Kids, Lakes, Loons and Pines

::a peek into my kindergarten classroom

I thought it would be fun to take a minute and share a sneak peek into my kindergarten classroom with you.  This year will mark my 16th year as an educator, and I still get caught up in the anticipation and excitement of a new school year!

It is so nice to have a fresh start each year: shiny floors, sharp pencils, new books (and, of course, seasonal favorites), 

Tomorrow I am officially back at work, and students will start school after Labor Day.

Each day that I step through these classroom doors, I pray for patience, wisdom and knowledge with my words, choices and actions.   I look forward to the year ahead and I hope I will touch the lives of each and every one of my young learners in a positive and meaningful way!

 

 

 

 

 

::mothering

Here are my recent posts from the past month on mothering.com.

Please check them out! If you like what you see social media shares are appreciated. Just click on the image to go directly to the post. Thanks for reading!

Interview with Bryan of Koo Koo Kanga Roo (& a giveaway for concert tickets!!)

Tell us a little bit about yourselves. Where you're from?  Your interests?  Do you have kids? Your favorite flavor of ice cream?

We are Minnesota boys.

I like Caesar salad and intense board games. Neil's all about the NBA and raw denim.

No Kids

Cookie dough forever.

How did Koo Koo Kangaroo come to be?  Can you give a brief history of how you guys met and how your band formed?  How did you become Bryan of Koo Koo Kanga Roo when you grew up?

We were college roommates and were in a pop/rock band together.  We played with other bands experimenting with drum machines and synths and working the crowd, so we wanted to take a stab, so we made some songs for the ipod. We got our start by playing silly songs in bars, trying to get people to dance and yell.

You guys have been on tour all summer - tell us about a funny/interesting story or adventure you have had in the process.

Its been more boring than funny. In the minivan a lot and trying to eat healthy so we dont get sick.  This is our first headline tour of the USA since more families have found out about our band.  We played the Vans Warped Tour last summer, but thats tough to bring a 6 year old too.

We have love seeing all the different kinds of people that have showed up to the shows.  Its awesome to see the mix and watch how they interpret the show and who we are.

As a kindergarten teacher,  your videos on GoNoodle have been a go-to resource for movement breaks and fun both in my classroom and at home with my own 4 kids....even when those goofy tunes stuck in my head for hours!  Tell us a little bit about your involvement with GoNoodle and what new things we can expect to see in the upcoming school year.

We made a workout DVD about 4 years ago as a joke for our merch table. We used the Fox 9 weather green screen. We put the videos on youtube and teachers started using the videos during the day in the classroom. GoNoodle started a while after that and put the first workout DVD videos on their site.  They went well so that we started to make a few more.

Who knows what will happen in the future. Probably more videos!

What can we look forward to seeing at your show at Fest du Nord in Ely, MN?

Lots of sweating on your neighbor. Lots of non acoustic dance beats. Lots of happiness hopefully.

 

People just have to be ready to dance/yell.  Theres not an excuse you can give us to sit out. 

 

Thanks Bryan!  Our whole family is excited to see Koo Koo Kanga Roo live at Fest Du Nord!

 

Now for more fun!  The organizers of Fest du Nord are generously offering one Kids and Eggs reader their choice of:

 

2 all-day passes to the Saturday 9/3 show

or

 2 Fest du Nord T-shirts

 

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post, and if your comment is selected by the random number generator, you'll win!  Giveaway ends 8/26/16 7:00 a.m CST

*Want even more chances?  Follow Kids and Eggs on Instagram, and/or Facebook.  You can also give yourself another shot by sharing a link to this giveaway on your social media as well.  Just make sure, whatever you do, you come back here and leave a comment letting me know how you shared.

Good luck!!  I hope to see you at Fest du Nord!  

....and the winner is:

Jere

See you at Fest du Nord!

 

 

::chicken inventory

We picked up 29 baby chicks today!  These are meat birds, that will live a good, healthy, but short life on our homestead. 

The other chickens, our layers are being spoiled enjoying bouts of free ranging and feasts on garden weeds.  Today they got the  kale.   I made the decision that we have enough in our freezer and I am just done with kale.  Time to turn it into eggs!   

A few bumps in the road.

We have been riding some waves the past few days.  Our 9 year-old son has been in and out of the clinic and hospital with a bad infection that needed some aggressive antibiotic treatment - and we are missing our loved kitten Gretta, who has not returned home for over 3 days.

