Daily Dose of Dusking

Fall. The days slowly begin to get shorter. The heat index cools off. Coming home from work you might need a little down time before or after dinner where you can slow your world down, wind down, transition between day and night. Work mode and family mode.

Insert "dusking" here.

Dusking, known as the Dutch concept schemeren, is a purposeful pause and unplugging. A time to connect with nature. A chance to be in the natural light of a setting sun at twilight time. Whether it's a moment meant for watching the sunset, or just a quiet reboot on your porch or your patio, it is an opportunity to commune with nature during this daily time of transition. It becomes an opportunity to be mindful of where you are in your body, in your home world, in the planet. It's a way to get your Vitamin N: Nature on, maybe even with a few deep breaths and some contemplation.

The concept historically goes back to the time of Dutch farming households, prior to electric lighting. It embraced the slowing down and darkening down of our world. Much of this is lost through our glowing screens, night-lit sports fields, the street lights outdoors, the bright shine of our TVs, and our overhead light. We have so much light pollution in today's world!

Dutch poet Marjolijn van Heemstra is seen as a central figure with this concept. She has organized community dusking events in the Netherlands, linking it to its Dutch history. You can learn more of her vision in her 2023 Big Think article "The Case for “Dusking”: In a World of Light and Noise, Embracing the Dark Can Be Healing." 

In the articles I found, it left me wanting to embrace the fine art of doing nothing! I liked the idea of creating an intentional boundary between day and evening, work and home, toil and rest, pressure and stillness. 

Dusking can be a solo act of meaningful meditation, or a shared moment of dusking while dining. The beauty: there's no right or wrong way to do it. It all just helps carve out more meaningful time, more time unplugged from our screens, and more time being one with nature, all the while taking advantage of the "golden hour."

Articles you may be interested in reading to learn more:

• Food & Wine's "This Centuries-Old Dutch Ritual Is Inspiring a New Way to Dine"
• BBC's "Dusking: The Dutch Twilight Ritual Helping People Slow Down"
• Upworthy's "People Are Trying the Dutch Practice of ‘Dusking’ to Reduce Anxiety and Spark Creativity"
• Guardian's "‘All You Need is a Chair and a View’: Could Daily ‘Dusking’ Make Us Healthier and Happier?"
• Delicious.com's "Why You Need to Start ‘Dusking’: The Dutch Golden Hour Ritual We’re Adopting Immediately"

Images created at www.canva.com

A Teaching Treasure Chest: EduGems

I have probably mentioned a time or two that Eric Curts' Control-Alt-Achieve website is one of my top go-to edtech websites. I've watched a ton of his videos and I got the opportunity to attend a session of his when I went to FETC 2025. He's such a good teacher who easily describes anything he teaches in an easy-to-understand manner.

He has created a whole website wonderland called EduGems. Using Gemini Gems, he has created a mecca of teacher time savers. I've played with a few and am completely in love with the creativity that both Gemini and these EduGems offer. Some of my favorites so far (and I've just barely scratched the surface) include Staff Superhero & Career Caricature.

Playing around, I easily created this one using the Google Classroom Header:

Eric's EduGems fall under the following categories:

• 
  Lesson Planning & Curriculum Design
• Instructional Materials & Content
• Engagement & Games
• Student Support & Differentiation
• Assessment, Data & Grading
• Literacy, Reading, Writing, & Language
• Math, Science, & Stem
• Student-Facing Tools
• Professional Tasks & Admin
• AI Uses & Integration

This 12 minute video details how to create your own Gems. You can jump ahead in the video to 8:33 to see his specific information about his EduGems website. In the video (which he created less than a year ago), Eric mentions having around 40 EduGems. I just did a quick count, and he's already more than tripled that with 145 EduGems on his site! What a wealth of teacher timesavers for the year ahead! Gems & treasures indeed!! Go forth, create, have fun, and explore EduGems!! 

Logo from https://www.edugems.ai/home, Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_l6_Uyn_Ac, Superhero image created using https://www.edugems.ai/gem/staff-superhero-image,  Final image created using https://www.edugems.ai/gem/google-classroom-header

20th Anniversary Earth Hour ~ March 28, 2026: Choose Your Studio, Make Your Pledge

Earth Hour is March 2026, 8:30--9:30 pm in your time zone. This year commemorates the 20th Anniversary. What began as the inaugural event in 2007 in Sydney, Australia is now marking two decades as a global, environmental movement.

