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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Classic Kinder Classroom Creativity

CLASSIC CLASSROOM CREATIVITY

Today let's take a look around a delightful classroom that I had the pleasure of visiting last month in FL just before we started north. I know my regular readers enjoy looking over my shoulder, as I dash in and out of classrooms around the country making my author-illustrator school visits. This one's a BEAUTY! 

Mrs. Brunner's kindergarten room sparkled with black-and-white design elements and polka-dots, too! 
You're going to LUV LUV LUV these 'center titles' splashed around the room. Look closely. They are 'built' 
on black dessert paper plates. CLEVER!

This is a teacher with a real sense of 'design' and she's really gone to plenty of DIY effort to make her classroom both inviting and organized. Here's a close-up of the reading center title. SWEET!

This same theme is carried out throughout the room. 

Here's a little peek at some polka-dots.

I had an earlier RoundUP of Behavior Charts in classrooms. 
I'll have to add this one to the earlier RoundUP. 



Speaking of earlier RoundUPs..... 
Take a look at this system of 'buckets-for-filling.' 

Here's the link to the RoundUP of buckets that I just pulled together. How did I miss this system of Mrs. Brunner? Her method of keeping all of the buckets together in a shoe organizer is sheer genius! 

The wall in the far corner of the room acts as a bulletin board for a brilliant family homework project from earlier in the year. Every child took one of the cardboard letters home. Then the children got to work under parental supervision. 
VOILA!

Our Mrs. Brunner was agonizing that the alphabet had become incomplete over the ensuing months in my photo above. So we found the two letters that had fallen down. So you can see them up close and personal. 

Here's a simple and clever writing project underway in plenty of time for Mother's Day. 

Common Core Writing in Kindergarten -- for Mother's Day 

I will need to add this writing prompt into my Mother's Day RoundUP. You need that earlier article if you're still looking for gift ideas! Can you 'feel' the Common Core calling out from this writing prompt experience? Common Core and Kindergarten!

Here's the way she displays her student work, just over her teacher's desk. Those are precut foam circles that you can get at a big craft store. She has permanently attached a clothespin to the circle and then affixed the clothespins to the wall.... so she can 'just' clip new projects into view. Of course I adore the happy polka dots, but my favorite part of the display is the title: "Kinertastic Work." 

I'll conclude today with a delightful display in the room's corner -- over by the windows. 

Yup. I've already had a "Hungry Caterpillar" article -- filled with inspiration for spring! 

Hope that all of these ideas inspire you 
as you begin to daydream about starting all over again next fall. 
When do you choose a new 'theme' for your classroom setting? 
By all means, please pin. 
It will help you save your favorite idea and I will be grateful for the ripples of readers your pin will send my way! 

If you've enjoyed this episode of my 'classroom crashing' then I know 
you'll appreciate this earlier episode. 
Even the anchor charts are color coordinated with the room theme! 

I'm now at 117,869 followers!     

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Now at 301 followers!

 -- Debbie -- 

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Zoo Creatures: Lions, Tigers and Bears!

Zoo Field Trip Fun!

Will you be making the proverbial field trip to the zoo this spring? Here are some ideas to help bring your adventures to life -- with or without the actual visit. 

The subtitle for this RoundUP could be 'Paper Plates' brought to life. 

Zoo Match Game with Velcro Pieces

I've gathered up a lot of exotic animals that I've seen during my author-illustrator school visits for your inspiration! Let's get started with this sweet DIY matching game that I saw up in Taylor, MI. 

Die-cut animals. Poster board. Lamination. VELCRO! Voila!

Match the Animals (with Velcro) 

Let's get started with the LIONS! You know they call me the "Lion Lady" right? There's an AMAZING story of the whys behind my moniker. It has to do with an Oprah medical miracle story and my contribution to a young boy's first spoken word. Honest. If you have time and a tissue you could read my backstory. 

Lions and....................

Now. Let's add some TIGERS! 

Anything that you can build on a paper plate is a pretty accessible project, right? How cute are these? You know how I appreciate when teachers allow children to create their own work. You can see that these children were allowed to work independently. HURRAY: real work!

Here are some Floridian tigers. From more mature students. 

These are my 'bears' for the RoundUP. 
I think they could qualify as Panda Bears. Right? 
They were on the Ohio bulletin board on Valentine's Day.
See how they are all heart variations? 
Ubber-cute -- whatever time of year. 

I wanted you to see one 'up-close' so that you can see the fine motor work underway -- with the cutting practice and scissor work. Clever and independent. 

As long as we're at the zoo....... let's see what else I have in my storehouse to review. 
Let's stay on the black and white channel for a little bit. 

ZEBRAS!!!
Notice the continuing theme of paper plates?

PENGUINS!!! 

Now to conclude with my personal favorite: 
GIRAFFES!!

Paper Plate Giraffes 

Did you see my article on Friday? I received the most amazing 'thank you' card with the student photo-faces as the giraffe spots. Such a clever idea! 

Hope that these ideas will inspire your exotic fun. 

***YES!!!!!!! By all means, please pin anything and everything that made you smile. The majority of my readership is as a result of your pinning kindness. THANK YOU! 

-- Debbie -- 

I'm now at 116,685 followers!     

Click this link to go there directly! 

Now at 301 followers!

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