Summer Fun Idea: Lewis and Clark Activity Guides

More than 200 years ago, the Corps of Discovery spent an incredibly difficult winter at their destination, the Pacific Ocean. Their time here, along the Columbia River, at Fort Clatsop and on the Pacific makes for riveting reading in their journals. But, for those of us who live or visit the Pacific Coast, there is also the opportunity to see the places they stayed, walk the paths where they walked, and discover first hand some of the challenges they faced.

Several years ago, as part of the bicentennial celebration of arrival of the expedition to their destination, the Pacific Ocean, Oregon Public Broadcasting, in collaboration with the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park and Destination: The Pacific, (and me as the writer) designed THE LEWIS AND CLARK ACTIVITY GUIDES, seven day trips to bring the spirit (and experiences) of the Corps to life.

No matter your age, a visit to the places where the Corps "wintered" (and almost starved) more than 200 years ago is an inspiring opportunity to walk in the steps of history and explore spectacular natural beauty.

And there is no better way to discover what they experienced than to take the time to travel the expedition's route. Each of these activity guides (available online, and as printable PDFs) offer a wonderful way for families to get outdoors, visit the beach, and spend quality time discovering some of our local history. Each day's activity focuses on a particular aspect of the Corps' accomplishments and adventures, every trip includes visits to parks in Washington or Oregon, interpretive information, historic sites, trails, beaches and scenic views. They include places to visit, tips and resources, and a learning activity.

These day-long adventures are designed to include something for everyone — the nature lover, the scientist, the history buff, the boat lover, the path finder, the foodie, the writer, the photographer, the artist, and of course, the family seeking a wonderful way to combine learning with fun. After all, school is ending soon and the sun might come out, tomorrow (or maybe some other day). But, weather or not, parents will be on the lookout for fun, fascinating, inexpensive (and hopefully educational) summer adventures.

ART TIP: Meriwether Lewis filled his journals with sketches of animals, plants and flowers he encountered on the expedition. There will be almost as many opportunities for your creative kids to sketch what they see. Be sure to pack a sketch pad, pencils and color pencils or markers to encourage young artists to capture birds, butterflies, seascapes, flowers, or the family having fun.

Note: About the photos. I took these while exploring the sites to write about. As I was heading to Fort Clatsop, where the Corps spent the winter, particularly hoping to find elk to eat, a large group of elk stepped out of the woods and into the road! The beach photo shows the place where members of the Corps, with Sacajawea (seeing the ocean for the first time) came to collect whale meat.

Creative Solutions for Winter Break

• Art Classes for Kids in Portland Oregon
• Resources for Parents of Creative Kids

With holiday break looming at the end of the week, I offer this list of hands-on creative classes and things to do over the winter holiday. (Editor’s note: In my opinion, an art class or drama workshop is a great gift for the right kid.)

OregonMom.com (Where to go with kids in tow)
Check out this is great website for parents. It covers a a broad spectrum of information relevant to anyone raising kids in Oregon. Specific to this list - the site includes a comprehensive list of art resources for kids.

Here are a few more resources.

Oregon Art & Theater Classes for Kids
Portland/Metro Area

My Masterpiece Art Studio
This site is loaded with things to do - I love to work in a studio atmosphere, and so will creative kids. The website lists fund Art Camp Workshops – click here to see a list of events offered during Winter Break and Spring Break.

Click here for a Winter Break 2010 flyer

Portland Childrens’ Museum
Winter Break Camps
Avoid cabin fever! Let us entertain the kids with cool winter projects. For children age 4 1/2 to 12. December 20-23 and December 27-30 from 10:00am-1:00pm or 2:00-5:00pm.

Winter Camp Ages 6-10 Years
December 20, 21, 22 & 23 or
December 27, 28, 29 & 30
9am-5pm

Portland Art Museum Family Programs
The Portland Art Museum offers tours, demonstrations, performances, story times, and hands-on activities designed to spark the imaginations and creativity of our youngest visitors and their families while fostering art appreciation. CHILDREN UNDER 17 ARE FREE!