Earth Hour has always been about one powerful, symbolic act: "switching off the lights for 60 minutes to shine a spotlight on our planet." Over the past 20 years (and the last decade in particular), the call has grown bigger to“Give an Hour for Earth.” This call is to highlight that what we do in that one hour can ripple far beyond the glow of an hour of candlelight. 

This year, instead of treating Earth Hour as a one-size-fits-all event, imagine a Choose-Your-Studio Night. Plan and create a 60-minute creative adventure that begins by design and ends with a plan of attack, a creative commitment, and a pledge to go forward making a difference. 

Some studios to consider... pick one, mix or match, and simply find what fits to make the most of your Earth Hour.

The point is not to “do it all” in one night. The point is to start with an entry point that feels and sounds like you. To provide you with some time for reflectionn or creativity. To help you set a realistic pledge and intention. To inspire you to keep going!  

What studio will you choose? What's your pledge going to be? And what will you be doing during Earth Hour 2026?

Earth Hour image from https://x.com/earthhour; Slideshow created by me https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-2PcXE3vsn9dBjjQAGoN4A3hcHtI5qdFRLmnf3ccO-Y/edit?usp=sharing

Redefining Holiday Gifting: Making It Merry & Light

This is a piggyback post to my last one. While thinking about ways to be more smart and sustainable in our shopping approach, maybe it's time to consider what it is we are shopping for. 

I believe it's an important distinction to realize we are shopping for our loved ones, not "shopping for Christmas," "shopping to get done with shopping," "shopping to get the best gifts ever," or "shopping to keep up with Aunt Sue or Uncle Joe." 

We are shopping for our loved ones: to bring them joy, to show we care, to make them smile with delight because we know them. We know what makes them tick and makes their heart sing.

Unless we are a bazillionaires, our wallets need some consideration. So do our homes. The sentiment should be the sweetness and love of the season, not just of buying the shiniest, fanciest, most expensive thing on the list. Money ≠ love. There's no point if a week after gift giving season, the gift lays there collecting dust, in our house over-stuffed with stuff, while our wallets-credit cards-banks are over-strapped without cash.

Maybe making it a season centered around meaning and connection is just what you need this year--a year for some that's been hard economically. Here are some "merry & light" gifts to consider:

• Focus on Experiences Over Stuff: Create gifts of adventure by gifting classes (local or online), museum memberships, nature hikes, streamed concerts, or shared outings that create memories rather than clutter. Get creative by crafting an at-home “movie marathon” day, a kitchen cooking crazy day or gourmet event, an at home craft day make-a-thon, self-created scavenger hunts, or and indoor camping adventure. Creative coupons, countdown calendars, and mystery envelopes to reveal these future extravaganzas can even inspire kids to grab the magic and excitement in the novelty and togetherness of a planned day ahead. Think of all the ways you can creatively spark excitement and spread the magic in these gifts. 

• DIY and Upcycled Gifts: Encourage handmade presents by way of baked goods, knitted scarves, crafted ornaments, or scrapbooks of memorable moments. This is a great way to get creative using reclaimed or natural materials.

• Zero-Waste Products: Use some of the links from the last post to search out beauty, wellness, or kitchen goods with packaging made from compostable or recycled items. A gift that can keep giving could come from an eco-conscious brands that offers refillable or package-free options.

• Digital Gifts: We live in a digital world. Opt for e-books, audio books, or digital subscriptions. These gifts require no shipping and work with what your loved ones already have.

• Swap or Secondhand Celebrations: Organize a “give what you have” exchanges or a regifting party. I'm sure you have some great barely-used items in your closet, drawers, or basements that someone else would love. Lighten your load and makes someone's day. You can also take advantage of online tools like Bunz, Freecycle, or Facebook "Buy Nothing" groups to share-forward your items in search of something else.

• Donation Gifts & Gifts That Give Back: Give a charitable donation in your recipient's name. Make it a gift that pays it forward. These companies include a small gift for the recipient that accompanies the larger gift of the donation.

💠 World Wildlife Fund​

💠 Women for Women International ​

💠 Best Friends Animal Society​

💠 Heifer International​

💠 World Vision 

💠 Because International (with the mission to alleviate poverty)

💠 St. Jude Gift Shop

The benefits of going "merry & light" are many:

💝 The environmental payoff is significant through less packaging, landfill waste, and shipping costs and emissions. You can support local artisans and green businesses.

