Writings, Wanderings

The second part of February had several good children's books reads as I continue on my quest for 2020. Baby Bedtime by Mem Fox & Emma Quay made my five-star list and received its own blog entry . Just a heartfelt story. Zoo Day: A My First Experience Book by Anne Rockwell was an easy read about a young boy and his sister's first trip to the zoo. While the words and illustrations were decent, I am more excited about the options for enrichment activities related to this book. Only a few pages in is a map of the zoo. Ask the young reader where he or she wants to go first. After reading, have them draw their own maps (buy animal stickers ahead of time for a different creative approach). The boy says that he is a little afraid of the lion's roar. Find out which animal makes your reader nervous. Wrap up the reading by asking what souvenir he or she would like to take home to remember a day at the zoo (I love how the book adds in the reminder that the animals have t...

For Everyone  by Jason Reynolds This book really resonated with me. As an adult you're expected to have it all together and yet there are those moments where to paraphrase a popular meme, you find yourself looking around for a more adultier adult. Other days you just don't feel as though you are where to want to be. And some days, you simply feel lost. This collection of poems addresses these emotions in honest, reflective verses. I felt like I was part of a conversation as I paged through the four parts of the book, the words pulling me along. One of my favorite segments was when he talked about how creativity was for everyone, not just the typical artists. Jason's words were encouraging and also motivating. The writing wasn't just to make you feel ok about where you were in life but to keep moving forward, no matter the stage or walk you were in. I recommend this book "for everyone" but especially anyone who's searching for the n...

June 2017 one of my friends from high school and I did a whirlwind trip from Ohio down to the Gulf Coast and back in one week. Our route included stops in Nashville, Montgomery, New Orleans, Jackson, Mobile, and Birmingham alongside several small towns. We ate good food, shared lots of thoughts and laughs, and learned. We had been taught the basics of the civil rights movement over our years as students, but seeing places firsthand gave those lessons true meaning. One important museum in this growth was the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. This Alabama museum is located across the street from the Sixteenth St Baptist Church, the site of a horrific bombing in the 1960's that killed four young girls at church. The museum's exhibits are focused in four main galleries: Movement, Barriers, Confrontation, and Human Rights. While the exhibits had artifacts from the time period, they also worked to recreate some scenes. For example, the crucial role played by the churches in Afri...