Happy Hand Highlights

While I'm still walking on air from the recent announcement of my first national book award, I thought this would be a great segway to go back in time again and finish some end-of-the-year spring posts from my various author/illustrator visits to schools. I love walking into an elementary school building to find awesome art projects prominently displayed on the walls. Those graphic hands were created by the mature artists in the building. I love the way these hands of my kindergartners reflect the artwork above!!

On this particular day I had been called to work with the kindergarten students. I like to see their hands at work through our time together. I focus on engaging the students with as many senses as possible..... keeping them engaged as we sing and read and sign and act and march and read and jump and sing and read and sign. This earlier post I discuss the advantages of crossing the midline at length. I love these smiles, caught in the act of strengthing the connection between the hemispheres of their brains!!

Click here for my post on suggestions to arrange an author visit.

Look Over There

Deadlines

We are currently in the car. Dearest driving. Me hooked to the web on my laptop via more wires than I can grasp. We have made it safely thru Chicago in one piece. The traffic was so slow on Route 90 that the car two ahead did a real-live "Chinese Fire Drill" mid-town. That was a nice diversion..... making us both smile at their antics. Reminded us both of our trip to FL for spring break, when Noelle got outta the car and walked backwards along the interstate beside us, moving faster than we were in the car. Memories.

Anyhow, deadlines. I feel such pressure (LOL) to get these last school-trip pictures posted before we can officially begin our annual season of spirtual rejuvination and celebration. We are headed north now, headed to our little penninula-of-paradise. I've passed my new surgeon's thumb's up for surviving yet one more procedure and we packed in a heartbeat and got outta Dodge. Door County here we come!

Under Construction

Here's my last school visit of the school year. It's a return trip for me to the wonderful world of kindergarten. Pulling into the parking lot shows the excitement of the site. They're growing. They're building. They're bursting at the seams. It was like great big tinker toys, showing the hull of what is to come. I love seeing potential taking shape. Plans coming to fruition. Moving forward. Ever onward. Yeah team. Think big thoughts. Plan big plans. Put down a firm foundation. Build a strong structure. Then let the sparkle shine. In all of my years of making school visits, this is the only place that prays for me before I begin. The first time that they did that I was in awe. My mind was wrapping around that act the whole morning long. Now it's my favorite part of the day and I look forward to hearing their support expressed to heaven.

My MI Munchkins

Head north on Route 23, get to Toledo and follow the signs to Detroit. I've gone often enough to Taylor that I know the way with my eyes shut. I just love to go back to places where we've had fun together in the past. Silly me, I loose all track of how many trips I've made. I think this would be my fourth trip. Seems I go about every other year. It's great to be greeted by my fanclub, and receive a play list of favorites from the current kiddos. This year they were in two different buildings, as a fire burned up four of their classrooms with all of their goodies. Thank goodness Allen was along to get me back & forth and forth & back. (He's still taking VERY good care of me. I'm a very fortunate gal. Aren't I?)

IMAGINE: Arist in Schools

IMAGINE: an empty, hand-painted chair, complete with bright barber pole stripes & brilliant polka dots, too!! IMAGINE coming into a kindergarten classroom full of eager children, with songs to share and movement games to lead. IMAGINE the fun of being together to play follow the leader. IMAGINE............I've been coming to this classroom in Hilliard for over a decade. The faces are different every time, but the enthusiasm remains just as high year after year.

So Far Behind

Oh. Dearie me. I've gotten so far behind in my blogging documentation. I still haven't finished sharing picture from my awesome day with my Head Start friends. I've made 3 different school visits since then and also gave some mini-concerts for WB's end-of-year family fun day over the weekend. We leave for MI tomorrow, for an end-of-the-year day. Not to mention those dozens & dozens of daisy photos from the recent morning with the geese. It's great to be plunging back into my life with abandon and enthusiasm.

Wacky Underway

I know you can't begin to grasp,

how I can be singing & dancing & taking these pictures --

all at the same time.

Me neither?

But sometimes I am just so overwhelmed

by the beauty in a solitary expession,

that I just must stop, mid-note........

and take a picture or two.

Trust me.

The children are very patient with me,

because I'm slow,

but fortunately their smiles are fixed.

Don't ya just wanna squeeze 'em?

I get to!!!

Last Class of the Day

Whew. I realized that four straight hours of being "on-stage" is still taxing to my recovering body. Thank goodness that A.) I've been in this school scads of times in the past, B.) These teachers are so amazingly supportive, and C.) these were the best classes ever!!! Seeing these pictures even several days later makes me realize again, just how much fun we had together. I still have two more GCAC AIS (Greater Columbus Arts Council's Artist in the Schools) days left to close out the year. Those visits are also to familiar buildings with familar and wonderful teachers. They will have to be pretty awesome to compete with this day..... but then, I only get invited to THE most amazing places, to work with the most amazing teachers & the most amazing students!!

Here We Go: Day #3!!

Click your heels and it's time to get underway with the final chapter in this adventure. These are the snaps from downtown Lorain at their main library. They had this great bench in the room, which I adored as soon as I layed eyes on it. In this series of pictures you see that I was joined by one of the participants, to help demonstrate finger spelling the A,B,C's as we got underway to my "A,B,C Rap." Oh!! I got to be the inaugural person to use their new, light weight, highly portable and completely awesome sound system. What an asset. So easy to project when you've got technological umph underneath. The perfect back-up for the third day in the series.