💝 Emotionally, you can land on a deeper sense of gratitude and meaning in the season. Likewise, it can lead to less stress and stronger bonds--things that last longer than the momentary excitement of the latest, greatest, bright & shiny, pricy gizmo.​

💝 Perhaps it builds new traditions in your family, having you craft "Santa Workshop" weekends, candlelight storytime, treasure hunts, baking for neighbors and loved ones, making pinecone bird feeders for your backyard friends. Think of the memories made by these! Plus, think of the warmth that comes from giving sustainable gifts of stewardship and family togetherness...and the gift on no over-spending anxiety when it comes to January's bills!

💝 Showcase the magic in less by wrapped gifts with extra flair, written clues, or puns and poetry. Make the presentation part of the surprise to make your gift unforgettable.

Downsizing doesn't have to be a downer. Lightening the load might also lighten our spirits. The magic isn't lost, but it is what you make it. It's a shift in perspective and discovering your own ways to make the season shine. THAT is the true gift for your people.

Images created using canva.com
​

Wonderful Ways to Embrace the Summer

The heat and humidity are here, and we are knee deep in the middle of summer. I've already mentioned how this is my time to rebalance my equilibrium. I landed on the amazing Facebook page of Ordinary & Happy, where they have created a lot of lists on a myriad of subjects. I found my favorite 10 of their nature-minded, summer-centric, outdoors-oriented lists. These will help anyone who is starting to get into a summer rut by helping you figure out creative ways to beat the heat and embrace the outdoors, living in the moment with the chunk of summer we have left. I interspersed the lists with some classic summer imagry to give digital viewers a little eco-meditation between lists. How many creative ways can you still get outdoors these last 2 months of summer.

Wonderful Ways to Get Outside this Summer by Vicki Dabrowka

Images created at Canva.com, using Canva images and Ordinary & Happy's Facebook pages https://www.facebook.com/ordinaryandhappy Presentation link: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGrdlXbb1A/ubmcu_vGl5V24clXE88-mg/view?utm_content=DAGrdlXbb1A&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hb8637527c4

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week 2024

The first full week of May is always Teacher Appreciation Week. 

For all of you teachers out there.... I know how hard you work, especially since it is my day job. 

Teachers show up in a dozen different ways: for their students, their colleagues, their students' parents, their administrators. Teachers plan lessons, learn on a daily basis, share parts of themselves, listen to our students, serve as recess moderators, encourage creativity, sharpen critical thinking, guide, facilitate, nurture, hug, build character, treat wounds, build future leaders, write emails, have difficult phone calls, encourage different perspectives, individualize for unique student needs, write report cards, grade papers and tests, provide parental support and coaching, create global citizens who look beyond their vantage point, embrace student wins, mourn student losses, bolster them back up again, and help them strive to be their very best...and so much more. No day or week or year is the same. The job is both small and big, and ultimately huge. The demands are ever-growing, and the rate of teacher burnout is high. 

But every year come fall, many of us do it over and over again. 

Teachers are change-makers. Molding and shaping and guiding learners--both young and old, striving to make a difference in attitudes, working toward a calling to grow their students....and ultimately society. Sometimes teachers get a bad wrap or negative news, when most every teacher I have ever known is just trying to share that love of learning forward. We're not striking it financially rich in education, but we are gaining a richness in so many other ways.

For those of us who are teachers--this week, let's go forward and build each other up. We all know how hard each other are working and the special demands that are unique to teaching versus other jobs. We need to celebrate each other!

For those of you aren't teachers, take time to thank one who has been a vital part in your own growth and development, or one who was instrumental in making your child(red) shine. I can tell you just how much of themselves teachers are giving you and your children!

Along those lines, watch and listen to Azul Terronez in his TEDx Talk: "What Makes a Good Teacher Great?" Celebrate all the greatness out there that comes from a teacher's heart.

Video from https://youtu.be/vrU6YJle6Q4?si=sFFTa2Lxcw9ShpwG; Images from https://i.pinimg.com/originals/31/2a/b3/312ab319fce92b9f74531b5af6e38145.jpg and https://twitter.com/QuoteILoveU/status/880985804545372160/photo/1 and https://tsd401.org/we-appreciate-our-teachers/snip-of-happy-teacher-appreciation-week/

Happy New Year 2024

A new year is is ahead. 2024. 52 weeks of new are right here with the flip of the calendar page. 

