New Year, New Mindset: A Garden of Ideas

Summer always feels like an invitation to breathe differently. It's a good respite after 10 long months of teaching. It's a time and space to create life differently, reset, and refresh.

This time of year, teachers everywhere are doing what I am: reflecting on their summer, readying for the racetrack ahead. We all are taking in how the summer went, making mental notes of how we want to shape the school year ahead.

So, looking back: did I dabble in some back to school techno-babble, digging into the world of AI, lesson planning, sharpening skills through some professional development over summer? Of course I did... because that's what we teachers do. We grow our skills. 

But I'm happy to say it certainly wasn't a summer of "all work and no play." I made plenty of time for reading, pool-lounging, sleeping in, running around with my family, working out, road-tripping, appreciating my husband's gardening and the fruits his labor (or rather: vegetables), and more. 3 cheers for sun & fun, and R & R!

Stepping away from structure and slipping into the slower side of summer definitely includes travel, as I mentioned last week. Travel is the ultimate teacher:

• In Quebec City, I could see the connectedness of both history and people as I stood in this fortified city, gazing upon centuries-old walls that were originally designed to protect, but now serving as an embrace of the many who gather in this multicultural city. 

• In Montreal, I stood amongst the 1976 Olympic Park, now reimagined & "repurposed" through innovation to bring joy to visitors by way of the Biodome and surrounding sights that are now a concert stadium, a pool, a planetarium, and more. The same could be said of my experience at Bota Bota Day Spa, a former ferry boat turned health and wellness oasis.

• In the Midwest, I drove stretches of highway from Chicago to the center of the state to reunite with family... much in the same way I walked stretches of beach in Ocean City, Maryland. This opened time and space to think about pace: in life, in the moment, and even ultimately thinking forward to this fall's school year and how I want to run my classes.

The destinations changed, but the throughline stayed the same: 

Connection. Curiosity. Perspective.

These 3 guiding principles are the same things I want to bring back with me to the upcoming school year and to my classroom. 

Teaching, like traveling, is not about the destination, but rather the journey. It's about what grows and happens in between. It's what we take in when we slow down and let the unexpected shape us. Teaching too is like gardening. It is the roots that anchor everything down. They support the growth and harvest ahead.

Connection, curiosity, and perspective do all of this.

Before the first school bell rings, here are some nature-centric points to ponder while putting up bulletin boards, unpacking boxes, and setting up shop. Plant these questions like seeds in your mind. Growth comes from steady care and the courage to nurture what matters. 

🌱 How can I "grow forward" this school year ahead?

🌱 What connections can I make (to both people, students, and ideas)?

🌱 Where can I grow in my curiosity and shift my perspective?

🌱 How can I innovate and create when needed, shooting and rooting for potential not perfection?

🌱 How can I remind myself that "letting go" is part of growth: letting go of expectations, self limitations, fear of failure, control (always a hard one), the past and "how things have always been done." One thing I’m letting go of this year… 

🌱 How can I make it a year to stretch, branch, and bloom....as a person, as a teacher, as a global citizen in a partisan world, as an educator navigating this ever-expanding edtech world?

🌱 How can I teach smarter not harder, always aligning with these values?

🌱 This year, I want to feel more ______ in my teaching.

🌱 A student strength I want to notice (or encourage) more this year… 

🌱 A space in my classroom I want to reimagine or make more alive… 

🌱 One edtech tool I’m excited to try (or try differently)… 

🌱 One way I’ll bring more nature, climate awareness, or global acceptance into my classroom…

Images created at Canva.com

Leaf Peeping 2024

The beauty of fall abounds. I'm underneath a gorgeously brilliant yellow-turning tree as I sit outside typing this morning. Not only is the weather amazing today, but so is the view. These glowing yellow leaves and the fire red trees of fall may be my favorite! I just love the subtlety of change with the colors every day during this time of year.

I ran across this image on Facebook from a meteorologist in my home state of Maryland, marking peak days across the state. Looks like we are hitting the prime "leaf peeping" days as the fall foliage color changes abound. 

