Quilting Together an Author-Illustrator Visit

Amazing Author-Illustrator School Visit

Dateline: Dixon, Illinois ~~ Washington School 

Meet the mastermind behind my latest incredible school visit! 

This is the amazing Carie Rameriz of Kindergarten Hugs. 

This is a woman who thinks big!
Look what her kinders created for my welcome! 

Carie and I have been dreaming planning for over two years -- piecing together plans for what it would take to get me to her awesome elementary school dedicated completely to kindergarten and first grade. Time. Planning. Enthusiasm. Intention. Willingness.

My picture books have illustrations that I created out of fabric as small quilts. Carie and her fellow teachers directed their students to design and create their own quilts in honor of my arrival in their midst. Wait till you see the variety in their creations!!

The quilt above is in direct response to my latest and patriotic book entitled, "Red, White and Blue." I wrote the song (the book's text right after 9-11.) 

LUV LUV LUV the flag images built into some of the individual squares. The overall effect is very reminiscent of my book's artwork. 

Now let me take you up and down the hallways of the building to see so many delightful examples of what is possible.... with young students and dedicated teachers on a mission!! These colors and patterns are more in the style of my first book, "You're Wonderful." 

If you're a long-time reader, you've heard me talk about the amazing possibilities of 'quilt-work' in the classroom before:

• Patterns
• Shapes
• Geometry
• Collaboration
• Cooperation

That's just the top 5 -- off the top of my head, before I dash out the door this morning. 

As I was zipping about the building attempting to catch as much of the artwork as possible, I had a teacher pass by at this exact moment. I wanted to show you the scale of this work. I'm afraid I may not have gotten to every corner and every quilt in the few minutes I had between performances. Apologies to any students whose work I missed capturing. 

As I was zipping about the building attempting to capture as much of the artwork as possible, I had a teacher pass by at this exact moment below. I wanted to show you the scale of this work. Unbelievable! 

I'm afraid I may not have gotten to every corner and every quilt in the few minutes I had between performances. Apologies to any students whose work I missed capturing. The building was overflowing with quilts. Ingenious, each and every one!!! 

This morning I'm off to make presentations for the first time at UW-Stout's 35th annual ECE conference. It's my first time here!!!! We got things set up last night, so I'm kinda-sorta ready to go. I am attempting to switch over from a CD player to using digital-tablet technology to drive my songs. If you know me, then you know I can use all the good thoughts and wishes you have to send! {I am still challenged to answer my phone -- let alone give a workshop from a tablet while operating a power point from my laptop! Go granny go!!} 

I will be sharing vignettes from their building over the coming weeks! Yeah, Dixon!! Yeah, Carie!!! Yeah Teachers!!! Yeak Sauk Reading Association!!! In masterminding our brilliant day together, Carie enlisted the support of the Sauk Valley Reading Council. After our series of four concerts at the school and a delightful meet and greet with the teachers, which allowed them to have Q&A, we had a family concert in the evening for the entire community at the community college. WOWZERS what a terrific collaboration. 

Speaking of collaboration, Carie is one of our monthly authors over at our collaborative blog, "PreK+K Sharing." She writes on the 17th of the month from her kinder experience. Always insightful. Always inspirational. 



If you LUV quilts like I do, you'll really want to go back in time and check out my earlier "Quilts in Education RoundUP."  There are several dozen MORE, earlier responses to my work -- including Carie's original response to my "Red, White and Blue" with her kinders a couple of years back -- right after we'd met at the Illinois Reading Council's conference. 

I told you that Carie thinks big!!! I have an entire 'label' here on the blog about Carie and this first incredible effort of theirs -- from marble painting!



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