Category Archives: My Scribbles

You can find blog posts, articles, videos, and comics relating to issues in education here!

DIY Story Stones

I’ve had a lot of interest in the set of Story Stones that I made for Olivia, so let’s talk about how you can make your own, how you can use them, and why they are such a helpful developmental tool. Story Stones are simply a set of small stones with vibrant pictures on them. I love Story Stones because they engage all of the three main learning domains in some way: the bright pictures provide visual stimulation; the act of moving the stones helps with tactile development; and talking about the stones (alone for older children, or with an adult for littles) helps with auditory processing and oral communication.

The primary purpose of Story Stones is to help inspire children to craft their own stories. Storytelling is a wonderful way for children to develop creativity, imagination, and communication skills, but most children require prompts to help them with their storytelling. Using Story Stones, children can look at the images on the stones, and maneuver them into different positions to help with the storytelling process. But there are so many other wonderful and developmentally appropriate ways for much younger children to use Story Stones!

Toddlers: Olivia loves to line the stones up in rows, move them from one container to another, and shake them in a plastic tupperware container. We sit and look at the pictures, and she loves to pick out the nouns she recognizes: “fish!” “heart!” “meow!” It’s very exciting when you see a picture of something you recognize and can start putting a word to that image!

Pre-K and Kindergarten: Story Stones are wonderful for developing a wide range of skills. Pre-K and Kindergarten children can sort stones into categories such as colours (shown below), animals, or foods. Another great use is for phonics practice. I like to use simple flashcards and have students search for a stone that starts with the appropriate letter for each card (shown below). You could also make two identical sets of stones and use them for a fun twist on a classic game of memory where children must find the matching stones. At this age, I would also recommend you simply allow children to play with the stones – you might be surprised at all of the ways they discover, play and learn on their own!

Sorting by colour.

Working on literacy development.

Elementary: Elementary students can use the stones for storytelling, as described above. A fun and challenging variation I like to add is to have a student select one stone randomly from a bag, and create a sentence inspired from the stone they selected. The next student then selects a stone and also tries to create a sentence inspired by the image on the stone, but the goal is for their sentence to build off of the one before so that the group creates a unique story one sentence at a time. This is a great team building exercise, or advanced activity for students who could benefit from a challenge.

Alright – time to make your Story Stones!

I drew some simple pictures on thick drawing paper with a smooth black pen, and coloured them in using pencil crayons. Use materials and images that are meaningful to your family! If you’re not particularly artistic, you can cut images out of a magazine, or print out some images to colour yourself.
Cut out all of the images, leaving a small white or dark border to help your images stand out against different coloured stones.
I ordered a small set of “garden stones,” but you can also check the gardening section of your local hardware store.

White borders help these pictures stand out against dark stones!

Modge Podge is a strong adhesive that dries clear, hard, and smooth. Spread a generous amount onto a stone using a sponge, place your image on top, and then cover the image and a large area of the stone with more Modge Podge. Don’t worry about using too much – mine were pretty gloopy and I was worried they wouldn’t dry nicely, but they ended up clear and cute.
Put some wax paper onto a baking sheet, and place your stones on top to dry. Allow them dry overnight and enjoy!

*please use large enough stones so as to not create a chocking hazard for toddlers!

Shimmy and Shake with Miss Sarah

“Music expresses that which cannot be said, and on which it is impossible to be silent.”
‘William Shakespeare’ by Victor Hugo.

Welcome to Shimmy and Shake with Miss Sarah! My goal is to create the type of music class that I want my daughter to enjoy – a place where she can learn to express herself, find her heart song, and practice some fantastic developmental skills along the way. At Shimmy and Shake, we are inviting you along with us on this journey!

A little bit about me: I have a specialist degree in Child Development and Educational Psychology, and a Bachelor of Education with qualifications to teach tots to pre-teens. I spent the last five years of my career absorbed in the world of preschool and kindergarten, where I truly found my calling. I’m a classically trained pianist, and self-taught guitarist, with experience providing piano and guitar accompaniment for my students’ performances and experience coaching the prestigious Kodaly choir. I completed an intensive Art and Music Internship with the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery and Symphony, with a 40hour component specifically targeting Art and Music Education. I also dabbled in fronting my own band for two years, and continue to compose regularly.