Using ChatGPT, I created this ABC list of environmental well-wishes for your year ahead. May it serve as an inspirational checklist of 26 ways you can green your routine and your 2024.

Afforestation adventures await! Plant some trees or visit some new forests to check out their flourishing biodiversity.

Breathe deeply and take in the bliss of crisp, clean air by "getting out there."

Cultivate sustainable habits and conscious choices for a greener and cleaner future. Start by looking at your home products.

Dive into the depths of eco-conscious decisions. Say no to plastics when you have a pollution-free choice instead.

Embrace renewable energy by opening windows or curtains to bring the sun and wind power in.

Foster a love for our feathered friends. Visit a bird sanctuary or do a little backyard bird watching.

Grow a garden of green: make your backyard bloom with blossoms or a become a bounty to veggies to feed your family. 

Harness some humans-nature harmony: take time out in nature to find fellowship with flora and fauna.

Illuminate your home with energy-efficient lightbulbs to save money and energy.

Join hands with environmental advocates for Mother Earth.

Kindle the flames of environmental education to spread eco-awareness to keep knowledge going and growing.

Let love for our Earth be a guiding star, leading us toward sustainable practices and eco-friendly living.

Marvel at the beauty of marine life, less impacted by mankind, though not immune from pollution.

Nourish your body with organic food to maximize your own health and wellness.

Optimize waste management in your own home: turn trash into treasures when you recycle, upcycle, reuse, and refuse what you no longer need.

Plant the care of conservation by supporting endangered species and restoring ecosystems.

Quietly observe the delicate balance of nature, appreciating the beauty of the separate seasons.

Reduce your own transportation impact: while you might not be ready to buy a lower emission electric vehicle, can you carpool, walk, ride your bike, or take public transportation to get from point A to B?

Sow seeds of environmental stewardship, cultivating a sense of responsibility and care for our home planet.

Turn the tide on pollution, so that our rivers and oceans run free of marine debris.

Unleash your own creativity and celebrate the creativity of architects and artists who masterfully weave sustainable design and environmental awareness to their work.

Value, protect, and celebrate the variety that makes up the rich tapestry of species of life on Earth.

Walk gently on the Earth, leaving behind footprints of kindness and care.

'Xperience the joy of eco-friendly exploration. Go out and adventure into the great outdoors. We protect what we love.

Yearn for a world where green spaces thrive, especially in urban worlds where green spaces provide an escape. 

Zero in on sustainable solutions. May zero-waste lifestyles and circular economies become the norm.


Disclaimer: AI was my friend with both the ABC list and the art of this post. I used ChatGPT and the following prompt on December 17, 2023 to build the inspiration for this post. My prompt that I used to create this post: "You are a creative and genius wordsmith who loves to craft creative text. Create an inspired ABC list of environmental well wishes for the new year ahead: 2024."  I then tweaked the verbiage a bit to make it a more streamlined post. Art created using the Magic Media tools of Canva.com using this prompt (then I added the embellishments of the year and graphics): "Happy New Year picture, realistic, pixar style people of all ages and races there, including white, asian, hispanic, and black people celebrating the new year with a happy new years signs around the room, in a party setting."

Hour of Code 2023: December 4-10

In January of 2013, Hadi & Ali Partovi (two Iranian-American brothers) started Code.org with the intention of making computer programming more accessible to people of all ages. They launched the first Hour of Code in sync with Computer Science Education Week that December 2013--5 years after Computer Science Education's first week, which was December 6-12, 2009.

Computer Science Education Week takes place during the full week that encompasses Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper's birthday. Grace Hopper was born December 9, 1906. She was a woman ahead of her time: a Vassar graduate, a naval officer, a mathematician with her PhD from Yale in that and mathematical physics, a World War II veteran, a computer programmer, a software developer, and one of the developers of the programming language COBOL. She's credited with literally "debugging" the first computer infiltrated by a moth, coining a term we still use today. She was the first individual woman to receive our country's highest technology award: the National Medal of Technology in 1991 and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 by President Obama.

