Moms Inspire Learning

What does your ideal school look like?

Rick Ackerly wants to "change the way America thinks about education." After quite a few email chats concerning the subject, he shares his vision at the post, "A Home and a Heaven for Children."

I will write a related post sometime early next week. In the meantime, please feel free to share your thoughts on his blog or mine. Have a great weekend!

It's Raining Apathy

Out of all the problems there are in this world, the one I have found to be the most frustrating is apathy. The busier we all get, the more problems we minimize, brush off, or even fail to see at all. It's like we're all running around in the pouring rain, but we've covered ourselves head to toe so that we can't feel the moisture.

Well, somehow in the midst of all this, I got soaked. Call it the curse of the avid reader, or whatever you want. But even I can't pay attention to the many problems and causes of the world. If I did, they would drown me.

When I read this quote, I can't help but think that the circle of apathy is not unlike the water cycle:

“So much attention is paid to the aggressive sins, such as violence and cruelty and greed with all their tragic effects, that too little attention is paid to the passive sins, such as apathy and laziness, which in the long run can have a more devastating effect.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Rocking the Education World in Montauk

The Friday we arrived in Montauk, the weather was disappointing. It wasn't raining, but everything was foggy and gray. Since we had a couple of hours before our dinner reservation, we decided to go for a walk on the beach. I wasn't about to let the weather keep me from the ocean! And I'm so glad I didn't.

As we walked, the fog seemed to become thicker and thicker. There were waves crashing against the shore, but there was no ocean or horizon. The fog was circling us from about 20 feet away. It was the closest I ever came to walking on a cloud.

I found myself wondering if I had died and gone to heaven. It would be so fitting that my version of it would be on the beach. It's always been my favorite place.

I can't even put into words what it really felt like to walk along, without being able to see what was right in front of me. The crashing of the waves made the experience even more surreal. But it was what we stumbled upon next that really got me thinking.

Connecting the Dots of Home and School with Games

No matter how you slice it, there's always going to be a certain amount of memorization when it comes to the school curriculum. Whether your child attends public school, or is homeschooled, you can't really get around it.

While I certainly don't believe that parents should drill their children and put pressure on them, which can be a real turnoff, anything they can do to tie in to the curriculum in a fun way would be a wonderful thing. It could be that perfectly timed museum trip, or a real life math question, or....a board game.

A Quick and Easy Soup Recipe

I think it's safe to say that we're all searching for recipes that are not only healthy, but quick and easy to make, too. Recipes like that are not too easy to find, are they?

I love to make soup in the fall and winter. Most of them need to be pureed, but I usually don't mind taking extra time out to make them because they really pack a punch when it comes to providing nutrients. Well, today I have a recipe which is very easy to make and does not even need to be pureed! And for some, the fact that it's a vegetarian dish is a huge plus. It's called Vegetarian Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup, and I found it on the Whole Foods web site. Hey, the clue that it would be delicious was in the word, Tuscan!

Montauk Lights the Way

Right now, there's a soft breeze breathing fresh air through my house. As I look out the window, the trees seem to be giggling. Some even give a few full belly laughs. The birds seem to be chirping with cheer today too. It's a beautiful day.

The whisper of the breeze brings me back to a recent weekend we spent in Montauk. It sounds like the waves of the open shore. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face.

Here's a photo of the lighthouse in Montauk, Long Island:

Montauk Point Lighthouse ©Dawn R. Morris

Here's the view from the top (try climbing that long, spiral staircase):

 
From Top of Montauk Lighthouse ©Dawn R. Morris

And here's the lighthouse from the beach below:

 

Montauk Lighthouse ©Dawn R. Morris

And here are some fishermen who stood behind it:

 
Fishermen of Montauk ©Dawn R. Morris

Like the fisherman, I too love the sea. I like to fish as well, but for information. I like to piece it and weave it together, kind of like a seamstress or a chef. That's why I love blogging. It allows me to connect my dots and make sense of the world.

A World of Water for Blog Action Day

Since today is Blog Action Day, when bloggers from around the world write about the same issue on the same day, I decided to write a very brief post concerning a topic I wrote a series about previously: water.

I wrote most of the posts in that series (find link below) before the Gulf oil spill occurred. If anything at all positive came out of that tragedy, it was the reminder that the water supply connects every living thing, and that we must do everything we can to protect the one resource which makes our planet oh so unique.

For most of us, it's the little things we do every day that can help preserve and protect water. We can turn off our faucets quickly, take shorter showers, and not put harmful chemicals on our lawns or down our drains. Our actions may not make waves, but they certainly will create ripples. And not just in our surrounding neighborhoods, but around the world.

While access to water is something so many of us take for granted, many others struggle every day with finding enough clean water to simply survive. The circle of life and nature is not always fair. It can be cruel for some. The more each of us plays our part, the better the outcome for every living thing.

Have you spoken with your children about this important topic? If you're having a hard time doing so, and could use a little help, some related picture books might just do the trick. You might even learn a thing or two yourself! You can find my A World of Water series here.

If we don't take water for granted, chances are, our children won't either. This weekend might be a perfect time to start a conversation at the dinner table, or while your child is brushing her teeth. How, when, or where will you approach the subject? A simple question, timed just right, could really spark an interest in the subject.

I hope your weekend is as refreshing as the sound of a waterfall!

 

Pockets Full of Kryptonite

I don't know about you, but I'm not Waiting for Superman. I never have, and I never will. That's part of the reason that I have absolutely no desire to spend 2 hours of my time in a movie theater pretending that I am.

I see the problems with education through a very different lens than most people seem to. I lived inside that world for a few years, as an outsider looking in, and that experience has shaped who I am today. It's a major part of why I started this blog. But I have shared little information about those experiences.

That's about to change.

This Family Cooks

My teenage daughter made us wild salmon last night. It was a simple recipe created by my husband. You combine olive oil, dill, thyme, capers, garlic, sea salt, pepper, and rosemary, pour it over the salmon (skin side down), and bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. It was simple and delicious.

It is because of articles like this one that I only am willing to cook with WILD salmon, but that's a whole other topic for another day.

Playing Games with Problem Solving

Are we there yet?

What can I eat?

There's nothing to do...

What parent hasn't ever heard these words? Before you even heard them, you probably had twenty things on your to do list, right?

Looking back at my last post, it appears that I added more to your to do list, rather than less. The way I see it, though, is that a little time invested up front will pay off big time later on.