If my teaching background is the peanut butter, and my love of music is the jelly, then Shimmy and Shake is truly the perfect sandwich!

So why do I believe that music so important for children? Where do I start! Singing, dancing, playing instruments, and listening to music in a social setting does so many wonderful things to help children develop and grow:

Teaches self-regulation, such as how to calm down when listening to a lullaby;
Boosts self-esteem and confidence;
Encourages sharing and turn-taking, particularly in call-and-answer songs;
Helps children develop important gross motor skills, such as balance, body awareness, and cross-body movements;
Encourages cultural awareness when experiencing songs and instruments from other cultures;
Helps develop cognitive skills such as counting, rhyme, memory, symbolic play, patterns, literacy skills, phonemic awareness, and cause and effect (to name only a few!);
Introduces children to the world of music, where they can express, feel, find their rhythm, learn about pitch, tone, beat, instruments, be silly, and have fun!

Shimmy and Shake is designed to encourage all of these skills through careful song choice, the use of instruments, and a safe environment for children and their parents to experiment, explore, and enjoy themselves!

Please visit the Shimmy and Shake Facebook page HERE for information on classes, location, and cost. I will keep the Facebook page updated weekly with class information, articles, videos and resources. Olivia and I can’t wait to Shimmy and Shake with all of you!

What is in Olivia’s Book Bag?

Now that Miss Olivia has entered my life, I have a great reason to keep expanding my book bag! Anyone who follows my blog knows that as an educator, picture books are one of my biggest passions. The storybooks that I love best incite curiosity, emotion, and wonder in my students; they are full of engaging illustrations, important lessons, and have the power to help the reader explore the limits of their imagination.

Teaching kindergarten has allowed me the opportunity to experience childhood all over again through my students: I squealed with amazement at the sight of a blade of grass poking through the snow in spring; I felt the disappointment of realizing that there was no mermaid exhibit at the aquarium; I experienced the sting of betrayal when your best friend chooses somebody else to be their partner; and I went on magical adventures with my students every day during story time.

I’m not going to fill this post with developmental and psychological research about why reading with young children – right from the day they are born – is so important (by the way: it’s really, really important!). Instead, I’m going to encourage you to enjoy your children, and experience childhood once again, by reading storybooks together. And of course, I’m going to help you get started by sharing some of the must-have books that fill Olivia’s book bag.

I have decided to avoid the most obvious book choices, and give you a selection of more unique teacher-tested, mother-approved picture books. Remember, my book bag is reserved for books that I think are particularly special, so if a book has made it into Olivia’s book bag you know it must be wonderful! Please feel free to add some of your favourite books in the comment section below, and let me know if you would like regular updates on what I am adding to Olivia’s book bag!

“Rosie Revere, Engineer,” by Andrea Beaty. Rosie is a dreamer, a problem solver, an inventor, and she learns the importance of perseverance in this book. The soft watercolour illustrations gently bring each page to life, and the rhymes help little readers develop their literacy skills. I adore that the main character’s name, Rosie, is a throwback to Rosie the Riveter and her empowering slogan, “We can do it!”

“Waiting,” by Kevin Henkes. Adult life is full of waiting, and for a young child, waiting can be a challenging part of growing up. In this book, five toys sit on a windowsill, each of them waiting for something. As the story of friendship, emotions, and surprise unfolds, children can connect with the sentient toys, and parents are provided with the opportunity to discuss big topics with their little ones.

“Doug Unplugged,” by Dan Yaccarino. Doug, a young robot, gets plugged in every day to download knowledge and information. One day he unplugs himself and ventures out to experience the world firsthand. In our technology-driven society, I love that this book helps remind young children (and their parents) that exciting adventures are waiting right outside of their front door – they just need to unplug!