Code.org's Hour of Code is December 4th through 10th this year--making this the 11th year of highlighting that anyone can learn to code. Now a global movement across 180 countries, Hour of Code inspires people of all ages to take on some coding activities for at least an hour. In my K-5th grade tech classes, we'll all be coding this week!

Looking for some ways to host your own Hour of Code, check out these activities:

• Hour of Code's Library of Activities -- You can filter by activity, device, age, and more.

• Create & Learn's Hour of Code Free Activities  -- Curriculum is designed by Google, Stanford, MIT and more.

• Promotional resources and videos from Hour of Code

• Tie it in with your librarian using Shannon McClintock Miller's idea of linking library books about coding from her blog The Library Voice. I was fortunate enough to take a FETC workshop from Shannon years ago. She's a phenomenal edtech educator, leader, and author and I love this tie in between classes.

Image from  http://twofifthsfudge.blogspot.com/2012/12/amazing-grace.html (posted December 9, 2012), https://hourofcode.com/us/learn, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/12/22/honoring-grace-hopper#:~:text=Grace%20Hopper%20was%20born%20in,a%20woman%20during%20that%20era), and https://goglobalways.com/blog/benefits-online-coding-classes-kids-2021/; videos from https://youtu.be/Fg82iV-L8ZY?si=aJn97UyePKWMEn0T and https://youtu.be/ybBUd9-0ZJQ?si=doqsuS-veK8v1NYd

Father's Day Nature Cards

Father's Day is less than a week away. Are you planned and ready for how to make the father or father-figure in your life feel special?

If not, there's still time to prepare and make a homemade, heartfelt, and nature-themed card. Check out this video created by Mother Natured, then get outside and get your materials (and your puns) and start creating!

(And, there's a companion video for Mother's Day, if you are into planning ahead for next year! 😉)

Video from https://youtu.be/9lM_4A7uLS8 

The AI Classroom: The Ultimate Guide to Artificial Intelligence in Education

My latest read is The AI Classroom: The Ultimate Guide to Artificial Intelligence in Education (The Hitchhiker's Guide for Educators Series) by Dan Fitzpatrick, Amanda Fox, Brad Weinstein. Given it was published March 23, 2023, which is about a month ago, it is about as current as you can get. But, even given that, ChatGPT-4 came out (as of March 13, 2023), and ChatGPT-5 may be out be end of 2023.

The world is moving fast! Which can be scary. As I shared in my March 29th post "Chasing Life Podcast Season 6: The Science of How Tech Is Impacting Our Brains" and in reference to seeing author Tom Friedman, people are resistant to change--especially when it comes with the speed of tech, globalization, and environmental climate change. Takes you to that old adage: "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt." 

As the book points out--the future is here and the future is now. And it brings about a lot of thinking about ethics. Not only when it comes to AI/Artificial Intelligence and the power of chatbots. Same is true when it comes to genetic research and editing with CRISPR (= "Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats"), animal testing, human medical trials, weapon development, and the idea of space colonization. A lot of this sounds like it come right from a sci fi movie or Star Trek episode. But, tracking the timeline of major inventions over the last 100-125 years, we have had a lot of innovation and change. Smart phones, computing, modes of transportation, medicine...innovation equal change. 

While I'm still mid-book with my reading, I'm fascinated by and curious how AI will impact schools. In some ways, I'm glad I teach technology in the elementary school. In some ways, it feels like we are still young and insulated. But even thinking about digital citizenship alone, with the prevalence of phones, computers, and other technology in every space and place for kids these days (schools, home, beyond), the trickle down is there. What used to be high school problems can now be middle school problems with social media and tech connection at play. In that same way, what was once primarily 6th-8th grade digital drama is now moving its way down to 4th and 5th graders' friendship issues. I'm sure it is the same with AI.

It's a good thought experiment for sure, yet I also am enjoying the practical side of this book as well. The book also focuses in on 4 major sections that can help maximize the effectiveness of AI for teacher productivity and teaching critical thinking skills: "The AI Uprising" (including that part about the future is now), "The AI Educator" (and what that looks like for teachers now), "The AI Tool Repository" (listing tools you can use immediately), and "The AI Horizon" (looking forward to where we go next in this AI world).

I highly recommend the book for anyone in education.... and for parents of curious kids. 

Kids are digital native and have been for the last 20+ years. It's important to see what kids will most certainly find fascinating, and it's a good way to get maybe one step ahead of them. Not to mention, this book and it's analysis of where we already are with AI is about as close to a crystal ball as we may get!

