A few years ago our Spanish teacher handed me a bag of onion sets for our garden. At the time I didn’t know what was a gift it was that would keep on giving. I found out later that they are called I’itoi Multiplier Onions and have been grown by the O’odam people in southern . . . Read More
Even though it was hard to come back to school after a week of beautiful spring break weather and a garden full of multi-colored sunflowers, I have to say it’s good to be at the Seed again. Whenever it rains it always serves as a reminder to pay attention to the moment. Monday morning’s soggy . . . Read More
Last Friday was the 108th birthday anniversary of Dr. Seuss. Born on March 2, 1904, Theodor Seuss Geisel was the author of books that date back to my childhood. I was six years old when The Cat in the Hat was written. I don’t remember having a favorite Dr. Seuss story but his books always . . . Read More
Contrary to what my husband tells his grandchildren, the antique blue trunk my mother painted for me when I was young does not have a snake in it. Although a snake would be quite interesting, most of the items filling that old trunk are artifacts of my youth: my old cheerleader uniform, summer camp yearbooks, . . . Read More
On Valentine’s Day I received the most unique valentine ever. Instead of a box of candy, flowers or some other sweet treat, on our dining room table were two sealed plastic containers and a card that read “About 500 Lady Bugs And Your Husband Wish You A Happy Valentine’s Day.” My gift was 500 ladybugs . . . Read More
I’ve been thinking about integrity lately, mostly in response to a situation unrelated to the Seed. I’ve pondered what it is that makes one a person of integrity and ways I can be more vigilant about living in an integrous way. I was reflecting on this Saturday while out in the garden with three of . . . Read More
Admittedly, I’m not a dog person. I grew up with dogs, especially collies, but when I became an adult and started a school, we never had pets. After spending my whole day taking care of children, there wasn’t much left for an animal. And because of the amount of time we spend away from home, . . . Read More
It was such a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I had to be in the garden for awhile. I felt a little guilty allowing myself this time, knowing that all of the lead teachers were likely working away on their progress reports. I then reminded myself that I put in my decades of writing progress reports, and . . . Read More
On Sunday night for the first time since I started writing my blog, I couldn’t think of what to write. As I’ve told the young writers I’ve worked with for over three decades, it isn’t a matter of not having a topic, but of having too many to choose from. Life has been full lately . . . Read More
Last Wednesday I gave a tour of the Seed to a large group of potential parents. We were also joined that day by a delightful teacher from New Zealand who was visiting Arizona as part of the Tempe Sister City Exchange Program. We held our usual question and answer session in the staff room and . . . Read More
Recently we had friends over for dinner and it was a proud moment to be able to serve a salad completely grown in our garden (minus the feta, cranberries, and dressing). The bowl contained onions, chard, mustard greens, kale, spinach, cilantro, and lettuce. I consider it no small privilege to eat a salad like that. . . . Read More
A few days before Christmas I was walking to the post office and noticed some multi-colored leaves on the sidewalk. Whipping out my iPhone, I moved in close for the photo shoot. Not only were the leaves of various brilliant colors, there were at least three that stood out for a different reason. Each had . . . Read More
Fluffy clouds made of shaving cream and glue rest on the rack, glitter and jewels sinking into the drying foam. In a few days the clouds will be transformed into hats that will rest on dancing preschoolers’ heads this coming Friday night. Every classroom has some sort of project like this going on in preparation . . . Read More
A row of paper snowmen can make all the difference in a child’s life. This little band of frozen friends has a special mission, to bring extra holiday cheer to mothers and children who desperately need it. On each snowman is written a gift idea, such as a baby doll, jacket, or pair of shoes. . . . Read More
I’ve had gratitude on my mind all week. Partly it’s because of Thanksgiving, and the rest is because it’s just been on my mind. The holiday season, beginning with Thanksgiving, has traditionally been a hard time for me. It seems like there’s so much pressure to respond to the external requirements of the season, and . . . Read More
On Saturday I went looking for signs of autumn and was not disappointed. The most extraordinary assortment of reds and yellows was, surprisingly, lying in the gravel along Baseline Road not far from the Seed. A year ago I went on a similar hunt for leaves to show the children in my Saturday yoga class. . . . Read More
The cool night breeze drifted into our house from the back yard and landed me in Maine again. I was in the kitchen cooking and it was one of those evenings after a long hot summer when we could finally leave the screen door open. Starlight and crickets enticed my mind to wander back to . . . Read More
On my way to the downtown farmer’s market recently, I passed a friend happily walking to her car listening to her iPod. She paused from the music long enough to smile and state proudly, “I’ve got my kale!” I love being a person with whom others get excited sharing kale news. I’ve been on a . . . Read More
Keeping my eyes open was a challenge all day Saturday. The day after the carnival does that to a person. The week leading up to it demands high energy, late nights, early mornings and hours away from normal routines. Saturday was one of those days when all I wanted to do was lie down and . . . Read More
When the scarecrows first took their seats on this year’s hay bales in front of the Seed, I told my friend Jen that one looked like it had been playing the C-card. The C-card has been a source of humor and healing for both of us these last few months as we’ve recovered from . . . Read More
October is Mystery Theater season. It’s Sunday evening and I just arrived home from a two-hour rehearsal session at the Seed. For a group devoted to making people laugh, we take our roles seriously. Sort of. Today we laughed so hard we had to halt rehearsal to pull ourselves together. We spent over an hour . . . Read More
We lead a surprise-filled life here at the Seed. After working this way for over 30 years, surprises have become the norm. I get used to quirky comments from kids, outrageously creative art projects from scraps of paper, and innovative teacher ideas for how to improve what we do every day in the classrooms. But . . . Read More
On Friday I stepped onto the playground for duty and was blasted by a hot wind. In the next moment I thought it won’t be long before a colder wind shivers our bones. Even with the heat, Friday’s wind was laced with a hint of fall, signaling the change in the air. I felt that . . . Read More
At this time of year many classes are studying families. Some are human families in their individual houses, and others are creatures that roam the earth. It’s often a beginning-of-the-year topic to get to know each other better. Children share news about their parents, siblings, cousins and grandparents. Family pets are high on the list . . . Read More