No School Art School
1639 NE Alberta St.
Portland, Oregon
1639 NE Alberta St., Portland, Oregon
While the kids are out of school, Art School is IN SESSION. Jennifer Wells Design, DIY Lounge and a wide variety of local artist/teachers are teaming up to offer an amazingly comprehensive art program for kids age 6-12! This camp operates as three art workshops in one dynamic day. Children participate in unique art and music projects, art history education, and cultural diversity, while gaining insight into themselves and the world around them.

In case you still need more ideas - Visit the Omamas blog on OregonLive.com for listings for ideas for winter break camps.

Art Every Day: K is for Kids and Creativity

Day 11
Today's image is a botanical drawing of a potato plant- the final assignment in the fun class I am just completing. It is a botanical drawing - so has no shadows. It looks a little flat to me. None the less, it was fun to draw. I used graphite and color pencil.

Now onto the K. I have kids on my mind. I am just back from a teacher meeting with a handful of interesting and challenging new lessons to present. The classes I teach are part of an after school program funded by parents. This means that only kids who can afford the classes, get to participate. Yet, every kid I encounter tells me they love to do art, and that they wish they could do more of it in school.

Today, the arts are a luxury that many of Oregon's financially strapped schools can't seem to afford. Art advocates (I am certainly one) believe that the price for eliminating the arts from our schools will exact a price we don't want to have to pay.

Arts help students think creatively, not only express ideas, but shape them too. They offer opportunities for success in a variety of learning styles, and prepare kids for the world of work beyond school. And, most of all, kids like art. For many, the arts are what keep them coming to school day after day.

To learn more about the value of arts education, check out this video about the importance of creativity and the value of arts in school from Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) Art Beat at School.

By the way, Oregon Art Beat at School is another fantastic resource for art education, ideas and resources. It includes lesson plans sorted by grade, subject and content standards, and are based on individual videos aired on the TV program and available for streaming online (and in your classroom).

In the interest of full disclosure, I am one of the writers for the site, and I highly recommend it.

Art Every Day: H is for How-to

I am sure it comes as no surprise to others participating in this challenge to learn that creating an image everyday, and living the rest of my life, is not that easy. The hardest part, for me, is figuring out what to draw every day.

Add to this the alphabet organization I've given myself, and, in case things are not complex enough, I am also trying to experiment with different combinations of media to create different effects.

And, after working for detail in the last two florals, I feel the need to try something loose and sketchy.

Though I am rarely short of ideas, I am often woefully short of technique. As a teacher/writer, I seek, and frequently write, resources, how-to's (e.g., how to stimulate creativity) and curricula for educators. With this in mind, I did a search on How-to's for artists. Surprise, surprise, I came to a site already listed on THIS blog!

The idea for this drawing of a favorite garden is based on a lesson plan I found on DickBlick.com Resources for Educators. This is a great resource for ideas and How-to's. This is also the place you can go to buy new and replenish dwindling supplies.

The garden is drawn on matte acetate with color pencils (which worked surprisingly well). There is a sheet of metallic paper behind the image that gives it the light. Its rough, but I would certainly try this approach again. I an going back to this site for more ideas to try - for myself and my students.

I am always looking for great instructions and ideas - for myself and to share. Please post your favorite resources here.

How to Create a Boy-Friendly School

The subject of how boys are struggling in school and in life seems to come up regularly in the media. Several years ago, PBS ran a powerful documentary, Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Lives of Boys, which “explores the emotional development of boys in America today.” It describes American boys as “the most violent in the industrialized world,” and clearly shows that many boys are struggling in school, and unable to express their emotions.

A while ago, Newsweek published, Struggling School Aged Boys. Though the medium is different, the message is the same. Many boys, (according to the research) an extraordinary percentage of them, are having emotional or behavioral problems that are affecting their lives, and their ability and willingness to stay in school. Many of the problems are severe enough to cause parents to consult a doctor or health care professional.

As an educator, parent, and citizen of the nation that leads the world in fatherless families, violence and failing boys, I can’t stop thinking about the faces, and the voices of the boys in the film, and the issues and problems of the boys I see and hear about every day. So, the questions keep playing in my head … How can we do a better job of raising our boys? And, what can Oregon educators do to create a boy friendly school - a place where boys feel safe, welcome and able to learn and be themselves.
To clarify my thoughts, I contacted Marilyn Brown-Dikeos, whose program Empowered Learning includes strategies that teachers, mentors and parents can use to help boys feel safe and respected in the classroom. She offers the following insights and strategies.