Image from https://www.amazon.com/Classroom-Artificial-Intelligence-Education-Hitchhikers/dp/1959419110/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ai+in+the+classroom&qid=1681567313&sprefix=ai+in+%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-1 and the second one was created at www.canva.com

LEGO: Build the Change

I love LEGOs....for a myriad of reasons. The fact that they are fun is only one. LEGOs inspires: 

• Innovation. (See here and here.)
• Creativity. (See here and here and here.)
• Environmental Stewardship in its company's commitment to our planet & sustainability. (See here and here.)

Here, is LEGO's latest sustainable & environmental initiative: Build the Change. Given the wisdom that comes from kids through their own imagination and play, Lego is giving kids a voice to create then upload their images to their gallery to serve as inspiration to world leaders. 

LEGO's Build the Change 2 directed challenges on their website are to build a koala wildfire sanctuary (to bring an awareness to the dangers of the Australian wildfires) and to build a seahorse safe haven (to showcase the importance of tackling oceanic pollution).

They also have links to Build the Change Courses for lesson plans for teachers. The downloads are free and only require creating an account to use. At this writing (and it looks as though more will be added), their focus is on the following 3 courses for ages 7-12 year olds:

• Human Impact: Saving Today's Dinosaurs [aka: Birds]
• A Future Without Waste
• Biodiversity and Climate Change

Additionally, at the LEGO Build the Change website, there is a link to "Children Call for Action on Climate Change." During the COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, 6000+ kids shared their ideas with policy makers via the LEGO Group in order to help make an impact for change. Through this, "Building Instructions for a Better World" was created. Here's a video introducing it: 

"Building Instructions for a Better World" is a downloadable 20-page building instructions and environmental information guide. It highlights simple LEGO builds that shows the importance of what is needed: 

It's time to. put environmental action on the table, and there is no reason kids cannot lead the way. May LEGO and kids serve as the inspiration for all of us grownups to become changemakers!

Images from https://www.lego.com/en-us/sustainability/children/build-the-change/, page 3 of https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/sustainability/assets/bltf2371904d4a29ab5/93895_727_COP26_A5_compressed.pdf, videos from https://youtu.be/7GYEYBL67S8 and https://youtu.be/D7z8iXqjIkE

One Word: Mosaic

For the past several years I've opted for "One Word" to center my year. Some years it works out better than others to make it all 365 days, but I find it a lovely way to reflect at the start of the year to center my intentions. I also find it a bit more open, active, and "user friendly" than resolutions or "goals," which often become as restrictive as diets. It slants the year on a positive note and gives me greater momentum.

This year, my word is "mosaic." It's a word that has been swimming in my head for awhile. I find comfort in the whole point of a mosaic: the beauty is from the brokenness of the pieces of many sizes and shapes that make the art. I feel that is what we are. It is where we all shine, and we all--as humans--are both beautiful and broken and uniquely "us."

Additionally, these 3 quotes below [and the one in my art] are the ones that speak loudest to me of the 10 listed on Mosaico's March 15, 2020 blog. (Not to mention, there is some gorgeous art there). May you find your favorite quote there too.

“We are mosaics. Pieces of light, love, history, stars… Glued together with magic and music and words.” 

― Anita Krizzan

“Music is, for me, like a beautiful mosaic which God has put together. He takes all the pieces in his hand, throws them into the world, and we have to recreate the picture from the pieces.” 

– Jean Sibelius

“Marriage is a mosaic you build with your spouse. Millions of tiny moments that create your love story.” 

– Jennifer E. Smith

Words I've focused on in the past... as they may be of inspiration to you while you land on your "one word:"

• Buoyancy (2022)
• Heal (2021)
• Vitality (2020)
• The acronym WIN (2019)
• 8/-ate (2018)
• Notice (2017)
• Up (2016)
• Make (2015)
• Change (2014)

Just one word from https://blog.tcea.org/one-word/; Mosaic mage created at Canva.com

Halloween's Ahead

This year for Halloween I'm going as a hospital patient, Patients gown. Surgical mask. Hospital bed included. It's my second-needed surgery of 2022, and I'm eager to get it on the backside of me so that the days ahead can be back to being mine!

There's a lot of reuse in my costume (though I get it's not for everyone)! This is always a great goal in this often-time consumer-meets-consumables Halloween holiday.

