evening of Advent we had a simple meal at our house
• We made soup 3 weeks, and we made pizza the last week
• There was no pressure to attend, but all were welcome
• There was no pressure to bring food or eat the food we had prepared, but guests were invited to contribute
• He lit our advent wreath each week
• We had simple crafts, seasonal books to read, and Christmas music

The number of guests we had ranged from 2 - 18.  The last week my son was super excited that his teacher joined us!

There was always enough food!

Sometimes it was really quiet, and sometimes it was really loud with kids playing and adults laughing.

Since it was new we could keep the expectations simple.

Our house got tidied once a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We got to offer hospitality.  We got to make lovely memories with different combinations of family members.  This added a lovely rhythm to the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

It would also work nicely with a close group of friends!

Now it's time to reflect:  What worked well for you during the holiday season?  What will you repeat?  What will you delete?

Happy New Year!