On Thursday morning a group of students ran up to me excitedly asking to pick peaches. I noticed most of the peaches had already been picked, but said we could go check it out. When it was determined there were enough still left, a small envoy walked to the kitchen with me to obtain a . . . Read More
On Tuesday I observed a group of fourth graders standing together talking at lunch recess. While larger group activity options were available, this particular group opted for “something smaller.” Essentially they were asking for space to just hang out and be together. At this time of year, they’re soaking up every ounce of being at . . . Read More
I spent last week in Nebraska, caring for my parents who, at 97 and almost 94, are definitely winding down. Each afternoon we’d take a drive around the county on roads that followed the Little Blue River and the Union Pacific tracks. We drove past farms abandoned long ago, with barns and houses on the . . . Read More
For the last 23 years our climbing structure, made from recycled plastic “wood,” has served us well. Hundreds of children have played tag, taken wild imaginative journeys, and escaped from pursuing bad guys on it. Over time a few components had to be replaced or removed, and quite honestly, our current structure is ready to . . . Read More
I first started teaching 4th/5th grade in 1999, the year we moved into our present building. Many students that year were kids I had as 2nd graders, so we were already well established. As we settled into our new permanent location, we slowly created functional outdoor features. One of our first projects was a small . . . Read More
It’s Earth Day, a day I renew my commitment to serving Planet Earth. I’me realizing more and more that the most significant way I can be of help is to keep working with the upcoming generations who will assume stewardship of our planet. Today’s blog is about one of those young stewards. One of . . . Read More
It’s the time of year when many classes are engaged in deep studies. Two classes, our Early 3s and Kindergarten, have been immersed in the solar system and outer space. As part of the study, each kindergartener was given the homework assignment of creating a project. I love when they arrive at school with these projects, . . . Read More
This morning I walked into school with one of our first graders. Yesterday we sat together and I helped her decipher what she’d written about her family dog. The words were mostly strung together and it was hard for her to remember what she wrote. Eventually we sorted it out as I had her tell . . . Read More
Life on the playground is a constant dance of balancing creativity, exploration, and imagination with plain old safety measures. We look at it as a fluid process of measuring affordable risks. We let children (except toddlers) play with sticks and bricks. Yes, we encourage them to walk when they have sticks in their hands, and . . . Read More
Earlier this week I was covering a playground shift and noticed a kindergarten student exploring the outer edges of our outdoor space. I wandered over and decided to engage him in conversation about the cool shirt he was wearing. It was brown with a bright green snake on it. I asked him if he liked . . . Read More
Lately I’ve struggled to find words to describe these times. This morning a fourth grader gave me the words I needed. In response to a classmate’s honest sharing of a poem about a difficult family situation, one student said, “Writing a poem is a way to get through harsh times.” These are harsh times on . . . Read More
In a recent interview with Mark Nepo, he offered an idea I’ve been thinking about for days. He said, “In the Middle Ages in Europe for about 300-350 years, only 10% of the European population was literate. That means 10% of the people living in Europe at that time kept literacy for 300 years. Whatever it . . . Read More
I first met Elsie Moore in the late 1980s, around the time of the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. I remember vividly sitting at a low table with Elsie and her husband, Wade. They were looking for a kindergarten program for their eldest son, Arthur. She was pregnant with her third son, Allen. As always, she was . . . Read More
During recess I noticed a child sitting by herself in the grass under a shady tree. She seemed perfectly happy engaged in her own little world. I approached her to check in, and was amazed at her willingness to talk. Keep in mind, this is a child I’ve known for several years, with whom I’ve . . . Read More
You might notice the sticker recently adhered to the glass door of our Little Free Library. It came with the books and materials for the READ IN COLOR program sponsored by the Little Free Library Foundation, with books provided through Southwest Human Development. Their mission statement says: “READ IN COLOR aims to promote the distribution . . . Read More
As you might recall, a few weeks ago during my stint of substitute teaching in the 3rd/4th grade class, we embarked on a study of leaders. Students selected someone they wanted to learn more about, researched important facts about his/her life, drew a portrait using oil pastels, wrote a poem, and found a quote from . . . Read More
I generally keep a close eye on the sunflowers in my garden. Several plants are blooming right now, in a wide range of colors and sizes. I love watching the flowers form and move through all the developmental stages. Over the years, the sunflower has been a metaphor for the stages of life. I was . . . Read More
This morning I was looking at the calendar on our office door that holds all the names of absent staff members. In all of my 45 years of being a school leader, I’ve never seen anything like this. Fortunately, this week we’ve had more people back, and the list each day is shorter than the . . . Read More
I’ve had the privilege of subbing in the 3rd/4th grade class this week. It’s familiar territory for me, as I spent quite a few years teaching 4th/5th graders in this same room. I also know the students as a result of being their writing teacher, some of them for 3-4 years. One of my favorite . . . Read More
I knew last night was going to be extraordinary. I just didn’t realize how extraordinary. There was a moment right before it started that revealed a glimpse of how it might be. It was dusk and the sky was the purplish color of twilight. Staff members moved about quickly lighting the 600 luminarias we made, . . . Read More
Excitement is growing for our upcoming Welcoming the Winter Solstice: Darkness to Light celebration next Thursday, December 16. Artwork made by our students is showing up everywhere around the building, including bigger-than-life puffins and an igloo decorated with cotton balls. Personalized six-pointed stars sparkle in the hallway, and holiday desert cacti await final touches. . . . Read More
In two weeks we will experience a new Seed event and, perhaps, tradition. Since the 1980s we’ve celebrated the winter solstice as a universal approach to the holidays, in respect for the variety of families the Seed serves. The original celebration included music, singing, and dancing. Each class was responsible for preparing a dance that . . . Read More
Last Friday the Seed was inundated with collard greens. Cases of greens arrived along with bags of ingredients to prepare the greens for eating. The collard greens were part of a program called The Blue Watermelon Project. Their website describes the project in this way: “Inspired and led by the efforts of Chef Charleen Badman of . . . Read More
It’s the time of year when we start talking about the holidays, especially how to approach them in a developmentally appropriate, socially conscious way. Actually, we’ve been in serious conversation about this for more than a year, according to my blog from a year ago. For as long as I can remember, we’ve used The Anti-bias . . . Read More