“Stuck,” by Oliver Jeffers. A selfish choice from me considering I love just about everything from Oliver Jeffers, but I think “Stuck” deserves particular mention. It is sure to have both children and adults in stitches from laughter as they read about Floyd throwing just about everything he can think of up into a tree, all in the attempt to rescue his kite. I also love the underlying lesson: perhaps throwing more things at a problem isn’t the most successful course of action, because eventually it all comes crashing down…

“Pool,” by Jihyeon Lee. Two shy children meet at a chaotic pool and dive below the surface, only to discover a secret underwater world. The illustrations are the standout superstar in this book, and the lack of text gives children the opportunity to create their own story. The wild and wonderful nature of a child’s imagination is something to be treasured and celebrated, and I think that this book does just that.

“Lifetimes,” by David L. Rice. I have read this book so many times that the pages are currently being held together by staples and tape. This book chronicles the lifetime of various living plants and animals on Earth – from the one-day long lifecycle of a mayfly, to the 2000-year lifetime of a giant sequoia. The end of each page contains a short life lesson that each plant or animal can teach us, and there are ideas for making additional connections on each page as well. I love that such a wide range of living creatures is represented in this book, and that it helps teach young children to appreciate the connections between all living things on Earth.

A No Monkey Business Guide to the Perfect Halloween Costume

When I started searching for the perfect costume for my daughter’s first Halloween, I squealed with delight over the little kitty cat, mermaid and bumblebee outfits.

Although the possibilities for a cuteness overload were endless, I decided to take a slightly different approach to her first Halloween costume. Always a teacher at heart, I couldn’t resist taking this opportunity to create a “teachable moment” by making her costume educationally significant. But don’t panic – she will still be irresistibly cute!

Women have been at a disadvantage throughout most of history, and gender inequality is still a major issue across the globe. Despite the many inequalities that women have faced throughout history, there have always been countless examples of women making tremendous breakthroughs in medicine, art, technology, science, and the humanities. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate bringing a beautiful little girl into the world than by dressing her in the likeness of an inspiring woman who has had a positive influence in the world. So for her first Halloween, my daughter was dressed as the famous primatologist Jane Goodall.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you make.” – Jane Goodall

Two of the most important lessons that I hope to teach my daughter are to respect all of the plants and animals on our planet, and that she can make a difference in the world. I really believe that Jane Goodall embodies both of these lessons, and I hope that when my daughter looks at photos of her first Halloween costume she believes in her potential to make a positive difference in the world as much as I believe in her. I hope that we can see an end to gender inequality in her lifetime; but until we get closer to realizing that goal I want to give her the confidence she needs to overcome adversity, and provide her with positive female role models to look up to. Dressing my baby up like an inspirational woman for Halloween might seem insignificant in achieving this goal, but after my many years of teaching I truly believe that learning starts right from birth. I think that caregivers can set a positive tone in a child’s life right from day one that will stick with them forever, and I hope that my daughter’s Jane Goodall costume is an early step in helping her become a strong, inspirational woman herself. Plus… I promised she would also be adorable, right? I think I delivered!

School Year’s Resolutions

Originally written as a guest post for Playful Bee.

Most of the teachers I know follow a different annual calendar than the rest of the world. While most people hit their restart button on January 1^st every year, fresh starts and new beginnings for educators are reserved for the first day of school. Much like the official New Year, the new school year offers endless opportunities for teachers to make resolutions. Of course, there are the traditional resolutions – eat more vegetables, don’t leave report cards to the last minute, avoid the sugary treats in the staffroom – but many teachers also tend to make a secret set of resolutions for the school year ahead.

I am lucky enough to still receive “happy back-to-school, Miss Sarah” photos from my former students and their families!

I had the opportunity to catch up with some of my colleagues who were kind enough to share their school year’s resolutions with me, and it was inspiring to learn about the goals that they make for themselves and their students on the cusp of the new school year. These goals influence so many aspects of their teaching practices; from the professional development they take part in, to their unit planning, to their classroom setup. Here is an inside peek at a few school year’s resolutions that my colleagues shared with me:

“Last year was tough for me on a political front, so this school year is really about avoiding the politics that destroy my joy in the job and focusing on the natural positivity of the kids.” Miriam M.G., teaching Special Education.

“I would like to further learn about and utilize the inquiry approach in math.” Earl G., teaching a grade 1/2 split class.

“My resolution this year is to remember that it’s not always about the marks, and that the priority for many high needs students is to develop the life skills that will better equip them to advocate for themselves and help build a strong community.” Sarah E.H., teaching a grade 9-12 ‘Caring and Safe Schools’ program.