Marylanders, you can get the Fall Foliage Report week-by-week here.

If you are like me and can't get enough of the beauty of the changing leaves, here are some resources to check out:

• My own GTG's "Mapping Out Your Quest for Fall Foliage" from last year -- Here there are 2 links to data visualization websites to track nationwide how the leaves look this year on given dates. You can also glean some science along the way.

• GTG's "Fall Foliage 2021" -- Here you can find a link to the Farmer's Almanac and a state-by-state list of when peak colors have peaked, or soon will.

• If you are wondering how climate change affects the leaves, check out this PBS article from September 2023 entitled "How Climate Change is Making Fall Foliage Less Colorful.

In the meantime, get yourself outside and check out some leaves of your own. Watch them fall for a little while--for it IS... FALL! Shuffle your feet and take advantage of hearing the crunch underfoot. Make it be ones of the treats of Halloween Season!

Fall tree image from my camera, map from Justin Berk, Meteorologist's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02v5eMZ4SBdbGJLcjB54RtreEC7L5E33LgmgGVCx8cLgxzrHw1w7x7h2iqhesGu2DAl&id=100044454488732, original image from https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2024/10/24/fall-foliage-report-for-october-24-2024/

Fall Bucket Lists

Today is Fall Equinox here in the US. That day of exact equals between daylight and darkness. The official start to autumn, and the day that days start getting shorter than the dark of night, as we go careening into cooler temperatures, making our way toward winter. 

As sad as that descent is, it is also a time of beauty and color as the leaves shift from dark green to vibrant colors. Festivals abound and there's a beauty in the coming briskness in the air. Good time to go on a quest of autumnal outings and adventures. 

Here are a few Fall Bucket Lists from both Dani DiPirro (creator of the Positively Present Instagram page) and Liz Neiman (author of "Love & Marriage & A Baby Carriage" blog) that will have you finding the perfect way to spend your fall days ahead.

Image from https://loveandmarriageblog.com/realistic-fall-bucket-list/ and https://www.instagram.com/positivelypresent/?hl=en

Watching Wildlife

As the weather is growing nicer in a lot of parts, here's some great advice from the National Park Service for anyone who may be out and about, exploring nature and doing some wildlife watching. 

Never forget--you are out in their natural habitat--THEIR zone... so leave them alone!

Video from https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=896DD4B2-2884-4A25-9EDF-DF574214BC22, title art created at Canva.com

The Power of Parklets

Funny....sometimes when you run across something for the first time, the next thing you know is that you are seeing it everywhere. 

This is what happened to me regarding parklets.

A parklet is a little do-it-yorself mini park, which urban areas and city dwellers are creating more and more of to counter green up the space, cutting down on the concrete jungles of urban areas. They help soothe both our physical and mental health by providing these pockets of green.

I ran across parklets in the the OneTreePlanted article by Gabrielle Clawson entitled Good News! 30 Positive Environmental Stories From 2023, which I used for the creation of my March 6th blog post "Postivtive Environmental Stories for 2023." Parklets was listed as Clawson's #12 item. 

Parklets reminded me of downtown Annapolis during the pandemic. Restaurants took away parking places on the street to bring out planter boxes and more tables so that people could have the restaurant experience while dining outside. String some lights, make it cozy, bring in the greenery, and voila--goregous outdoor seating, with friends and family, for safer, accessible, open air dining during Covid times.

Next thing I know, parklets and their nature and health benefits are everywhere!

Parklets started their modest beginning in 2005 in San Francisco, and since then have begun popping up in many different ways. They bring about greater connections and a sense of community. They widen and invite greater outdoor living. It all is part of what makes a community "livable."

Looking for all the benefits parklets provide: Check out any of these articles: 

• Happy Eco New's Parklets: A Small Way to Make Big Cities More Livable
• Guardian's More Flowers, Fewer Cars: The Rewilders Turning Parking Spaces Into Parks
• Georgetown University's Creating Community and a Sense of Place, One ‘Parklet’ at a Time
• Washington DC's Department of Transportation Parklet's Program Guide
• National Association of City Transportation Officials' Urban Street Design Guide

In the market to make your own? Check out Happy Eco New's How to Build a Parklet DIY.

