What Different Can Do - Life on the Spectrum
The reality of life on the autism spectrum is both challenging and amazing! Today we’re sharing the story of a young man living on the spectrum named Carr, as well as the perspective of his mother Bridget. Life for both of them hasn’t always been easy, but Carr shows just how much you can do when you’re different as he inspires other neurodiverse people to keep trying even when things get hard.
Salt in His Shoes - Michael Jordan
He was my hero and that for many other kids my age. If you were a kid and you liked basketball, it didn’t matter what color you were, you wanted to be like Mike. That was the first time I personally witnessed an African American man have that kind of star power. Even though race tensions were high sometime in the 90s, No matter what was going on in society, when you watched him play, you forgot about all those things.
Stories from the Treehouse - Same, Same but Different
I wanted to share a story to remind us that we are all different but the same. We must continue to teach our youth that different isn’t bad or worse, it’s just different. This story is a great place to start sharing about Black History Month as we #RememberTogether that we are all different!
Exploring Together - “Pumpkins”
I hope you all are enjoying this new fall weather that has recently sprung up on us!. Bring on the chilly nights, cozy clothes and all things pumpkin! Speaking of pumpkins, I am going to share a few activities that you can do to engage your child’s senses as well as teach them along the way.
Stories with Stan - A Little Spot Learns Online
Being a former teacher I know how hard that is to do in person, not to mention verbally! I’ve seen a lot of negativity about teacher’s effectiveness during this time of on-line learning! We have to continue to support them and give them grace, because they are still getting used to the new normal. Here are a few tips I suggest for virtual learning this year!
Stories with Stan - We Are Together
During my time as a classroom teacher, I realized that children(we)are like popcorn. Some pop early, some pop late. In my family I’ve always been the late bloomer(popper)! So I understood that some kids may need a little more to water and sunlight to grow than others.
Activities with Amber - Painting with Hands
Growing up, I was always fascinated with what shadows I could make out of my hands. My brother and I would use a flashlight and try to make cool animals or shapes in the shadows. Today, I am going to take that a bit farther! We are going to shape our hands to make animal paintings (or drawings)!
Cooking with Collins - Berry Brownie Pizza
This is not only a delicious desert but a fun desert to make with the kids, let their creativity flow while decorating this amazing desert! You could use all your kids favorite fruit on this one.
Activities with Amber - Kindness Rocks
I miss you all so much and truly hope you have enjoyed our activities this summer! This week is one of my very favorite activities that I have been saving up for you guys. ROCK PAINTING!
Cooking with Collins - Southwest Chicken Bowl
Today I am bringing you one of my favorite meals, a Southwest Chicken Bowl with Black Beans and Corn! You can make this delicious and nutritious meal in a few steps and it’s suitable for the whole family!
Activities with Amber - Watermelon Canvas
Everyone’s favorite snack on a hot day is a fresh, juicy watermelon! Well, I know it’s my favorite snack. After eating some this weekend, it got me thinking that a watermelon painting would be fun and cute, so that’s what I’ve brought you this week!
Cooking with Collins - Chocolate Zucchini Bread
If your campers were with us last summer, they probably remember the Chocolate Zucchini Bread we had for breakfast one morning. This is a camp favorite and parents are always asking me for it, so I’m excited to share it with you today.
Activities with Amber - Surprise Expressions
I am so excited to be back with you guys and teach your young artists another super cool project! This week, we are going to be creating what is called a “surprise expression”. This is a super simple concept that involves folding and drawing!
Moving in the Morning with Coach Caleb - A Curious Mind
Our minds were born with curiosity. We were birthed wide eyed and saw everything in amazement. Every person, thing, and experience was new and exciting and we just wanted to see more.
Activities with Amber - Dessert for the 4th!
To help make your Fourth of July a little more fun and a whole lot sweeter, I am bringing you a dessert this week!
Activities with Amber - Drawing Animals
I hope you all are having a great week and are excited to learn some new art!
This week, I am going to teach you how to draw some cool animals.
Cooking with Collins - Sweet Potato Crust Quiche
This crust takes quiche and makes it even healthier. This has become my new favorite crust for Quiche, not only is it easy to put together, it is full of flavor! This can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, you cant go wrong with this one!
Activities with Amber - Self Portraits!
We are back with another drawing how-to! This week we are going to learn how to draw a proportional self-portrait! Why is this important you may ask? Well, there are a few reasons.
Stories with Stan - Kindness Challenge
Are you going to participate in a summer reading program? Of course you are! But how about a Summer Writing Program? Better yet, a Summer Authorship Program?!
This summer, Leap for Literacy is offering our exclusive Share Your Story Program for free! We all have a story to share, and this is your chance!
Activities with Amber - Drawing Landscapes
We are going to learn how to draw a landscape with perspective!! A “landscape portrait” is just a fun term for an outdoor scene. This is a super useful lesson because you don’t have to go far to find a landscape to paint or draw, you can just step outside! Your landscape creation can be of a pretty lighthouse while visiting the beach, a beautiful sunset, the tree in your backyard, or even something from your imagination. I hope with this knowledge, you all will begin to feel comfortable taking out a sketchbook next time you see some pretty scenery.
