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April 7, 2018
Note:  This is a post I wrote last year but as I see the first sprouts of green poking their heads up in my garden, I am reminded that it is time to plant seeds again. Planting The Seeds of Love for our Planet and our Bodies Children will eat what they grow   On Friday, the Bright Lights chard in our little school garden plot had reached heights of over two feet. It has been a very hot week and the chard was bolting. The sun shone through the stalks stimulating curiosity among the children I was sitting with at recess. “What is this plant, Ms. L?” “Can we eat it like kale?” The children in the school had nibbled the kale down to bare stalks and were looking for more greens. They are like deer! Having overwintered, the chard was a little tough. It was a moment for me of clearing the daily schedule and revamping the day…. with surprising ease.   I had the children collect the greens, wash them in our tiny sink and chop the stalks up for a panfry.  The whole group took turns two at a time and after a half hour we […]
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October 28, 2017

Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?- Frida Kahlo

We Never Know the Impact of Simple Acts   Awakening Joy For Kids takes moments and builds a framework of well-being and love. Today I received a note from a student I had taught 13 years ago. Dear Michele, I’ve been meaning to send this to you forever, but it kept slipping my mind.  Last year, I got Frida Kahlo tattooed on my leg.  She’s continued to be a massive source of inspiration and strength to me.  My first introduction to her was through you in elementary art in grade four.   I remember you introducing our class to her.  Frida’s story, her art, and her life left me feeling puzzled, as I found her ugly and her art unattractive.   As time passed and you explained more about her and her work, I gained a new perspective.   It was my first experience where art allowed me to think and digest…. and dissect what it is that we consider beauty. Her work allowed me to look deeper into what “normal” beauty standards are.  This was the first time I saw that art could reflect something other than happiness.   Over the following years, her art seemed to constantly present itself in […]
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September 14, 2017

Back to school and self care.

Most parents have now let go of the lazy days of summer and are full on into the new school year.  This is the time of year where things seems to speed up faster and faster. Teachers are settling new classes and families are getting used to routine.   Take deep care during this month.  Partake in  naps and slow down.  It will pay off in spades.   Below are a few excerpts from my book with James Baraz, Awakening Joy For Kids, that will give you a few more ideas on ways to simply be present to yourself and your children. I just spent a week at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California with James Baraz, Howie Cohen and Sharda Rogell.  What an absolute delight to access my inner quiet again.  In the quote below, James shares how to come back to our center. “The Gift of Your Beingness One of the great benefits of accessing the joy of being is that you not only find peace inside of you, you also affect everything and everyone around you. By accessing that calm center, you remind others that it is there in them as well. Think of the most centered […]
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January 22, 2017

Chores: The Inside Scoop

I asked my grade threes the other day if they did any chores.  Guess what?  Fewer than half of the kids said they did any regular chores.  I told them when I was a kid, 100 years ago, everyone had chores; at least, the children I knew did.  I had a list to do every week and I knew it was a contribution to the running of our home.  Did I like it? NO!!! But I did it. What I didn’t know at that time was my parents were instilling in me a deep sense of contribution, competency, maturity, and the awareness of others’ needs. Is it sometimes easier as a parent to just do the job yourself?  Of course it is.  Who wants to hear, whining, excuses, and resistance? If you can hold in your mind, that in the long run you are doing a SERVICE, to your children by having regular chores, you may find the whole exercise much easier. Research indicates that children who have a set of chores have higher self-esteem, are more responsible, are better able to deal with frustration, and can delay gratification. They are building GRIT.  Wow!  That is a full line up […]
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December 15, 2016

Presence at the busiest time of the year.

This is the time of year where things seems to speed up faster and faster.  I say every year that I will take it slower and do less.  This year I have.  I am creating crafts at school that take time to do and help the children to center and focus on what matters.   We are collecting for the foodbank, feeding the birds, making little gifts from recycled materials and playing outside.  On a personal level I am embracing naptime and self care in ways I have never done before.  Below are a few excepts from my book with James Baraz, Awakening Joy For Kids, that will give you a few more ideas on ways to simply be present to the season. James writes on the subject of  presence for adults. “The Gift of Your Beingness One of the great benefits of accessing the joy of being is that you not only find peace inside of you, you also affect everything and everyone around you. By accessing that calm center, you remind others that it is there in them as well. Think of the most centered person in your life? How do feel when you’re around them? Doesn’t their […]
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