Mysterious Markings

I know I write about the Seed’s outdoor space quite often.  I love being outside with the children, watching them play in all the ways they do.  It’s when many of them are at their finest, using their imaginations freely with no adults telling them how to play.  Certainly we keep track of how materials . . . Read More


Garden Renaissance

In the sweaty days of August during our teacher prep week, we were approached by two enthusiastic parents about starting a volunteer garden club. It was a busy week with a long list of tasks and, to be honest, the gardens weren’t high on my to-do list.  Nevertheless, the pair had such enthusiasm, I found . . . Read More


Even In Our Neighborhood

Last weekend I was out for a walk along the canal by my house.  I was appalled by the huge pile of trash accumulated near a barrier consisting of styrofoam Polar Pop cups, recyclable water bottles, a GrubHub cooler, and a soccer ball.  I shared this with the 1st graders to remind them that climate . . . Read More


What’s Not to Love?

Energy is high around the Seed, as we approach parent/teacher conferences.  It’s a time that demands much of the teachers, as they thoroughly prepare progress reports and gather materials to communicate each child’s progress.  This season of  reflection on individual children helps us establish our path forward for the second half of the school year.  . . . Read More


Tails…and Tales

One of my favorites parts of the school year is our summer program.  I enjoy starting from scratch with an idea and seeing what the teachers do with it over the course of six weeks.  Our summer program has always been a time of experimentation, creativity, and open-ended learning.  For years I taught a class . . . Read More


Sifting Through Climate Change

Since I last wrote, my four-year run of avoiding Covid came to a screeching halt.  Mostly it  felt like a bad case of bronchitis, for which I am grateful.  I’m slowly sifting through the residual symptoms, and am glad to be on this side of it.  I now understand the brain fog piece, and see . . . Read More


Activist Training

Each year around this time, we learn about the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and others, like Rosa Parks, who contributed to the Civil Rights Movement.  Although social justice practices are ongoing, this time of year is an opportunity to hone in on activism. I’ve always loved putting together studies, and the chance to . . . Read More


Weather We’re Ready or Not, It’s 2024

I spent my first few days of 2024 in Nebraska.  I’ve been fortunate the past several times I’ve been there in the winter, that the weather was cold, but mild.  Not so much this time.  In fact, the day I was scheduled to leave, a major blizzard was about to hit.  With eyes on my . . . Read More


Here Comes the Sun

On Wednesday evening, from 5:30-7 pm, our playground will be transformed into a magical evening of light, art, and music.  This year will be especially fun, with our theme, “Here Comes the Sun,” featuring Beatles music.  To capture a glimpse of this extraordinary Seed event, check out this link.  We wish you all a safe . . . Read More


The Sewer Where Ninja Turtles Live

This past summer when we installed our new climbing structure, a mountain of sand was displaced by wood chips that would become the material for the fall zone.  It was 20 inches of sand that had to be moved to a new location.  Some of it went to the other side of the building, and . . . Read More


Community Collaboration

When the pandemic arrived in 2020, an important part of my life was hit hard, Desert Song Healing Arts Center.  Since 2003, it was my yoga community where I taught and practiced, as well as a personal refuge in many ways.  The same week the Seed shut down, the studio’s doors also closed.  Several of . . . Read More


Intentional Watering

From time to time a certain voice catches my attention.  Most recently it’s the voice of Christiana  Figueres, the former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2010 to 2016.   She is also known for being a key figure in making the 2015 Paris Agreement possible.  Christiana had a . . . Read More


Gathering in Gratitude

The days leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday look different from what they used to prior to the pandemic.  For decades each class selected a food item and was responsible for preparing it for a school-wide feast.  After a few songs with Jay, items like green beans, applesauce, quesadillas, cookies, fruit salad, mashed potatoes, and . . . Read More


Ancestral Remembrance

A bulletin board covered with paper monarch butterflies is one of the first things you’ll see upon entering the building.  It’s a group collaboration in honor of Día de los Muertos.  According to one source, “Monarch butterflies are souls of ancestors who return to Earth for their annual visit.”  On Wednesday and Thursday, celebrations were held, . . . Read More


Full Moon Movie Night

Last Saturday evening at the Seed was magical.  As the full moon rose in the east, dozens of families gathered on the Seed playground for an outdoor movie night.  It took awhile for the sun to go down enough to see the image on the screen, and once it did, everyone’s attention shifted to the . . . Read More


Emergent Curriculum for Teachers

We often talk about our emergent curriculum, especially with new incoming families. It’s described on our website as “an organic approach to learning that incorporates the interests and passions of children, their teachers, and relevant issues or current events.” We use it because “it offers children and teachers the most autonomy as learners.  Using an . . . Read More


Cricket Workshop

Like most people I’ve talked with lately, my heart feels immensely heavy.  It’s the news, the level of stress we all live with, and the fact that it’s past mid-October and it continues to be over 100 at lunch recess.  We have such easy lives compared to many, and it’s still a lot.  I take . . . Read More


It’s All about Tie-Day (and Tiles)

This week our main focus is the tie-dye and tile painting event on Friday.  For me it’s always an indicator that we have truly entered into the autumn season, even though days are still warm.  The event has a long history, about which I’ve written several times.  In case you’re new to the Seed or . . . Read More


Repurposed

I’m loving these new days of autumn, even though we are still in the upper 80s for midday recess.  After such a long, hot summer,  it’s wonderful to feel a breeze that’s slightly cooler.  The seasonal change has invited more time outside to enjoy our playground and outdoor areas.   While supervising a small group . . . Read More


Our APA Is Alive and Well

During a committee meeting, Danielle and I were asked how the year is going.  We reported that things are going well on many fronts, including our new flooring, our fabulous climbing structure, and the fact that at the start of the year everyone working here was a returning staff member.  As the conversation continued, we . . . Read More


Food Rainbows

Our food study has been deliciously successful this year.  In speaking with various teachers, several themes have been present across grade levels: learning about foods by color and what they do for our bodies inviting parents/grandparents to come in and share favorite or traditional foods of their families/culture making a connection to gardening and our . . . Read More


Sorting Through the Layers

First, I want to say thanks for all the kind words in response to my mom’s passing, the cards, flowers, and generous donations of trees in her memory.  My heart was quite touched.  In all honesty, my  initial response to her death was relief.  As this week has unfolded, I’ve moved into forgiveness.  I’m intentionally . . . Read More


Embracing Loss

Sunday late afternoon, I was heading back home from a walk.  We live in a neighborhood called The Pines, named for the dozens of pine trees planted in residents’ yards.  Over the past two decades, many of them have died and been replaced with more desert-friendly varieties, such as palo verde, mesquite, and Chinese elm . . . Read More


Launching Writers

My writing teacher, the late Donald Murray, once said that over time he found himself returning to the same topics.  In his case, two of his topics were serving in WWII and the death of his adult daughter.  His words drift into my mind as I notice I’m starting to write yet another blog about . . . Read More