Milestones, Momentum + Motivation (Music + Moi)

MILESTONE!! Today's a MILESTONE!!!!!!!!

According to my analytics, this is my 1,500th post to my blog!!!!


How happy am I today?
I am also sneaking up to my first 100,000th unique page-view! It would have been a bit too amazing for words to hit both on the same day, but I'm a happy camper: I am something of a numbers geek. And several of you know how easily I am entertained.

WELCOME!!!! I am also approaching my thousand-th 'follower' thru Networked blogs. Big party when that happens!! [You may need to have a blog to know how much fun these milestones bring.]  **You could really help and click that 'follow' button -- just left, over there in the sidebar.  Pretty please?

How do you get to 1500 blog posts?
How do you get to 1500 of anything? The answer? One at a time obviously. Over time. Adding one after another. Then another and one more. Staying the course. Perseverance. Will power. Showing up.
I read somewhere that 80% of bloggers lose interest and quit adding to their blog in less than a year's time. It's that old 80 - 20 rule. You know Pareto's Principle. Here's the link to that wikipedia explanation.

Today I'm having a 'spike' in my readership....... that's because my fairy-blog mother Charity over at "The Organized Classroom Blog"  gave me a supreme Saturday shout out. Turns out that I got my homework turned in on time for Teaching Blog Traffic School!!! YIPPEE!

WELCOME!!!! I'm a music lady. Now I'm a nationally award winning author-illustrator of picture books, too!!
For fifteen years I've promoted the concept, "Have guitar will travel." As I type this post, my hubby is driving us on yet another of our infamous road trips. Today we are headed from southern FL to Louisiana.... New Orleans is our first stop. There's a school that has lured me to them with the promise of a personal "King Cake" in honor of my visit. Yup. I go where I get invited. Laptop perched in my lap as he drives onward.

Baton Rouge Keynote 2011: 'Filled with curiosity' (From my book, "You're Wonderful")

From New Orleans we'll head to Baton Rouge, where I have workshop presentations for their State Department of Education's Conference. Last year I was their keynote!!!! There have been so many requests, I get to return! It was an anonymous participant in Baton Rouge that wrote on my evaluation,

"She's changing the world -- one song at a time."

Today's a day of yippee-skippy, PomPoms shakin', oh happy-happy, joy, joy, joy!!!!

Morning Keynote: Gatlinburg Tennessee

A few snippets about me.
1. Here's the post about the dozen things I feel about Music as Motivation. AWESOME!
2. Here's the amazing post about Hajar + her response to my first picture book.
3. Here's the catalogue of posts about my day in Reggio Emilia ITALY!!!!!!! 
4. Here's the post about the 'rules' in Kindergarten.
5. Here's the post about my linkie party for all ideas Martin Luther King, Jr.
6. Here's the post about all things polka-dots, complete with 'process' ART ideas.

7. Here's the post to my tutorial on making a lady bug puppet on a black glove.

8. Here's my post to my tutorial on making a goldfish puppet on a paper bag.

9. Here's my post where you can get a FREE Mp3 of my "Monster Spray" song.

10. Here's my post to the RAINBOW team handprint color theory fun.

11. Here's my post to the RAINBOW painting gift from Natalia.

12. Here's my post to why I'm all excited about 12/13 and 13/12

It is to Charity that I owe the concept and encouragement of the launch of our new collaborative blog for the betterment of children EVERYWHERE!!!

13. Here's my post to getting a FREE Mp3 of "Eating Healthy" -- if you follow "PreK+K Sharing"

I'm going to be working on this post for a while, but I need to upload it due to the unforseen nature of the internet from our car...... come back later and it will be all bright and shiny and the links will be hooked up!

Snow People LUV!!!

What's not to like about snowmen?
Or in this politically correct era: Snow People?

Here's a collage of some delightful 'people-of-the-snow' from the hallways of Gator Run Elementary. [Yes!!! I'm still documenting that amazing day. My heart is still all warm 'n fuzzy from all of da LUV packed into my 'Author-in-the-Schools' visit. Did ya read my earlier, oh-so-sweet post about the "Rainbow Child" and our time together? I'm still thinking about that interaction and the impact teachers have on their students.]

LUV me those buttons!!!!

LUV me those smiles!!!!!!

Now granted, these snow-people are from children in southern Florida. I heard on the news last night that 35 years ago there was indeed actual, factual snow in southern Florida..... but my guess is that most of these children have not had first hand experience with packing and rolling snow. Just a guess.

Last week I also had a school visit to PREschool, my second VPK in Florida!!

Look at these BEAUTIES!!!!

Hand painted at the easel!

So few things I LUV more than children's artwork.

Look at the amazing diversity of these YOUNG children's interpretations.

