Years ago, while visiting a friend near Concord, Massachusetts, we took a day trip to Walden Pond. I’ve been a fan of Thoreau since my teens, so standing in the space where he spent his two years, two months, and two days at Walden Pond was significant. That day I soaked in the essence of . . . Read More
Our Seed writers are on fire. It’s a rebirth of the writer’s workshops that were prevalent at the Seed in the 80s and 90s. Although there have been threads of writing throughout the school’s history, we wanted to re-establish the depth and volume of the past. So every Wednesday of our summer program we met . . . Read More
The first days of autumn in Phoenix often feel more symbolic than actual. As friends in other parts of the country start pulling out their sweaters and long pants, we’re celebrating the occasional day when temperatures dip into double digits. Even so, there are other signs that the season is changing. Sunflowers that have withstood . . . Read More
I always appreciate how things come together here at the Seed. Sometimes we call it the Seed magic. This week was no exception. As we kicked off the final week of our nutrition study, we also held our first grandparent gathering on Monday. Grandparents appeared from the Phoenix area, as well as San Diego, South . . . Read More
Often a study begins with a question. “Where does hummus come from?” “What does candy do for your body?” “How can we turn into food detectives?” Questions like these are surfacing around the Seed as we prepare to embark on our annual school-wide nutrition study. We’ve had many successful studies in the past and expect . . . Read More
Just when our planet needed a positive distraction, nature provided. Monday’s eclipse lived up to the hype, even at the Seed. Initially, we made an executive decision to keep our students indoors to protect their young eyes. We made plans for older classes to watch live stream coverage of the eclipse and some classes began . . . Read More
When I was a kid I went to a public elementary school with polished wooden floors and desks lined up in rows. It was a two-story red brick building that often felt stark and forbidding. Most of the teachers were friendly and kind, although my enthusiasm for learning varied from year to year, based on . . . Read More
Now that I’m back from vacation and inspired by all the great food we ate on the east coast, I wanted to experiment with baking vegan bread. The first loaf I made actually turned out pretty well, except the pan was too small. The top crust created an overhang that resembled a breaded version of . . . Read More
This morning a kindergartener bounced into school with a book and long strip of police badge stickers in her hands. I asked what she was carrying and she said it was a book to share about her mom, who is a police officer. I said, “That’s right. Your mom is a super hero for sure!” . . . Read More
When we met in January to develop our summer art camp curriculum, there were three major considerations: • it would be arts-based • social justice would be the underlying theme • what we chose to do had to be relevant to children Over the next several months, we pulled together resources, asked for suggestions from . . . Read More
Some things will simply not be denied. Although it’s hard to believe, on Wednesday we finished our 40th year and added fourteen more graduates to our alumni population. Since it’s a multiage class, a few will be returning for their 4th grade year in August. The rest will be scattered into the world to find . . . Read More
The end of the school year feels like a fast moving train about to arrive at the station. It seems like three weeks ago that we started our 40th year, and here we are almost finished. Teachers are working on assessments, final projects, and bringing closure to big studies. In the background we’re gearing up . . . Read More
It’s Thursday afternoon and I’m sitting at the table where a significant chapter of the Seed’s history began. It’s the same Starbucks table where, on Christmas Eve years ago, Danielle and I first entertained the idea of her eventually stepping into the directorship of Awakening Seed. It seems like such a long time ago, yet . . . Read More
This week as the temperature crept toward 100, Seed artists added final touches to our new mural. On the wall along 40th Street, it’s like no other mural among the dozens painted throughout the Seed’s South Phoenix history. This one was a community effort, bringing together ideas and talents of many. It began through a generous . . . Read More
Last week’s Earth Day celebrations delivered a wealth of blogging topics. On Friday morning, as the Toddler 1s practiced placing recyclables in a bin with a huge recycling symbol on it, the Seed was visited by Channel 3 for a segment of Good Morning, Arizona. The interviewer, Lina deFlorias, was masterful with the children. She started . . . Read More
Monday was National Sibling Day. I’m grateful to my three siblings, each for his or her specific contribution to my life. Admittedly, I was at times the bossy older sister, and it has been noted that my two youngest siblings were camped outside my bedroom counting the minutes till I packed up my things and left . . . Read More
At first glance, the name of our summer art camp might seem odd. If you lean into it for a bit, I think you’ll understand. Our intention for the summer is to provide an arts program for children that invites creativity and self-expression. Additionally, this year we’ve included a social justice piece, as we explore . . . Read More
As I write this, teachers and parents are engaged already in midyear conferences. The amount of preparation that goes into these conferences is significant. Lead teachers do most of the work and there are additional layers of staff support that round out the process. It’s a major wave of stories documented and preserved for . . . Read More
I’d like to say something about the teachers. I mentioned last week our meeting to discuss how we could expand our conversation about race, culture and diversity. I didn’t realize at the time how quickly they would take it to heart. This week conversations have been popping up all over the school, many inspired by Dr. . . . Read More
At our staff meeting on Monday, the lead teachers sat together to take a closer look at what we do at the Seed to promote diversity. Utilizing materials from Teaching Tolerance (http://www.tolerance.org), an educational project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, we began with these two questions for each teacher: How do you incorporate culture . . . Read More
Seed magic was alive and well last night. Onstage for the first time in South Mountain High School’s auditorium, our Seeds put on a show that warmed hearts, dazzled eyes, delighted ears, and offered a message of hope. With Mem Fox’s book Whoever You Are (http://memfox.com/books/whoever-you-are/) as a starting point, one-year-olds through 4th graders danced . . . Read More
Everything changed a month ago and I’m still regaining my footing. It hasn’t been easy and I know, in comparison to a vast majority of people on the planet, my life is blessed. I know the shift that needs to happen is within and that’s where my focus lies these days. Looking for inspiration last night . . . Read More
This week Gwen’s Castle and its outlying area became an art gallery. Inspired by the work of Andy Goldsworthy, a British artist who works with nature to create his art, the 3rd/4th graders made their own sculptures and arrangements. This project was part of the Seed’s Art Masterpiece program, where parent volunteers present a lesson . . . Read More
A colorful equinox is a given this year. Sandwiched between our vibrant nutrition study and Halloween is one of my favorite Seed events, tie-dye day. Some of us scheme all year about our next tie-dye projects. Others, looking upon it admiringly from a distance, have never actually done tie-dye. A few won’t touch it and . . . Read More