Sneaky Frog Faces

Here's a rare look into my workshop, to find participants working on their best, skrunched up nose, "sneaky frog faces." We are working on a 'big ending' for my Pollywog song..... and are in the act of practising to sneak up and get bugs-for-lunch...... sneak, sneak, sneak, sneak: thurlp!! You've just got to LOVE the willingness of early childhood educators to engage their children in the active participation of learning. Remember -- VAK attack: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, the three learning styles that need to be represented in every lesson plan. Then after a sense of trust has been developed, go for NOVELTY. It's all here. BTW: My favorite pollywog prop is from the company Crockodile Creek, both accurate and affordable.

CELEBRATE: We are great!

It's 8:19 a.m. on Wednesday morning. It doesn't matter what the weather is outside, we're pumped and we're getting the party started!! Here are the early birds ready to get the two day conference underway, under my direction. They are singing and signing to my dance hall number: "Celebrate." It's keynote time! I am very humbled and grateful for the opportunity to set the tone for the day. Let the learning begin!

If you squint and look VERY closely in the VERY back, you'll see my buddies, world travelers, Dave and Dori Donovan from Learning Shop in Indianapolis, in their booth right in front of the windows. I can always count on the two of them to supply warm hugs -- where ever we run into each other... additional friends from the circuit. We go w-a-y back!!

The Three Wise Women

Or the three stooges?? You can take your pick -- we'll let Wed's partipants be the judge. Assembled here, after some wonderful cross-country travel, are the three SDE presenters for the VA PreK Conference. From left to right: Mrs. New York: Cindy Middendorf, Mrs. Kentucky: Deborah Tapp, and Mrs. Ohio: Yours Truly. One of the perks of national travel, is the opportunity to meet brilliant minds. One of the biggest blessings of continuing to work for SDE, is that we presenters periodically overlap and genuine friendships can unfold from the shared fellowship of the road. Over Deborah & my dinner, with Cindy in for coffee, we discussed the glamor of travel (packing for the airport, schlepping across frozen parking lots, getting hung up in security, delayed and cancelled flights, eating out of vending machines ..... just a few of the high lights.) We also laughed and squealed over stories of grandchildren and our home-bound-hubbies, holidays and dreams. We weren't really in any danger of being escorted from the restaurant, 'cuz at that hour, we were their only patrons. We'd like to suggest to SDE that they package the three of us and trot us about together more often. We think we're pretty dynamic, if we do say so ourselves. Deborah & I shuttled back and forth to the airport together, so we even had some further bonding time with one another: priceless.

Winter Wonderland

WOW!! Get a glimpse of the winter-wonderland assembled in the ballroom of the Holiday Inn, Richmond VA. Such a festive backdrop made my keynote presentation, literally glimmer and twinkle..... attributes that I'd heard before, but truly came to life under these circumstances. JOY. Penguins really do elicit joy somehow. Their antics made me giggle in the Dallas Aquarium. Goodness, I've had some fun thru this part of the school year, haven't I?