“My goal is for increased reflection with a focus on gratitude. We often forget to acknowledge and celebrate all of the wonderful things that we are doing in and out of the classroom, and modeling that positivity and graciousness will help the students in the long run.” Crystal S., principal of an independent school.

“My school year resolution is to incorporate more technology, and specifically to learn how to use an app for Full Day Kindergarten documentation and assessments to create individual portfolios for each child.” Ashley C., teaching Full Day Kindergarten.

“My goal for this year is to really improve my communication with parents.” Emily M., teaching multiple grades and subjects.

“One of my main goals this year is to create a better professional development experience for teachers. It’s a shame that PD often follows the “sit and get” model that we know isn’t effective. I look forward to stirring things up and (hopefully) inspiring some teachers to do the same.” Allison W., Customer Success Manager, Hapara.

A teacher’s agenda – essential to keeping those “stay organized” resolutions!

After I spoke with these teachers, it became apparent that their resolutions all have an underlying mission to help improve learning and education in some way, whether it is to help special education students find confidence, help improve an overall school climate through focusing on gratitude and the positivity that children bring into our lives, help parents feel more informed and included in their child’s education, or help other teachers benefit from quality PD. Even when a teacher’s resolution focused on self-improvement, such as integrating technology or inquiry learning into their teaching methods, the motivation behind these resolutions was for their self-improvement to ultimately help their students.

I have always believed that teachers are an incredibly rare and special type of people, and this belief has only been strengthened after taking part in this project. Listening to these teachers talk about their school year’s resolutions with so much renewed determination, optimism and genuine care for their students should give any parent confidence that when they send their child off to start the new school year this week, they are in very good hands. And as for my own school year resolution? I will be out of the classroom for most of this year and staying home to take care of my new baby girl, so my resolution is to find as many ways as possible to stay involved in education, such as through amazing collaborative projects like this article!

Food for Thought

There are some stark realities affecting our nation today: childhood obesity rates are the highest they have ever been in our country’s history; most families are primarily exposed to processed and pre-packaged foods, with little knowledge about where those foods actually came from; the mass production of food in our country is hurting the environment; and food education programs exist in only a small fraction of schools across the nation.

As our population – and their waistlines – continues to grow, food education and sustainability issues are increasingly important topics to be teaching our youth. Fortunately, there are schools across the country recognizing this need and taking on the challenge of revolutionizing food education! Many of the food education programs popping up around the country are using off-campus trips and cooking classes to target high school students; but some schools are designing their programs based on the philosophy that nutrition, environmental responsibility, and sustainability values can be instilled in even our youngest citizens.

This is the case at a preschool in San Francisco, where in the heart of a downtown concrete jungle exists a small oasis of organic produce and friendly animals, all cared for by the teachers and students. Preschool children take on responsibilities such as churning the compost pile, watering the gardens, releasing worms into the soil, classifying plants and insects, identifying and pulling weeds, and feeding the resident chickens and sheep. They also get to reap the rewards of their work by enjoying snacks right from the farm – handpicked and freshly squeezed lemonade, scrambled eggs, and popcorn have all been on the menu.

Over the course of the year, these youngsters have learned many important lessons about how food makes it from their hobby farm to their mouths. They’ve learned how to patiently wait for fruits to ripen, how to use friendly insects to keep their gardens healthy, the importance of using compost as a fertilizer, how to care for animals, and how to identify and enjoy wholesome, non-processed foods. Food education programs that teach such powerful fundamentals of sustainability and healthy eating are helping to inspire responsible habits in tomorrow’s citizens – I think we can all eat and drink to that.

The words School's Out written on a chalkboard

Life After the Classroom

As this school year comes to an end, I can’t help but think back on the fears that I had just one year ago as I packed up my classroom permanently. My husband had received a career opportunity that required us to relocate 3000 miles from home, which meant that I had to say goodbye to my comfortable, supportive, and beloved colleagues and school. With teaching jobs at a premium in my hometown of Toronto, I questioned my sanity as I gave up such a coveted teaching position. Alas, with zero career prospects in my future we were off to find new adventures in San Francisco.