With spring having sprung, makes me want to go out and find a li'l parakeet of my own to go and just soak in the sun, maybe a snack, and enjoy a little people watching along the way!

Images from https://scs.georgetown.edu/news-and-events/article/7858/creating-community-sense-of-place-parklet and https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/1/19/baltimore-wants-permanent-parklets and  https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/citywiseblog/covington-parklets/ and https://www.capitalgazette.com/2019/09/01/parklets-in-west-annapolis/

Nature Journaling

This weekend has been a pretty one. Sunny leaves all a rainbow of crisp fall colors. A little warmer than normal for the first weekend of November. Downright idyllic.

For our house, we have a big playoff ahead and will be spending the day outdoors. Couldn't have asked for a better day for it.


While I'll be knee deep rooting for the home team, others will be taking advantage of the beautiful day in other ways. Some will be meandering in downtowns, weaving in and out of cute shops. Some will be hitting up apple, pumpkin, or other fall festivals. Still others might be hiking about in the woods, watching squirrels frolic in the leaves or searching for nuts.

And others might be following in Eriko Kobayashi's footsteps. Encouraging others to grab paper and pens and bond with nature in another way. Eriko Kobayashi is Japan's sole nature journaling instructor. She encourages folks (largely those who busily live in the city) to get outside and connect with both themselves and nature by guiding them to journal and take notice of what surrounds them in the great outdoors. 

The practice of nature journaling started in the United States, and gained popularity during the pandemic. Not only was it a way to create space outdoors during social distancing times of Covid, but it is also a great way to decompress--an outdoor meditation time with surrounding nature sounds. Additionally, it stimulates your brain through observation and concentration, while also adding a hands-on component with the journaling.

Nature journaling is credited to Clare Walker Leslie, a self-taught naturalist from the United States. "Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You," one of the nearly dozen books written by Clare Walker Leslie (this one in 2003). Over the years, nature journaling clubs have gained momentum world-wide. Kobayashi has stated that there are more than 140 that span the glob.

To read more about Eriko Kobayashi's nature leadership through journalling, check out this article in The Japan Times: "How a Notebook and Some Pens Can 'Connect Yourself to Nature' by Niko Nojima. Likewise, check out Clare Walker Leslie's website.

To find a Nature Journaling Club, check out these links:

• John Muir Laws: Find (or start) a Nature Journal Club Near You!
  
• International Nature Journaling Week's Website
  
• Educating Children Outdoors' Nature Journal Club page
  
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Nature Journaling Page

Images from canva.com & my neighborhood tree picture and https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2023/11/02/travel/travel-nature-journal/ 

The Beauty of Each Season: Fall

I've had the opportunity to be outside quite a bit this fall. A couple of festivals. Walks in the park with friend. A hike or two. And just being out and about and paying attention on pretty days.

We all should make the time to do all of that!

As the calendar shifts to November, and we dive deeper into fall, and as I look outside my window and see the sun dappling on the leaves that are changing daily, I'm taking a pause. Each season certainly comes with its own beauty. Let's all make time this November to get outside and take notice of the beauty that surrounds!

Image created on Canva.com with my own photos.

Fall Into Fall Bingo Board

October is a month of color and seasonal fun. It provides lots of opportunities to get out there, enjoy the brisk weather, and have fun with your family and friends. Time to get plenty of Vitamin N: Nature!

Here's a Fall Into Fall Bingo Board. How many can you tackle this fall?

Ideas in part inspired by https://www.mdmountainside.com/blog/post/top-fall-activities-to-cross-off-the-list/; Bingo board created at Canva.com To print more easily, go to: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFvYeU0OTk/d5jTX-xx0fUWmi8muaijTQ/edit?utm_content=DAFvYeU0OTk&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton 

Mapping Out Your Quest for Fall Foliage

No matter what your favorite season is, fall is undeniably one of the most colorful seasons. Daily, the colors of the leaves shift and change and bring on the seasonal beauty.