  Our son is on the mend - and so is our family -after a couple of days without a regular routine, getting behind on a lot of things, and the notably disrupted sleep that comes with an illness and caregiving.  

Our hearts are heavy with the possibility of loss of our Gretta, but we are still hanging on with some hope that she will return. If not, we will hold on to the memories  of the time we spent with her and the sweet life we were able to give her as a member of our family.

In the mean time, we are not letting these small bumps in the road get us too down.  

We have so much to be thankful in our lives - and so much good and healthy, happy and fun.

 

my heart is smiling

Imitation is the best form of flattery, right?  How could I not be flattered when I found these images....and about 50 more... after my daughter had an opportunity to explore the garden with my camera.

 My hope is that I am passing on the value of practicing gratitude to these children of mine -and I think this daughter of mine is grasping the idea that:

We can find wonder when pausing to admire the beauty of dew drops on a piece of kale.

 With just the right light, a sunflower can seem magical.

By sharing an image that includes our hands or feet, can reflect how grounded, centered and grateful we feel.

Her understanding of this seems to be illustrated with the moments in time she was able to capture while on her own journey  cultivating habits of gratitude.

.....and this makes my heart smile.

In the Garden & In the Kitchen - Mid August

Oh August, a month of abundance!  

This month is delivering an abundance of garden (work and harvest), preserving, gatherings with friends and family -and lots of lake time.   We have been so busy, but in a full, rich and wonderful way.   August, has its moments, but overall it is a wonderful time to be.

The importance of Play (plus a $50 Sarah's Silks Giveaway!)

 

In conjunction with the recent publication of an article I wrote about the importance of play on mothering.com,  I have an opportunity to introduce you to the wonderful company Sarah's Silks!    Sarah is also offering one lucky reader a $50 gift certificate to her store to purchase some beautiful, handcrafted open-ended play materials for a child in their life!

The Story of Sarah's Silks:

 

The toys are designed by Sarah Lee in Forestville, CA. You can see her oldest son Josh hard at work making string games in the image above.  Sarah's family even raises their own raise silk cocoons on Mulberry Trees!

Sarah's Silks partners with families in a village in China to produce hand hemmed scarves for the play silks.   In the village where the scarves are sewn, the families work together in neighborhood homes. Sarah's company is connected to them and pay them decent wages for their product.  

 

In the USA they do finishing work, some dyeing, packaging and more. "Our shop is in our home and we employ mostly moms to help us. We have a "bring your kids to work" policy that works out very well for all."

Sarah's play silks, giant silks, dress-ups and toys are played with all over the world!  In Waldorf schools, in play therapy groups, dance classes and homes.

Check out this fun video to see Sarah's Silks products in action:

  

Now it's time for a GIVEAWAY!

Win a $50 gift card to Sarah's Silks!

TO ENTER:

• Watch the "Magical Playsilks" video (above) and leave a comment below telling me how you imagine your child would play with silks.
• Earn additional entries on my Facebook post <---- CLICK HERE.

Winner will be chosen randomly on August 16th at 7:00 a.m. CST.
Open to everyone worldwide!

I have collected the entries from comments and shares on this post, Facebook and instagram and the winner     is.......

 Shanna! You are the winner!

Shanna said...

Love these products. My daughters imaginations seems to grow daily. Her dolls are her world and would probably wrap the silk around them as a blanket.

::SUP Lake Superior

Mama got a new toy.    Well, mama paid for it anyway.   Just over a week ago I purchased a second hand inflatable paddle board that we have been enjoying on the lakes near our home and, most recently, on a calm evening on Lake Superior.  We are finding the paddle board pretty versatile - we use it for paddling, a jumping raft, a gigantic kick board and a boat.   It is extra fun when something like this can be enjoyed and shared by a family of 6!

School Days - August

The August issue of Minnesota Parent Magazine is available throughout Minnesota and online now. My School Days Column in this month is "Not Ready for All Day Every Day K" where I share my own experience and perspective as a parent and teacher on our decision about kindergarten entry with our son.  You can find the article through THIS LINK. If you like what you see, social media 'shares' are appreciated.

Be sure to check out all of the other great content in the full issue as well - including a feature article on the same topic "The K Question" written by Camie Christensen, the program director of the Early Childhood Education Program at St. David's Center in Minnetonka.  

 As always - thanks for reading!