The other night at sunset, the looming darkness took me back to where I was a year ago. Just a few weeks shy of our departure for India, I felt like I was at the edge of a great chasm, preparing to step completely into the unknown. The month of December with the shortest days . . . Read More
Preparations for our celebration of gratitude started last week as each class brainstormed ideas of what they could for another classroom. In the K-1 class they began with the question: What is it to be thankful? Children said, “It’s when you love people.” “It’s when you say thank you for all that people do for . . . Read More
We want you to know about our exceptional K-4 program. Although we’re just entering our fourth month of the school year, it will soon be time for making decisions about the future. In order to help families make the most informed decision about elementary school placement, we are offering a K-4 information session on Wednesday, . . . Read More
On my walk along the canal yesterday morning, pushing my great-granddaughter in her stroller, a man with his little dog called out to me: “Good morning, Grandma. Never give up!” I replied, “I won’t. I’ll keep going as long as I can.” As I kept walking, his words lingered in my mind. He pretty well . . . Read More
For the past fourteen years I’ve taught a kids yoga class at Desert Song Healing Arts Center on Tuesday afternoons. I’ve worked with hundreds of children under the age of ten. Some of them are in college now, and new students keep arriving. Many of them attended my class for several years before outgrowing it . . . Read More
Early Tuesday morning I sat in the dentist chair, looking out large windows into the overcast skies looming over the valley. I noticed a heron perched on top of the building in front of me. It was a color study in grey. Monday was the autumn equinox, and our shifting weather matched the change of . . . Read More
Healthy food has always been a priority at the Seed. Over the years it’s taken on different expressions as we’ve responded to trends in nutrition. Our current practices have been highly influenced by this article. Another influence related to food is our dedication to planetary stewardship. During the first few weeks of school, I . . . Read More
Morning walks this time of year always seem to reveal life lessons. Whether it’s an unusually simple cloud formation or a homeless man balancing his found possessions precariously on a “borrowed” grocery cart, there’s always something that connects with what I’ve been thinking about. Two words, simplicity and presence, have been swirling around in my . . . Read More
In July we took my great-granddaughter to Minnesota to visit her great-great grandparents. Included in the mix of family present was my great-niece, Emmy. She’s a bright, articulate, curious girl, and was completely mesmerized by the baby. Being a typical four-year-old, she wanted to touch her new little cousin and find out all she could . . . Read More
The red threads captured my attention. During one of my summer morning walks, I heard an interview with Marcus Buckingham. He described his life long obsession with helping others improve the quality of their workplace experience. The interview held my attention, yet there was nothing extraordinary in the conversation until he brought up the red threads. . . . Read More
I walked into the K-1 this just as a duck was having her feet trimmed. In preparation for their upcoming production of Crocodile Beat by Gail Jorgensen, one of the ducks was with her teacher, having a costume fitting. On the table behind them was a pile of handmade costumes and props, including a crocodile . . . Read More
As this fourth week of summer camp comes to a close, the word “congruent” surfaces in my mind. Congruent means to be in agreement or in harmony. It comes from the Latin verb Congruere “to come together, correspond with.” All week long I’ve seen evidence of congruency in action. When we developed our plan for . . . Read More
Last Friday morning was a popular time for water play, so the sand circle was flooded more extensively than normal. I had the pleasure of being on duty for lunch recess and got in on some excellent water play action. One thing I noticed right away was several children attempting to cross over the . . . Read More
Our new edition of The Harvest, the Seed’s yearbook, just arrived this week. It’s full of happy student faces, quotes, and photos of their lively art collected from projects throughout the year. Usually we dedicate the yearbook to a staff member. This year, at the request of Krina (our editor), the dedication is different. It . . . Read More
During playground duty I noticed our peach tree was loaded with fruit. Its branches were heavy with ripening fuzzy peaches. The birds had already discovered several and helped themselves to a sweet meal. I picked a few that were starting to soften and handed them over to one of the teachers for her class to . . . Read More
I pay attention to patterns of three. This week, as graduation photos and announcements started rolling in, a set of three caught my attention: future engineers. For decades I’ve held the belief that activities children engage in when they are young often surface in adulthood. When I heard that three of our former Seeds were . . . Read More
When I was a child growing up in rural Nebraska, the Little Blue River meandered through our town. It was more brown (from the mud) than blue. The Little Blue is a sleepy river, except during the occasional rainy season when its banks overflow. A few years ago it wiped out one of the main bridges . . . Read More
Last week I described potential plans and activities happening on and around Earth Day at the Seed. One project in particular took on a life of its own. The Preschool 4s’ campaign to help the African Wildlife Foundation has become a school-wide effort, thanks to the generosity of parents, as well as their baking talents. . . . Read More
We’re doing Earth Day differently this year. Usually we pick one issue—such as plastic bags, throwaway straws, or endangered species—and make it a whole school theme. We decide how to address the issue within each classroom, then report back to the whole group on Earth Day. This year, since such varied authentic learning is happening . . . Read More
On Wednesday afternoon I sat in the dark on the floor in the toddler room, holding the last wakeful child. All of her classmates were sound asleep. She was quiet, yet not ready to surrender to nap time. I began rocking her gently, and she soon drifted off to sleep. As I held her, I . . . Read More
Since returning from India, I’ve thought about air quality. A lot. It was one part of the trip for which I was unprepared. I managed to escape the common digestive tract illness most people contract while traveling, but ended up coming home with a nasty case of bronchitis. As a result, I’ve appreciated the clean . . . Read More
I had a flashback on Tuesday morning. Seeing the K-1 class with teachers and parents waiting at the bus stop on 40th Street, brought me back to the earliest years of the Seed when we had only a handful of young children. It was the late 70s, and the father of one of our students . . . Read More
On my way home the other day, I noticed a yellow sign next to the Circle K at the corner of 40th Street and Baseline. I hadn’t seen it before and realized it was a marker for something that had been near and dear to my heart years ago, the Japanese flower gardens. Long before . . . Read More
The heart of India has been calling me for a long time. On Thursday evening, I’ll board a British Airways flight for the adventure of my lifetime. For the next sixteen days I’ll be traveling with a friend through parts of India and Nepal. I’ve spent this past year preparing for the journey, and it . . . Read More