1. Honor the risk of learning. Trying to learn something new can be risky for a boy who is afraid to fail. Help your student’s understand that learning is a process that includes trying, doing, and making mistakes. It is not about achieving perfection. Value a student’s attempts to master a new subject or skill. Celebrate effort and recognize even small accomplishments along the way.

2. Provide safe entry points to learning. Group learning and project based activities offer multiple entry points for students. The ability to choose a role or task which will allow him to work from his strength may help a boy feel confident enough to enter into an activity.

3. Allow students to self-evaluate. Many boys struggle in school because success and failure are tied up with their sense of themselves. A boy who gets a bad grade or fails a test is likely to feel stupid and embarrassed in front of his classmates. Rather than risk failing again, some boys simply stop trying. One way to work around this is to allow students to grade themselves according to the criteria you set. When they turn in a paper ask, “What grade do you think you earned?” Allow them to tell you how they might have done better. Remind a boy that understanding how to do better next time shows that he is learning.

4. Treat them with respect and kindness. Just because boys don’t show their emotions, we tend to treat them as if they aren’t there. In fact, research shows that boys are even more sensitive and more eager to please than girls. Treat them as if they are fragile. They are.

5. Provide opportunities for boys to talk about their feelings – through sports or chess or other games. Boys need to be reassured that their inner lives are NOT shameful, that play violence is not violence. Use their violent games and fantasies as a starting point for conversation or story writing.

6. Boys need to move around. Recess time is being eliminated as school days are shortened. Try to find ways to build action and motion into your activities and schedule.

7. Boys need to feel safe. They need an adult to talk to about bullies, fear, humiliation and their need to be protected. They also need an adult to show them that men are caring, compassionate and kind.
8. Offer opportunities for boys to resolve their own conflicts. Conflict resolution takes communication skills, the ability to listen, willingness to compromise, and often, creativity. It can help boys reflect on their actions, and see them from someone else’s point of view. Best of all, the ability to resolve a conflict without rage and aggression can result in friendship, something that no boy can succeed without.

Related Resources: For more information about this subject, help for parents, and classroom ideas, visit the following websites:
Raising Cain: Boys in Focus
http://www.pbs.org/opb/raisingcain/

The PBS Parents Guide to Understanding and Raising Boys
http://www.pbs.org/parents/raisingboys/index.html

Boys in School
How to help boys adjust to school and schools adjust to boys.
http://www.pbs.org/parents/raisingboys/school.html

Buy the Program
Raising Cain (DVD)
http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=2175911

Bullies & Victims: What Teachers, Mentors and Parents Need to Know

The topic of bullying (even the word is ugly) is in the news a lot lately. The following article, from Skipping Stones Magazine, (an International Multicultural Magazine)  contains good information, some advice and is a way to introduce this great resource.

Kids who feel unsafe in school are more likely to drop out. Even in the most caring school communities, many kids face disrespectful and sometimes abusive, bullying from other kids. This is one of the many challenges that students face today. may help teachers, mentors and parents identify and address bullying behaviors.

Students can be bullied because of as race, social status, sex, age, disability, physical features, or being otherwise different. Bullying can take the form of name calling, teasing, fighting or attacks, taking money, vandalizing belongings, and may result in anger, fear, sadness, insomnia, lack of appetite or withdrawal from activities. Falling grades, mood or habit changes, drug or alcohol problems or self-esteem issues may also result.

There is a fine line between bullying, school violence and violation of human rights. Bullying even violates some of the articles in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For example, Article 12 of this declaration states: "No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks."

To empower your students against bullying, you may wish to share the following advice:

• Be kind and respectful to yourself and others. Minimize or avoid contact with people who diminish others.

• Believe in yourself. People can make you feel inferior only with your permission. If you strive to be a good person each day, no one can diminish you on the inside.

• Practice withholding judgments of yourself or others. Take the time to get to know people to end gossip (myths).

• If you are a bystander, report incidents of harassment to an adult. You will not be tattling. Rather, you will be alleviating the suffering of another student and creating a support network for someone in need of your empathy and compassion.

