today

an after-dinner trip to the park. no filter or changes, just everyday beauty. peace to you. 

91 F

soccer game in the blazing heat. evening sky. 

past their prime

and still lovely. 

morning

10 miles and this view. today's beauty. 

peace to you. 

survive institute

my older teen and i went with friends to a self protection training.  

the survive institute believes in learning by doing.  the teachers, former law enforcement officers, are warm and welcoming, and very direct.  

we made our own pizza, and sat outside with lemonade or water infused with mint.  the view of the ohio river was lovely.  

                                            


let no one confuse your kindness as weakness is the motto.  

we've trained our children to have good manners.  the trick is when to use them, and when to throw them over for a more effective strategy.  the survive trainers helped the teens know when that is.  the evening we went, there were only girls attending with moms, but boys are welcome.  i plan to bring my son when he is a little older.

the evening was scary, and very hands-on.  for almost-college-kids who will attend urban schools, this training was really useful.  

you can find out more information at their facebook page.

the beauty of staying safe.

peace.

heart

passing beauty. 

a peaceful thursday to you. 

outnumbered

a quick preview of an excellent training my teen and i attended last night.  

time well spent.  

a peaceful tuesday to you.

chocolate reading camp

this year for the first time I created an educational camp using two of my favorite things. I had the children pre-read roald dahl's charlie and the chocolate factory.  during the camp the children read the chocolate touch.  For fluency practice, I wrote chocolate fever into a script. campers read the script each afternoon, and performed it for their parents on Friday.  

we also ate chocolates for morning and afternoon snacks.  On Friday we made chocolate. 

the children played vocabulary charades and made finger puppets from wool roving. here are the puppets before being made into characters. campers also made dioramas from cardboard boxes so they had a little puppet theater. 

it was so much fun, with hoopla hoops for Venn diagrams- but the children built their skills. And got warmed up for school.

only down side?  i'm craving chocolates at least twice a day now. 

maybe we need a kale and blueberry camp?

here's hoping your kids are reading and enjoying it as a sweet experience.

joy!