I had always held a very linear way of thinking about my career trajectory: complete my undergrad, complete my Bachelor of Education, get a teaching job, stay there forever. I was set! What I didn’t realize is that my education, teaching experience, and friendly disposition had prepared me for so much more.

I started attending MeetUps, where I met other teachers – some still in the classroom and some not – who were equally as interested in my background as I was in theirs. I became a volunteer at a school in the city, which was an incredibly refreshing experience after having spent several hectic years as a head teacher. All of a sudden I had no report cards, no curriculum, no deadlines, no angry parents, no school politics, and no marking. Instead, I was able to enjoy all of the things I love most about teaching, like reading stories, art projects, hugs, playing outside, and making friends with fantastic teachers.

I found myself with time to start blogging – I had no idea that so many people would want to read about my musings on education and teaching! I learned how to use my background in education to create a hobby-based course for adults, which continues to sell-out every month. I dove into professional development opportunities that I quite simply did not have the time for while I was teaching. My article about my experiences participating in Startup Weekend Education chronicles just how much professional and personal growth is possible over the course of one, very intense, weekend.

And I started working with an EdTech startup, which has been one of my most creative education-related pursuits to date. I provide consulting, design complex and beautiful units, write songs, and help with marketing our early education company. Not to mention that I work with a amazing team that is comprised of women who are both teachers and moms, which defies the typical single-male demographic that tends to dominate the startup culture in Silicon Valley.

Reflecting on this past year, I am confident that leaving the classroom was one of the best things I could have done. I learned that I had a lot more to offer the world of education than I gave myself credit for, and that I could still make a positive impact on children and their families in my life after the classroom. And in the same timeframe, I also managed to get married, move to a new country, explore my beautiful new city, spend ample amounts of time at the ocean, make friends, get pregnant, and sample craft cocktails, organic coffees, sourdough bread, and fresh crab… but that’s a story for another day.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

There is one day in Kindergarten more celebrated than any other holiday; birthdays can’t hold a candle to it, and Halloween is barely a blip on the radar in comparison.

We used bingo dabbers to fit 100 gum balls into our gum ball machine!

I’m talking about the much-anticipated 100^th Day of School! Starting on the very first day of each school year, lower elementary classrooms around the country carefully mark each and every day they spend in school until the 100^th Day milestone arrives.

There is a lot of debate as to the origins and purpose of the 100^th Day of School, from it being a powerful classroom math tool to it being nothing more than a fabricated “holiday” created for the purpose of selling stickers and trinkets.

Students used Ten Frames to group their favourite sea creatures

I believe that, like so many subjects, it’s really what the teacher makes of it that is important. I have always used our 100^th Day countdown as an opportunity to build rich math foundations in my young students. Our daily work with our number chart helped us learn to group by tens, solve simple algebra equations, identify numbers 1 through 100, count backwards, and understand important concepts, like: “ten groups of ten equals one hundred.”

After sorting 10 groups of 10 Fruit Loops, students loved stringing their cereal onto necklaces and eating their creations!

This year, I spent the 100^th Day of School in a kindergarten classroom where the teachers worked hard to strike a perfect balance between reinforcing math concepts and throwing a celebration. As the students moved through different activities, they excitedly counted by 10s, ate Fruit Loops, and proudly pinned their 100s Day badges on each other. I think that the 100^th Day of School can help serve as an excellent opportunity to create a positive attitude towards math, and help young students experience all of the ways that math can be fun!

Shaking Up My Inner Teacher

One of the philosophies that I regularly pursue in my professional and personal life is a dedication to lifelong learning. Forcing myself out of my comfort bubble and into new experiences that stimulate my own learning and growth is something that I find both rewarding and challenging.

A delicious Aviation, perfectly mixed and ready for tasting!

Recently, I undertook an opportunity to work with a new company, Learn From Neighbor, where I was asked to teach an interest class to a group of adults on a topic that I considered myself an “expert” in. Trying to think of an interesting subject that you are qualified to teach to a group of peers is quite a challenge, but after much consideration I decided that a mixology course might be right up my alley.