As you are plotting and planning your Halloween ahead, these two articles from GreenCitizen may be just what you need to help you reduce and reuse, and get yourself a new-to-you look for this spooky season:

• "How to Have Sustainable Halloween Costume This Year?" - Here you will find 10 ways to think outside the pre-packaged costume box to help you create your own ingenious outfit.

• "Eco-Friendly Halloween Decorations Let's Make It Green This Year!" - Here you will find a slew of ideas for decorations, food, and costume ideas that will tread lightly on your environmental impact to the planet.

Art created at www.canva.com 

NatGeog Explorer Mindset Framework

I think I have NatGeo on the brain lately, because all roads keep pointing back to here. I recently shared some excellent learning resources from there (link) and a bit earlier in the summer I shared this infographic which highlights the Explorer Mindset.

What I should have realize was the graphic organizer was built from a pretty solid and empowering framework. I love that it "is a guide to developing the Explorer Mindset in the next generation of planetary stewards."

In this video from National Geographics' Explorer Mindset Framework page, marine ecologist/geospacial analyst Whitney Goodell discusses the importance of her work to our planet...which also details an explorer mindset in action.

The Explorer Mindset Framework is built from the Attitudes, Skills, and Knowledge [ = ASK] that is at the heart of an explorer. Here is slide 1 of their 8 slides details the qualities that make up the framework. You will want to download it all as it is an excellent resource!!

Additionally, be sure to check out this downloadable resrouce: The Explorers Mindset Toolkit. It is dated from last year's school year, however it is a valuable resource for elementary school teachers.

Here is a shorter video showing the Attitudes, Skills, and Knowledge in action: 

As I watch these videos, and look at the framework, my wheels in my brain start to spin about ways to employ these skills in the classroom. We definitely want our students to be risk takers, full of curiosity, working together, being empowered, solving problems based on our observations. 

These are all the skills that lead to innovation. As teachers, we have an enormous task to inspire our students to become lifelong learners. As I've said before, it is through all of these skills, attitudes, and knowledge that we will start to conquer some of the difficult problems we face in this world. 

May we all be the next generation of planetary stewards!

Images from https://media.nationalgeographic.org/assets/file/Explorer_Mindset_Framework_June_2022.pdf?_gl=1*kalpt*_ga*NjA2MjYyMjEuMTY2MDkyNjIyMA..*_ga_JRRKGYJRKE*MTY2MDkyNjIyMC4xLjEuMTY2MDkyNzEzOS4wLjAuMA.. and https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2021/09/21/dear-educators-no-one-explores-alone/

Videos from https://youtu.be/9BM11wtxtnk and https://youtu.be/9KPtcbXZtkQ and can also be found on https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/about/explorer-mindset/

"Design the Best School Year Yet With Canva"

And we're off and running and most teachers and students are back to school by Labor Day (if not before).

What is unique about teaching is that each school year is a brand new stand-alone. You can create it to be however you'd like. For veteran teachers, you get the decision to create your classroom culture. You can pull out the tried and true tricks from years past, or you can shake it up and create something new.

Digital design platform Canva for Education (which is supremely, wonderfully FREE to educators), can help you do whatever you want to create all school year long.

I've been a big fan of Canva for years, but I felt like I hit the jackpot when I ran across Kasey Bell's August 23rd [Episode 169] of her Shake Up Learning's podcast: "Design the Best School Year Yet With Canva!" I got really jazzed by all the untapped potential in Canva that was still out there. 

With canvas there's so many of the "Teacher-y" things you can create: name tags, classroom posters, class syllabus or schedule templates, newsletters etc. But you can also create mind maps, graphic organizers, presentations, awards, videos, whiteboard activities, feeling checkins...the list goes on. On top of that, you can also get your students creating--which sometimes is where the magic begins!

Kasey has a lot of creative ideas listed in her podcast. 

Additionally, here are a few more places you can investigate:

• Click here for some cool "Back to School" Teacher Design Playbooks from Canva.

• Check out Canva's Design School for their courses, tutorials, and events. Their "Teach With Canva" series may be your one-stop-shop for all sorts of goodies. "Canva For Students" also has a wealth of tutorials.

• Dive into the wealth of videos over at the Canva YouTube Channel.