• If, as a bystander or victim of bullying, you do not get help from one adult, continue to look for an adult who can help and seek support from family and friends.

If students, teachers and parents everywhere work on this issue, eventually there will be less school violence in the U.S. and around the world. Everyone has the right to live in peace on Earth—free from harassment and intimidation.

-- Patricia Wong Hall, educator, Oregon.

Skipping Stones Magazine
P.O. Box 3939
Eugene, OR 97403 USA.
Telephone: (541) 342-4956

Decisions Decisions

Did you know that decision making is a skill, one you can teach and learn?

In its list, Wikipedia states that decision making “might be regarded as a problem solving activity which is terminated when a satisfactory solution is found.” In myexperience - with kids, and with adults, its reaching that satisfactory solution that is the challenge. For many of us, deciding anything... what to eat for lunch, where to go on vacation, what we want to do with our lives, is a problem to solve.

In our increasingly complicated world, all of us need to be able to make good decisions. The good news is that decision-making is a skill; it can be taught. The process can be surprisingly easy, lots of fun, will teach and build on an array of thinking skills, and be integrated into almost any subject or project going on in your classroom, program or family.

Criteria: A standard, rule or test on which a decision can be based

To begin to make good decisions, we must be able to:

• Recognize situations in which we make decisions and choices (ACTIVITY TIP: Have kids brainstorm lists of the kinds of decisions they need to make every day - what to eat, how to spend time, which book or movies to choose, friends, etc.)Identify conditions, constraints and criteria that are important to the decision
• Identify our options
• Evaluate the information we are considering as the basis for the decision
• Predict effects or outcomes of a particular decision or choice
• Evaluate our options as they relate to all criteria
• Generate or revise decisions in response to new information (e.g., compromise)
• State the information and values on which your decision was based

The following three activities teach how to identify and frame criteria... essential skills we all need to make good decisions. These are fun, and can stimulate lively and interesting conversations on a variety of topics. Because it is one of my favorite topics, I decided to start with an art based activity. Then, I've added two more things to do, but you decide where you want to begin :-)

Gallery Stroll - this activity not only builds decision making skills but is an opportunity to develop language for discussion art. Expect to hear words that describe color, shape, motion, emotion, and much more.

• Arrange ten to fifteen pictures (magazines, photos, paintings) around your room to create a gallery
• Have kids walk around the gallery and study the images on the walls
• When they have completed inspecting each picture, have kids rank the pictures numerically, from their favorite to their least favorite. (Note: Suggest that kids write or sketch a brief “memo” of each image in a notebook.)
• After they’ve made their choices, have kids write out their reasons (criteria) for choosing their three favorites and their least favorite. Then, in small groups, or all together ...
• DISCUSS: What attracted you to the pictures you liked best? Why did you choose the one you did as your least favorite.
• Remind kids that the reasons for their choices are their CRITERIA.

2. Where Should We Go?

• Imagine: You are planning a family vacation (or a class trip) for next summer
• Discuss: Where you might go and the things you might do when you get there
• List: the criteria you will need to consider so that you can make the best choice (these include money, time, interests, transportation, family members, physical limitations, interests, etc.)
• Discuss: How did the criteria you determine affect your vacation planning?

3. Pick a Pet

• Imagine: You are about to select a new pet
• List: Potential pet choices. Everyone can choose their particular favorite.
• Brainstorm: Take five minutes to list all the criteria you can think of that will affect your choice of pet. (Pets you already own, allergies, cost, yard, house size, etc.)
• Discuss: Has considering the criteria about pet selection affected your decision about your choice of pet? Based on what you have considered, which pet would work best for your family.

Wild Geese Guides: A Literature Resource for Young Readers

I posted a blog about author visits and literacy recently, and, as usual, synchronicity took over. On the same day I posted my piece, children's book author Heather Vogel Frederick, posted the following information about a great resource, Wild Geese Guides, on her blog, Set Sail for Adventure (which, by the way, is another great resource.)