I learned that these paintings were created in response to the picture book,

"Snowmen at Night."

My dear friend, Mary Jo Huff, nationally known story-teller and amazing power-house of an individual, was just talking about this very same book in her article over at PreK +K Sharing, our new and ever-so-amazing collaborative blog. Click right here to see her references and to get the link to Steve Spangler's snow concoction to connect the dots between snow + science + literacy + Arts!

**** Yes, of course I have a Pinterest board on all things "Snow People" since I have a song by that name on my second album. Click right here to go to my ever growing 'board' of all things connected to snowy day people making. There's a snowman pizza that would be super fun!

Amy's got a linkie over at Child Central Station and I linked my article to the other ideas accumulating over there.

++++++++Now I'm happy to get this article linked up over at our collaborative blog, PreK+K Sharing, for our very first hosted LINKY PARTY on ALL THINGS Paint and PAINTING!!!! Click on the button below to be taken directly to the article amassing amazing ideas on painting with children.

Penguins + Freebies!!!

LUVing all things winter?
Are you wearing long underwear and shivering???
Or perhaps you're down under frolicking in the heat....................

No matter where you are its always fun to learn MORE about penguins!!!

Penguin Art Project: created  in 'torn paper' open-ended style to adorn writing of facts learned from science + reading

Look at these happy little creatures created from torn paper.
These beauties were hanging in the hall last week at my amazing author-visit to Gator Run Elementary -- in southern Florida, where the weather has been in the 80's and I'm wearing flip-flops. These awesome pieces included 'reports' below the artwork -- extending the classroom learning.

I realize that you can't quite get the 'size' of these creatures from the collage, but one of the things that made me giggle, is that one child's penguin would fill the ENTIRE piece of 9 by 12 blue construction paper: from edge to edge to edge and stapled right beside that one was another with the subject that was all of about 3 inches tall barely -- with the teeniest, tiniest torn pieces of paper.

LUV LUV LUV that every response was deemed appropriate!!!!


Every student has succeeded in this effort, each one is COMPLETELY unique!!!!!


FREEBIES!!!! WHAT ABOUT THE FREEBIES??????

Penguin Freebie Printables: 52 pages of fun (ABCs, 123s + Valentine's Day)

Our kind and generous friend Carolyn has created a FIFTY TWO page 'game' of all things penguin: ABCs penguin, 1-2-3s penguin AND VALENTINE penguins!!!!!!!!

All you have to do is click over to PreK+K Sharing to her post for a simple download.

ENJOY!!!!! And thanks Carolyn for SHARING!!!!!!!!!

"I Have a Dream!" [Linky Connection]

Gator Run, FL signing: I Love YOU!

Years and years ago, long before I would ever envision the concept of blogging, I had an invitation to River Rouge, Michigan. It was an amazing day in every respect. The director of the center had written a grant for my performance. I have no photo of the story I will attempt to weave.

River Rouge is at the bottom of the American Dream. It is 'below' the lowest entry point of the American dream. To say that the area is one of vast decline is an understatement extreme. I will remember forever singing to the hundreds and hundreds of children brought to the center for our time of interaction and joy.
It was a melting pot for every minority looking for a beginning.

As is my usual habit, I concluded our time together by singing my anthem of self-esteem, "You're Wonderful." The lyrics of which conclude: 'and dreams.' The very child immediately in front of me bellowed out, "I HAVE A DREAM!" It was one of those occasions when time stands still for a few heart-beats so that you can gather your thoughts sufficiently to record the moment forever in your heart.

This young girl, hair lovingly braided with colorful beads and bright baubles into a magnificent pattern of love, looked straight in my heart and said it, "I HAVE A DREAM!" At the time I thought, Dr. Martin would be so proud, so relieved. So relieved to know that you have hopes and visions and dreams beyond this immediate crime-riddled, decaying setting. Kindle those dreams and care for them sweetheart. Dream large and vast dreams.

So jump back to the current day. Exactly one week ago I was the guest in Weston, FL -- a world away from River Rouge, a universe away. Yet I'm still singing the same anthem of self esteem. Look at the amazing gift I was given by my mature kindergarten friends on this occasion. These dream catchers were woven with care and exhuberance.

We owe it to every child from River Rouge to Weston to dream big dreams.... to give the very best to every child.

These dream catchers were the amazing creations of Caitlin Clabby's Kindergarten children. Caitlin also keeps a blog of their adventures together and her inspirations for children over here at Kindergarten Smiles. She has all sorts of ideas to share. Aren't these absolutely amazing? I LUV each and everyone!!!!

That's Caitlin on the left, helping to lead all of those kindergartners in learning my newest picture book, "Red, White and Blue." I am showing everyone how to sign the word for 'flag.' We are a couple verses into the song.

