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
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
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
Harvesting seeds is no easy task, especially for three-year-old fingers. In case you’re unfamiliar with kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and cilantro seeds, they’re about the size of a small pin head. They mostly grow in long thin pods that only crack open easily when they are dry. There’s a purpose behind the tediousness of harvesting tiny . . . 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
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
During Monday’s all-school meeting, several classes reported news of emerging studies. It’s that time of year when deeper studies come forth, usually inspired by interests of children. I decided to investigate the roots of these studies, and it was no surprise how varied, yet similar, those roots are. Generally, studies have formulated based on . . . Read More
We have a small box we open only at this time of year. It contains gaffers tape, a map, and a six foot segment of ribbon with a tiny piece of yellow chalk tied to the end. It might seem like an odd, insignificant little collection of things, but in reality, it’s quite foundational to . . . Read More
In honor of our all-school nutrition study, this week’s blog will be a tour of our seedfood website. The site came into being several years ago when the lead teachers gathered for a discussion about developmentally appropriate food practices. Starting with an article on this topic, we talked about how much children should be expected . . . Read More
When I teach young writers, one of the first things we work on is topic selection. We discuss how the challenge isn’t usually having something to write about, it’s deciding which of many topics to choose. That’s how I feel about this summer. In the six weeks since I wrote my last blog, I’ve walked . . . Read More
I can’t help myself. When I see ants, I think of PreK. During these summer months, there is no shortage of opportunities for such sitings. For example, I recently spotted a colony aggressively partaking of a discarded roadside piece of pepperoni pizza. There were easily 200 ants on the 4-bite size of pizza. . . . Read More
I was a child who inhabited trees. The property around our neighborhood was full of mature trees that provided multiple sites for treehouses. Some were built by professionals who knew what they were doing. Others were kid-built and, thinking back, I’m surprised my parents allowed us to hang out so high off the ground in . . . Read More
It’s been a dramatic week, with the Preschool 4s presenting their version of The Great Kapok Tree. They performed the play in celebration of their rainforest study, which is coming to an end. It’s been inspiring to see four- and five-year-olds entering the building these past few months with their handmade posters, ready to make . . . Read More
On Saturday I attended a memorial service for Dr. Joan Moyer, my first ASU professor in early childhood education. It was 1975, and I was a recently divorced single mom finally accepting the fact that I was destined to be a teacher, like the previous four generations of women in my family. I’d already dropped . . . Read More
As our complex world continues on its trajectory through time and space, I’m seeing that often the best way to help is to work with what’s right in front of us. Through a conversation with one of our Seed dads, I was introduced to an article that addresses this idea. The author, Kevin McCarty, explores . . . Read More
Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows I’m obsessed with plastic—reducing, reusing, and recycling it. I bring my own reusable bags wherever I shop, spreading the message to one cashier at a time about the wastefulness of plastic bags. More and more, I make purchasing decisions based on the amount of . . . Read More
Last week we received a wonderful surprise. News arrived from the community service branch of Brady, our janitorial supply company, that the Seed had been selected as the recipient of a $2,500 Brady Shines grant to help fund our new walkway, which will enhance handicap access to our playground. It was a reminder of the . . . Read More
During my last seven years of teaching, I taught a multiage 4th/5th grade class. They were some of my best and most memorable years as a teacher. In fact, I’m still in touch with many of those students, who are now in their twenties. Over the years, Awakening Seed has incorporated the multiage approach when . . . Read More
Monday in the kindergarten class was a spontaneous preview of our summer art camp. The class has been studying Ecuador, guided by their student teacher who is from there. As part of their study, the Galapagos Islands became a topic of discussion. This grabbed my attention and brought back strong memories of a student who . . . Read More
The last morning of January, the moon had all sorts of things going on. It was a super moon, when the moon appears larger because it’s closer to the Earth. Additionally, it was a blue moon because it was the second full moon in the same month. It was also a full lunar eclipse, sometimes . . . Read More
Last week I wrote about the Seed’s commitment to continuing the conversation about race and social justice. This week we stepped into it further. On Wednesday morning, our dear friend, Dr. Elsie Moore, paid a visit to the Seed and left us with much to ponder. Elsie is the director of ASU’s School of Social . . . Read More
The little altar under the tree caught my eye. I saw it on my way out to Gwen’s Castle with the 3rd/4th graders the morning after Halloween. We were headed to the castle as part of Día de Los Muertos, Day of the Dead. For several weeks, many classes have been learning about this time . . . Read More