Wild Geese Guides is a blog that features "interviews, discussion guides, book club activities and other reading related content for children's literature." It is a great resource for anyone interested in literacy and literature. This is what Heather had to say about it:
"Attention, teachers, librarians, book club members, parents, and everyone else interested in literature for young readers! My good friend Tracie Vaughn Zimmer has uploaded ALL of her amazing teacher guides onto her new blog, Wild Geese Guides.
Discussion questions, suggested activites, multiple intelligence projects, quiz questions and more abound for over 250 books (including several of mine). This is a fabulous resource — stretching from preschool to high school — and one to bookmark, save, follow, tweet and re-tweet (I’m a twit, but Twitter-less), and share with friends."

Everyday lately I see more blogs offering information and resources for teachers. If you are a teacher, tell us, do you read blogs? Do you use the information you find there? Is this a convenient way to access resources? Do you have ready access to a computer in your classroom? What are some of your favorite teacher resources online?
Thanks - I look forward to reading some of your ideas ...

Literature Comes to Life When Students Meet the Author or Illustrator

“A visiting author is the living link between the child and the book. Careful preparation can forge a link that will last and last.”

Susan Fletcher, Author of Dragon’s Milk, Shadow Spinner, Alphabet of Dreams (and many more)

Few things can compare to the experience of meeting the person who wrote or illustrated a favorite book. According to the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI ) an author visit can:

• Connect kids to books in ways far more powerful than reading and sharing.
• Give kids an appreciation of the process used to create the books they love.
• Offer kids the opportunity to interact with people who make writing and illustrating their careers, thereby modeling this possibility for students.
• Significantly forward a school’s literacy efforts.

My personal experience bears out the idea that meeting a “real-live” author (or illustrator) inspires ideas, creativity and aspirations. With this in mind, and the belief that all kids (and their teachers) will be enriched by special opportunities, I asked Susan Fletcher, (friend and) award winning children’s book author and experienced “visiting author” for suggestions on how to make the most of an author visit. These are her ideas, based on long experience.

1. Prepare your students:  The single most important thing you can do is to read at least one of the author’s books to students before the visit. Provide other books (where available) to those kids who would like to read more. You might ask students to write down several questions to ask the author. (Note: Create individual lists, or brainstorm a list of questions as a group.)

2. Prepare the author:  Send a letter or email confirming the date, time(s), financial arrangements and directions to your school. It is helpful to specify exactly when each session will begin and end, what grades will attend each session, and any special information, interests or needs that will help make the most of the experience for your students. Also, don’t forget to include the name of the author’s staff contact for the day of the visit.

3. Prepare to make the most of the day. As you plan, consider:

• Group Size:  Some authors prefer to works only with small groups, others are comfortable with any size group. Be sure to ask.
• Schedule:  Don’t over schedule the author. Too many presentations in one day can wear down the author and the quality of the presentation. Find out ahead of time how many presentations and activities the author feels comfortable with.

 4. Prepare the facility:  Find out what equipment the author will need, e.g., table, access to a computer or electrical outlets, microphone, darkened room, etc. Try to have the room set up before the author arrives (and before the kids enter so that any testing and fixing can happen.)

5. Beware the autographing trap:  Autographs are fun, but can get out of hand. You might set aside a time just for autographing and consider limiting the number of autographs per student. Some authors provide a pre-autographed bookmark which can be copied and distributed to students.

The Funding Challenge

Funding an author or illustrator visit can be challenge in this economy. SCBWI offers the following suggestions and resources for funding school visits.

First and foremost, consider SCBWI’s Amber Brown Fund Grant, which funds a deserving school’s author/illustrator visit. To learn more about this singular opportunity click on "Awards & Grants" on the menu above, then chose "Amber Brown Grant." Click here to download an application.

Also consider:

• State and local arts councils
• State and local library associations
•  State and local reading councils
• The International Reading Association
• The American Library Association

Additionally, check out:

•  Lee & Low--Literacy Grants
•  Donors Choose
•  The Foundation Center
•  National Youth Development Information Center’s database of Federal and State Grants
•  Foundations Grantmakers Directory
•  School Grants

Share the costs with other groups:
Consider piggy-backing! Check with local and state SCBWI Chapters, local and state Reading Councils and Libraries, area education associations, area bookstores, community book fairs and literacy events, newspapers, radio and tv stations and publishers to learn of already-booked author/illustrator appearances. Offer to share expenses in exchange for a visit to your group!

Do you have any other ideas or suggestions? Share them here please.