Until a few days ago, I’d never heard of the Cu Chi Tunnels. Our friend Kevin, a former Seed teacher, sent me a photo of a peace pole in Vietnam. He said it reminded him of ours at the Seed. The one he spotted in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) was located near the Cu . . . Read More
Becky was a magnet for my children’s allowance. Long before she started teaching at the Seed, Becky and her husband Steve had a shop on Mill Avenue. Each Saturday after their dance class, my girls migrated up the stairs to Dollars to spend their weekly allowance. Becky was always cheerful and friendly as she . . . Read More
It wasn’t easy being my mother. From the get-go I was a strong willed, scrappy, passionate outlier. Malcolm Gladwell (http://gladwell.com/outliers/) describes an outlier as someone “so outside of ordinary experience that they are as puzzling to the rest of us as a cold day in August.” That’s how I felt most of the time growing . . . Read More
When I think of tweens, kids in the nine to twelve-year-old range come to mind. At the Seed we have our own group of tweens, our Preschool 2.5/3s. They start the year looking more like toddlers, some still in diapers and barely talking. At the beginning of the year they need extra support with lunch . . . Read More
It was a dramatic Earth Day at the Seed. Maybe passionate would be a better word. Those who had the great fortune of being with us were greeted by an “installation” of nearly 300 empty plastic water bottles, strewn all over the entrance area. Some of the children were disturbed by the mass of water . . . Read More
We’re talking trash at the Seed these days. Last week we collected the lunch trash for five days and I’m happy to announce that the entire accumulation fit in a smallish box. You’ll be seeing a display of it in the coming days to further awareness of why it’s a good idea to utilize reusable . . . Read More
I encountered a swarm of bees on the playground this week. Not the fuzzy black and yellow ones; they were human bees. It was an intense swarm, with fierce negotiations around the hierarchy of a bee colony. First there was the designation of the queen bee, as well as her responsibilities and privileges. I heard . . . Read More
A sea of blue greeted me this morning. Earlier in the week, I sent out a reminder to staff and families that today, April 2, is World Autism Awareness Day. Globally, we were invited to wear blue to promote this day of awareness, to “light it up blue.” I thought maybe a few teachers might . . . Read More
2,207. That’s the number of Facebook reaches for my blog last week. It’s more than my last five or six combined. What’s up with that? I realize it could have been my catchy title, or the Facebook teaser about big news over spring break. I’m certain a big part of it was the topic, alumni . . . Read More
I didn’t make it to the ocean over spring break. Nevertheless, I was hit by a wave. Not the kind of wave that pounds the shoreline; it was a wave of good news. It started with an email from alumni parent Colleen Jennings Roggensack that included part of an announcement sent to her daughter, Kelsey, . . . Read More
Today is my dad’s 90th birthday. I’ve been thinking about the full life he’s had and is still having. On the phone this morning he described his recent project of clearing out several dead trees in the town where he lives. It involved a ladder. It’s ladders and trees that keep him young. On the . . . Read More
We write, too. With all the recent buzz over STEAM, it could be easy to overlook the excellent writing going on here at the Seed. We have first and second graders writing persuasive letters. One of the second graders wrote a letter to Bill requesting a zip line at the Seed: “I think we should . . . Read More
There are few moments in my career as the Seed director that I‘ve felt prouder of our staff and students than I did on Wednesday. We tried something new and the response was overwhelmingly favorable. For nearly a whole school year, we’ve worked together to make the STEAM curriculum our own. From the tiniest hands . . . Read More
The Seed is bursting with creativity these days, fearless creativity. The 1st/2nd graders have been honing their skills as makers of marble runs and the PreK students are cooking up all kinds of new concoctions in their recently renovated outdoor kitchen. The Toddler 1s, in their study of hands, have produced watercolor replicas of their . . . Read More
The Seed has a gallery in the making. It was an idea born in August before school started. It’s weathered several transitions and is finally taking shape. If you look closely, you’ll see some of the shelves backdropped by splattery paintings. Lined up side by side are handmade “snow globes” with a photo of a . . . Read More
One of the best parts of working at the Seed is curriculum planning. It’s been especially enjoyable this year with the addition of STEAM to our already creative approach to education. We’ve always had a good handle on the arts, so integrating science, technology, engineering and math in a more intentional way wasn’t all that . . . Read More
On January 1st, I started a yearlong art course. Once a week, for 52 weeks, I will receive an online lesson to play around with and practice. The second week I learned how to make altered tags, which has turned out to be a whole lot of fun. I keep thinking of different ways to . . . Read More
About five years ago, unbeknownst to me, my granddaughter planted a seed from her apple in our garden. When it sprouted, I wasn’t sure what it was until I noticed the leaf on an apple I was about to eat. As it grew bigger, I transplanted it to a safer place. The first time it . . . Read More
I was a free range child. The way I spent my early days made a huge impact on how my life turned out. In fact, I’m fairly certain the Seed would not have happened without the kind of childhood I had. The experience we had as kids has been on my mind lately, especially after reading an . . . Read More
It’s solstice week. Anyone who is a previous student, staff member or parent knows what this means. It’s a week of finishing up projects, finalizing dances and taking deep breaths. The gift drive is over and items have been delivered. The multi is taped with all kinds of symbols and words to remind young dancers . . . Read More
Driving down 24th Street late Sunday afternoon, a bird convention caught my eye. Hundreds of birds lined up on the telephone lines. I turned my car around and pulled over to take a photo before they dispersed. A few took flight, but most seemed content to stay put. Prior to noticing the birds, I was . . . Read More
I awoke to Ireland yesterday morning. Although I wanted to sleep longer, I made myself get up, even though it was still dark. It was raining and night had not yet turned to day. Eventually I headed out for my morning walk, warm and mostly dry in the raincoat I bought last summer for our . . . Read More
On Saturday I did something I rarely do, I took the day off. Normally I arise at my usual 5 A. M. and head off to teach yoga at 8:30. Unless I’m on vacation or busy with something school related, I seldom take a day off. I needed a day at home. It coincided with . . . Read More
It’s official. The holiday season has arrived at the Seed. On Monday we posted flyers for the Tanner Chapel food drive and that same afternoon lead staff met to select our theme for this year’s Celebration of the Winter Solstice, to be held on December 19. Classes are gathering ingredients for next week’s all-school Thanksgiving . . . Read More