Now, my kindergarten days are typically filled with Dr. Seuss, counting by fives, and tying shoelaces, so the thought of teaching a group of adult students how to shake and stir their way to professional-level cocktails was quite intimidating in comparison. I can teach the alphabet with relative confidence that I won’t make any errors, but correctly relaying the detailed history of alcohol consumption in America seemed like a much more daunting task. I also felt uncertain about what the teacher-student relationship would look like between myself and a group of adult students. Surely they wouldn’t find it as endearing as my usual audience does if I referred to them as “friends” or “boys and girls.”

Ultimately, teaching this course proved to be far less challenging than I had imagined. As the trusted mixology expert in the room, I was aware that a professional rapport existed between myself and the students, but I was also able to connect with the students on a more personal level than I have ever experienced before. Their questions evolved from asking why a Moscow Mule is traditionally served in a copper mug to how my husband and I met – a story that I could never share with my kindergarten friends. My concerns about remembering the complicated course content quickly faded away as I described different types of whiskey to a room full of nodding heads, and my faithful assistant – my husband – was crucial in heightening the course experience as he tirelessly prepared classic cocktails for the students to sample.

One of the most meaningful realizations I gained from this experience is that deep inside of myself exists an “inner teacher” that I can truly depend on. No matter the subject matter or classroom setting, I have the ability to generate excitement, curiosity, wonder, a sense of community, and fun learning environment for diverse groups of students. And not unlike my kindergarten classroom, I even received a few hugs at the end of the day – a gesture that many teachers understand as a genuine and humbling measure of success.

Top Education Trend: Great Teachers

The implementation of technology in classrooms has become a regular topic in education. As a relatively active member of the EdTech community, I was not surprised to find that many 2015 education trend reports were heavily weighted with predictions for the increased prevalence of tech products and services in school communities. After discussing these trends with colleagues, I realized that many of them shared a somewhat wary outlook towards EdTech. It’s not that they were being inflexible about adapting to changes within the profession; it was more of a concern about trying to implement these trends in schools where their students don’t even come to school with food in their bellies, let alone have the resources to participate in “bring your own device” day. If these are the trends expected to give students the best chance at a successful future, then where does that leave the huge number of teachers and students who don’t have access to these resources?

Mrs. Colquhoun’s weekends are full of DIY projects; she combs neighbourhood rummage sales to find pieces that she can transform into learning centres, sensory experiences, and inquiry-based projects.

I endeavoured to collaborate with a fellow educator who could relate to working in an environment with limited resources, yet who was also undaunted by the high EdTech expectations making their rounds through school communities. I began learning about Mrs. Ashley Colquhoun’s full-day kindergarten classroom, where Mrs. Colquhoun and her assistant teachers practice creativity, patience, dedication and high expectations tirelessly in their low-income community.

Mrs. Colquhoun puts careful consideration into her inquiry projects, ensuring that they contain enough interest to incite genuine curiosity, and enough of a challenge to help students stretch their thinking and achieve a sense of accomplishment when they complete a task. While showing me the colourful walls and enticing learning centres in the room, Mrs. Colquhoun spoke confidently about how she believes the lack of technology available for her students is far from being a disadvantage.

Inexpensive materials serve as helpful reminders for young readers.

Inexpensive materials serve as helpful reading-reminders for young students.

“During activities, students are constantly talking with each other,” she explained. “They ask questions, think critically, and work together to solve problems and create solutions. Maybe they could also do some of these things on a set of classroom tablets, but we simply don’t have access to those resources. The improvements that my students demonstrate are a real indicator of just how much they are thriving. Many of my students don’t get a chance to interact with kids their own age outside of school, and the majority of them are not involved in sports or other clubs. So why not utilize every moment of the rich learning that can happen when all of their little minds are together? Technology or not, I am determined to help my students have the same advantages and opportunities as everyone else. They deserve it.” I had to agree that I couldn’t imagine a future where determination, curiosity, creativity, and strong teamwork and problem solving skills wouldn’t be an asset.

Mrs. Colquhoun’s attitude and efforts served as an inspiring reminder that despite the availability of resources, a dedicated teacher is often the most important and irreplaceable education trend of all.

Transforming a Dramatic Play Area into a Doctor’s Office sparked engagement, personal connections, and a lot of fun!