Looking in their hallways after we were all done, these were the images outside of the Art-room.

I think that these might have been an assignment to create a 'bumper sticker' for MLK day.

I've been looking around the web for ideas for teachers to help with these HUGE lessons -- especially for little ones. My favorite 'pin' is the one that has been re-pinned a gazillion times I'm sure. The one with the eggs on the plate. White egg shells. Brown egg shells. Cracked open???? ALL the same! Simple? Yes. Very simple? YES!!!! I think simple works with little ones.

-- Debbie -- 

What ideas do you have? I just decided that this is the critically important type of 'lesson' that needs all of us working together. Yup. You guessed it. LINKIE party!!! Let's have a catalogue of LOTS of ideas. Lots of ages -- even. If you have a blog post that is specific to the ideas of Martin Luther King, Jr. -- either to his work specifically, or to the concepts of teaching diversity and acceptance, please link them here..... the only stipulation is to to into your post (new or old) and add a shout-out to this URL, to help circulate your ideas with the other. Thanks for following thru.

I've added this post to the Thrifty-Thursday link-up over at Playing with Words 365. I've also added it to Toys in the Dryer's link-up. It's over at Link&Learn on No Time for Flashcards.

Very much later I am adding this post to Denise in Sunny Days blog hop in honor of her blog's birthday!!! Hop on over to get other birthday ideas. These dream catchers resulted from Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday.

Happy Birthday: Daddy + Martin

Today's my daddy's birthday. He shares his exact date of birth with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. My dad is eating his 83rd cake today. Martin would be 83, too -- in a perfect world, but we're here on Earth. Both men, daddy + Martin, worked for the betterment of people, all people. Both had a pulpit, a platform to speak to the gathered crowd. Both shared dreams of a better world for each inhabitant.


I grew up in Indiana. I started elementary school in Batesville, IN. [I can see in my blog-analytics that I have occasional readers here from Malaysia, South Africa, Chile, Australia and the like. Indiana is in the mid-west. Batesville is a very small town. Back when I was in first grade it was a mecca for the area only because it had a public swimming pool, but trust me -- in the grand scheme of America it's pretty small potatoes.] That's how I grew up. Amid an over-whelmingly homogeneous group of agricultural folks, folks who looked just like me.



Kindergarten Debbie w bangs

We moved from Batesville when I was poised to start fifth grade. We moved to the BIG city of South Bend, Indiana -- home of Notre Dame University. We arrived round about 1967. America was broiling with change and movements. We moved to da 'west side.' I can distinctly remember our arrival to the big city being immediately punctuated with gatherings of fellow clergy families and church goers having pot-lucks together, sharing meals, we kiddos playing charades under my mom's guidance....... all in an effort of church-going inter-racial interaction to instill a sense of unity. To me, it was as though we had landed on a foreign planet, no longer did everyone look just like me, but dad insisted.
That was the era of singing, "Kum ba yah."

Those pot-luck meals were a cultural awakening. On many levels. There were people of every shade and hue. Every gradient between black and white. This. was. a. first. It's one thing to sing "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world" in Batesville's Vacation Bible School -- where everyone was a shade of white: porcelain white, whiter-white and tanned white..... it's quite another thing to break cornbread and sing together -- with so many skin tones holding hands gathered round the table.

Time after time we went. Dad insisted. West-side unity. Eatin' and prayin' and playin'.
Kum ba yah. Ebony and ivory.

Artwork from Gator Run Elementary FL

That rag-tag group, from diverse churches, ended up "marching" together -- in unity. Our family was suddenly swept into what would be labeled the civil rights movement. From cornbread and casseroles to marching the west-side streets toward downtown. Dad insisted. I remember being scared. I remember some taunts from the sidelines, but mostly I remember staying very close to my family and our new friends as we walked, as we marched. Staying close to dad.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could report how those potlucks transformed South Bend and made for an oasis of acceptance and equality? In truth I entered Washington High School on the west-side as a freshman and that spring our campus was over-run with actual race riots, the hostility had grown over heated between the rainbow-hues. The longest corridor of lockers through the building had become a gauntlet for the stand-off. A tautly horrid scene from our own version of "West Side Story" where the toughs of one color lined the lockers and faced down the toughs of the other -- every morning before the first bell. Growing in numbers. Seething hostility in utter silence. Daily escalating tensions. Mounting animosity awaiting a spark.

Soon those hallway corridors were complete with helmeted police officers with dogs and mace. By Friday I sat locked into Mr. Warren's Advanced Algebra classroom listening to the eruptions on the other side of the door. We were locked in for our own protection. That would have been a fast-forward to the spring of 1972.