Given it's Fall Foliage Week (annually, beginning the week starting the last Sunday of September), it's a good time to be investigating when it's time to make a trip to go do some color hunting.

Both of these websites have great visuals to highlight how the foliage is predicted to change. They can help you on your quest to center yourself in the middle of the explosion of nature's colors!

• Almanac.com's Fall Foliage Color Map: When Is Peak Foliage--This map marks projected daily changes on the map.

• The Smokey Mountains 2023 Fall Foliage Prediction Map --Here you can slide the marker to jump to see the projected weekly change.

And as an added bonus, I've gotta say, I love The Pioneer Woman's Video "Instagram Captions for Cozy Autumn Vibes." at the start of her Fall Foliage post (which points to the Smokey Mountains map page.) Might get you and your camera geared up to go leaf peeping.

Images from https://www.almanac.com/fall-foliage-color-map-when-peak-foliage and https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/just-for-fun/a45081187/fall-foliage-map-2023/

Fall Equinox

This weekend marks the first day of Fall. The Autumnal Equinox.

Derived from the Latin, "equinox" comes from "aequi" and "nox"... meaning "equal" + "night." Based on the tilt of the Earth's axis in relation to its orbiting around the sun, day and night time are equal. That annual event that only happens twice a year--spring and fall. 

So days in the Northern Hemisphere where I am will be getting cooler, getting shorter, and the leaves will start their colorful change.

You can track the daylight hours here to check out the time of sunrise and sunset here at Time & Date. 

And you can learn more about the science behind the fall equinox here at Space.com.

Images from https://www.facebook.com/Frograces/posts/pfbid0jzPDLiKPTFhcGkQzyBVG2ojqeEGLH9FzmbeYx7XTDPyh3CRxTzNqB6KuhvdaSVbul and graphic organizer is from https://slowoutdoors.substack.com/p/hello-autumn-equinox?fbclid=IwAR0xJUmlJ8w78WslvulMivsr7Hcr3wPjPVSsYvBugO3eabivn3H5d-ZJcro

Take Time to Sit & Watch

Maybe because it's starting to get late in the fall season...

Or, maybe because the beauty of autumn and the color spectrum of leaves always causes me to take pause...

Or, maybe because I simply have leaves on my mind (see my last post)....

This image and quote combination from 1000 Hours really spoke to me.

Save time this season for more of this:

Image from https://www.facebook.com/1000hoursoutside/posts/pfbid02m1Hc6BdgvhykJB47BHtHCUtu1PA46EaPZseBPFLwyJ3Jg3R4Hz74T6vBomEu4b7el

Mighty Leaf Mosaics

The winds and rain whirled powerfully around the last 2 nights from the aftermath of Hurricane Nicole making her way up the Atlantic Coast. Watching as the leaves whipped by my window, it reminded me of something beautiful I saw earlier in the week on social media.

Every year, it's a welcome surprise how beautiful leaves are as they light our landscape on fire with their changing reds, oranges, yellows, browns, and purples. Yet, Nikola Faller has shown how those leaves can be repurposed again into a different kind of art. Annually and autumnly Nikola Faller, an academic sculptor and land artist from Osijek, Croatia creates amazing works of art that are perfect for drone photography. Designing a pattern then raking leaves into shape, Faller creates colorful, amazing, earthy mosaics. Leaves and rakes (and perhaps even a well-placed leaf blower) serve as the medium he uses to create these mosaics. The grassy ground acts as his green canvas. His museums are local parks nearby, and he showcases his work on his Slama.Land.Art Instagram page.

Off-season, with no leaves in sight, his canvases are beaches with his art meticulously drawn in the sand... or straw-based art after harvest. To find more images that are specifically fall-focused, check out AmazingPlaces.com's article entitled "Artist Creates Art from Falling Leaves."

