Finals Week

Well, we have made it; mostly intact, to finals week. Ready for a break and time to breathe. Do you best my loves.

Bouquets of Freshly Sharpened Pencils

On this back to school day I am reminded of the quip from "You've Got Mail", when Joe Fox sends an email to Kathleen Kelly about autumn saying that it is his favorite time of year in New York and that he would send her "bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils" in honor of autumn. I love that quote and always think of it when I am heading back to school. As a child I loved school and everything about it. I couldn't wait to go back to school in the fall. New pencils, new erasers, no mistakes made yet, and new clothes. As a college professor I feel the same way each semester as we head back, but especially in the fall. On this first day of school, I wish I could send you all bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils, joy at the new school year, and my best wishes.

Favorite New Books

Summer reading has been well underway for me. How about you? I have finished several novels, including Little Bee, by Chris Cleave and The Virgin Blue, by Tracy Chevalier. But, it is my work reading that has been so much fun, Bruce Perry, Born for Love, Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered, and Scared Sick, by Robin Karr-Morse are my two favorites this summer. Finally, one of my personal heroes, Dr. Ron Lally has a new book out about the importance of supporting families and infants http://www.huffingtonpost.com/j-ronald-lally
Enjoy!!

A dollar and a sharpie marker, best review game ever!

So, building on an idea I saw somewhere else, I stopped at the dollar store and bought a small ball, about 8" in diameter. I took a sharpie and drew squares on it, I was able to make about 20 squares. In each square I wrote a review question. The students were divided into two teams. They tossed the ball between each team. Taking turns, each student caught the ball and tried to answer the question under their right thumb. Round two, they were allowed to get help from their team. Round three, they were allowed to steal the answer from the other team if the team with the ball did not know the answer. Round four, you have to find a question on the ball that has not been answered. I played this with my Sunday school CCD children and they loved it. I will create balls for my Developmental Psychology classes and probably a few more. BTW, everyone gets a small prize for playing. The point is just to review and make sure everyone has heard the important facts for the course.
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Missing the Little People

I need to carve out more time to spend with the children at our child care center. I am missing children. Promise to myself, two mornings a week in the child care center. One morning in the preschool and one in the toddler room. I am finishing up a flannel story for Mouse Paint. Time to bring it to the little people and share it.