Dr. King had already perished well before that time. What had been learned by that point in history? How long would it take to 'act' the lesson of our Bible-school song? All I know is that I wanted to stay home from school, but Dad insisted. I was one of four or five to show up for '2XY = Z'  that morning. Few other parents felt the same way apparently? Mr. Warren actually brought a photo album of his wedding pictures to share -- as he didn't anticipate teaching anything about equations that volatile spring day.

I had been voted to represent my fellow freshman as a class officer. As a 'leader' I was automatically part of a small group, think-tank retreat on sensitivity and diversity that took place off at a city park, during the days the city our closed school in the hopes of calm returning.  All in an effort to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. That gave me a chance to see hostility up close and personal, but under professional guidance I also participated in discussions and exercises that led to actual conversation, interaction and growth. Somehow we finished that school year -- with police in their flack jackets and billy clubs ready, learning our algebra and biology. Shoulder to shoulder.

Red and yellow, black and white. Precious.

****I've been thinking a lot over the last couple of days about the role of parents in the teaching of acceptance and diversity to their children. I had a lovely cyber-chat with Crystal as she wrote her blog article on this very topic for our collaborative blog PreK + K Sharing last week. Click right here to see her many suggested resources suitable for the classroom.

What I know for sure (channeling Oprah when I type that) is that my dad lives a life of respect for every one of God's children. I saw that from the moment I could see. My father demonstrates on a daily basis a kinship and honoring of his brother. He put his belief into action with our transition to the 'big city.' He put theory into practise. He insisted. ALWAYS.

One of my favorite MLK quotes is this one.

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

My dad is the son of an Indiana farmer, for whom hard physical labor was how daily bread was earned.  My dad has always demonstrated deep respect for every street sweeper in his midst. He shares a kinship with the honest worker. We didn't grow up among the Beethovens and the Shakespeares. I learned that sense of respect at his elbow at a very young age. I do believe that all the hosts of heaven and earth pause and say, these men have dreamt dreams and did their jobs well.

Happy birthday, daddy!! Happy birthday Martin!!

       ++++Be sure you come back tomorrow on the National Observation of Dr. Martin's contribution.
                                                           I have some great pictures to share. ++++

A Rainbow Bouquet!!!!

Did you follow that photo collage story?

Let's rewind with a few words.

I had the unique opportunity to visit my blogging cyber-friend's school in southern FL.

Denise, of Sunny Days in Second Grade

made all of the arrangements for me to come as an 'author-illustrator' to Gator Run Elementary.

She was so clever to set up the schedule to have her own 2nd graders come to my last presentation.

After six groups of singin' + dancin' I might have lost just a tad bit of my steam........

Then just before our seventh and final fun of the day..........
Up comes one of her sweeties and hands me an empty vase trimmed with a pink polka dot ribbon.

        And one-by-one her students each come forward to add a single stem flower to my empty vase.

                  Yup. That's me. I was squeezin' my lips together, when it dawned on me what was happenin'.
                                          (Didn't think I should start crying right then and there.) 

                 There are all sorts of analogies:
                                  about needing all of the colors -- to make a rainbow.
                                               Or each unique snowflake being a special treasure.
                                                       Or every flower's need to contribute to a bouquet.

          It's at moments like now, reflecting on the experience that I long to be a poet.

                                               Every school visit I make is unique.

I'm pretty certain I've received flowers previously.

But you can bet the farm:

this is the first time to watch the bouquet emerge as a collaborative project right before my very eyes!!!!

EVERY SCHOOL VISIT I ARRIVE AS AN EMPTY VASE.

It's the colors of the children's participation that make the bouquet: marvelous and beautiful.  

Who thinks of such a unique grand finale???

Denise. That's who!!

Resolutions in the Hall

What are your resolutions for this New Year?

How are you doing on your goals??

Have you taken the time to write your goals down?

Are they measurable?

Are you making progress?

Do you make 'micro-movements' daily?

The concept of 'micro-movements' is a term I learned from my favorite author, SARK. Even teeny-tiny baby steps add up over time!!

I just LUV getting to see work on display!
I had 'seen' this idea on Pinterest earlier,
but seeing the actual students goals in person?
You guessed it! PRICELESS!!!

****The concept of encouraging children to dream BIG is explored in depth over at our collaborative blog,
PreK + K Sharing today by author Bill Corbett.




His article is pivotal for anyone working with children.
Click right here to jiff over to his insightful ideas.
Visualization.
It's never too early to start leading children toward their optimal DREAMS!

*********Speaking of dreaming big and collaborative blogs,
just today on Friday the 13th I have been added as a contributor over at:






 I'm really learning about reaching out, collaborating, spreading the LUV + working together!Special word of thanks to Deanna Jump at Mrs. Jump's Class blog, for the invitation!!!Let's hear it for new learning curves in the New Year!!!