• If you are teaching students younger than 13, you may want to be sure to cover your bases and send the Parents/Guardian Consent Form home to parents.

Images from https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/design-the-best-school-year-yet-with-canva-suls0169/, "Create in Canva" created using https://www.bitmoji.com.

Bill Nye The Science Guy

A bit ago (perfectly timed about a week before Earth Day) the Baltimore Speaker Series had their final speaker of the season: Bill Nye. To me, he'll always be known as "Bill Nye, The Science Guy" (because I'm in that age group that knew him as such.) It was a sweet li'l moment of nirvana to be in the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, basking in the presence of his wit, humor, and intelligence, talking about science and our planet during Earth Day season!

Being foremost a scientist as well as an engineer, an author, speaker, inventor, he knows a lot about a lot. Clearly he believes in science and wants us all to know that it's important. The whole evening, and now as I reflect back, I'm struck by this quote that hangs in my office which is from Neil Degrasse Tyson [who is a good friend of Bill Nye's, by the way]:

I love Bill Nye's approach to everything. He makes you think. He makes you laugh. He makes you think some more. It seems a lot more of us in the world need to adopt that approach! A big part of his conversation was that the denial of climate change is NOT going to change anything. The science is real. 2010 to 2020 was the hottest decade on record. There is science in ice core samples, tree rings, fossils, shrinking glaciers in Greenland, and more that backs up the fact that rising historic temperatures all point to human impact. 

Bill Nye made reference to the Earthrise picture of the planet (taken by Bill Anders from space December 24, 1968). This reminded me of my recent Amanda Gorman post. Their messages of both were the same. We have a shared reality here on planet Earth. No political boundaries. One place. One people.

He also made reference to the 2022 Oscars Night/Will Smith slap that was heard around the world. Of course by now, that news has died down a bit, but media in the instant aftermath was highly abuzz about it. Bill Nye said if we all were talking about climate change in the same way and to the same extent that everyone was talking about Hollywood news, we'd be "getting it done." His messages: 

1. We indeed need to be talking about climate change and science as much as possible. 
2. Secondarily, we need to be voting (with the environment in mind when we do) or basically shut up and get out of the way.

His third message, which I found a mirror to what I always say, is that it's going to take big ideas and innovation to solve the climate crisis, which he deemed one of the greatest problems we are facing. Because we all share this world--we all share the air--everything we do affects everyone else. We can't say "fire" in a movie theater without consequences. We all need to work together to figure "it" all out. No one is coming to save us --it's up to us to figure this out.

Bill Nye also commented about Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S Constitution and how one of Congress' roles is to "promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." Useful arts is engineering and innovation. He stressed that it is in the Constitution to go forward with our big ideas and be problems solvers using innovation! It is our job to "create the future we want." Not surprisingly, this is the motto and mission of The Solutions Project, where Bill Nye is one of the 40 funders. Their goals? 

• To celebrate those leaders in the forefront of climate awareness and justice. 
• To push for 100% clean energy by 2050. Not only would this significantly help our planet, but it could generate 3 million jobs in renewables.
• To offer grants and support to those out there making a difference through climate innovation.

Bill Nye left that evening with an inspirational call for action--to go forth and change the world. It's going to take us, people! Let's do this! 

Neil Degrasse Tyson quote created at Canva.com; Final picture from my camera. Earthrise pic from https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/dec/22/behold-blue-plant-photograph-earthrise, Bill Nye photo quote from https://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/great-bill-nye-quotes/84820033/

Innovation Through Sketchnoting

Sketchnoting is one of those "things" that have cropped up over the last several years, no doubt due to the visual nature of social media. Much like infographics, sketchnotes are a visual portrayal of information on a subject that is a doodler's dream. In that way, it's a specialized form of an infographic where the graphics are hand drawn (or "sketched") elements to make the information come to life. 

In a lot of ways, it's not surprising when the statistics look like this:

My guess too is given the digital interactions we all do, creative, innovative visualizations like infographics and sketchnoting will continue. 

Given that, these two sketchnotes created by Julie Woodward are the perfect way to explore innovation. Building flexible thinkers who can help create future solutions is a definite goal of today's students!

Images from https://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/how-to-create-the-perfect-visual-content-for-social-media.html, https://twitter.com/woodard_julie/status/869388094071595008/photo/1, and https://mobile.twitter.com/MindShiftKQED/status/1398978749354360836/photo/1