Once again, proving just how beautiful, rewarding, and powerful nature can be.

Pics from https://www.facebook.com/patricia.wheeler.311/posts/pfbid05LZN1oXnPzqFAKgxWGvpZgJ647HGW2UBMZX59up9WjYaVk1AD7bS9Thj4QBLoR7sl and https://www.amazingplaces.com/news/artist-creates-art-from-falling-leaves/

Plastic-Free Fall

As a follow-up to my last post, here in the glory, color-filled days of fall, here is a poignant little video I ran across on Instagram. Created by the Plastic Pollution Coalition, this video reminds you how some of the best things of fall are both financially free AND plastic free. How many can you cross off your list as autumnally-accomplished this fall?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Plastic Pollution Coalition (@plasticpollutes)

Instagram post from from https://www.instagram.com/plasticpollutes/channel/ and clipart from http://clipart-library.com/free/leaf-clipart-transparent.html

October Colors Surround

During the fall, it almost seems like every day of October, the colors shift so subtly yet significantly--sometimes changing right before your eyes day by day.

Due to that, I love the visualization on the Fall Foliage Prediction map created by SmokeyMountains.com. By using the sliders on the bottom of the map, you can plan your leaf peeping.

Here's what is predicted nationwide for the week ahead:

Additionally on the website below the interactive map are details as to why leaves turn the colors that they do. It showcases the science and chemistry behind the colors that we see on our leafy trees... and why those same leaves fall to the ground.

Makes you want to get out there to go see them while you can!

Image from https://smokymountains.com/fall-foliage-map/ as set for October 17th; quote image created on Canva.com

Fall Foliage 2021

Leaf Peeping. Color Touring. Finding (and photographing) the fall foliage.

Chasing the colors of the leaves is a real thing.

Here in later mid-October, the peak times for fall leaves hitting their prime for colors is starting to shift from north to south, with many areas already surpassing their peak season of colors.

But fear not, in many places it is not too late. Additionally, color variations often depend on the temperatures and amount of precipitation of the summer and early fall. Not to mention, later dates land the further south you travel.

Click the link for The Farmer's Almanac to check out the state-by-state-show-the-date chart for 2021. For me in Maryland, it looks like peak season is this week! Check out this chart and plan accordingly to set your sights on the vibrant colors of fall. (Here's a screenshot of this year's peak dates from their website.)

Banner created at www.canva.com. Screenshot from https://www.farmersalmanac.com/fall-leaves-foliage-dates-map

How is it October?

Every day the world keeps turning, spinning on its axis, traveling around the sun. 

Never is it more evident than when seasons begin to change. Same too with that monthly flip of the calendar. Last week with that flip to October and seeing the holiday decorations appear at school, it hit me harder than usual. In pondering the reason, it's probably because of the settling into school and the lingering of pandemic lifestyles. We've lived a lot outside, and the fall where I live is shaping up beautifully, but those outdoor experiences are starting to feel numbered. 

But, the comment in my image above struck me: autumn is the season that us that shows us that change can be beautiful.  We often get stuck in the quagmire of fear and the vulnerability or discomfort that is associated with change. But it is with this seasonal shift that we can take notice of the bounty:

• Scampering squirrels, tucking away their treasure trove of nutty treats.
• The color blast of reds, yellows, oranges, and browns adorning our trees.
• The changing temperatures, still warming us under the sun, but refreshing breezes that tame the day.
• The crispness in the air that are a welcome relief to summertime humidity.
• The warmth of flannel, fleece, sweatshirts, turtlenecks, jeans, and snuggling under blankets.
• Fireside chats by backyard bonfires with warm beverages.
• Migratory birds making way overhead, squawking as they head to warmer territories.
• Apples and pumpkins, cocoa and hot chocolate, flavors and colors that have been missing for the year.
• Festivals that crop up that have us basking in it all.

Given the wealth that surrounds, it's time to soak all of the sights and sounds of the season while we have it! 

Image created using my photo of the school decor that greeted me this week, created at www.canva.com.