Summer
is the time for trying new things at our house. Today I will be
attempting to make kale chips with the kale from our CSA share. Having a
CSA share is new for us, too. We're splitting it up with older daughter
Alice. She'll be coming over today to fancify Margo's hair with henna
streaks--quite the Summer adventure. If we can keep the kale separate
from the henna, all will be well.
My
husband treasures his summers for the time to pursue music playing and
composing. All the instruments get pulled out. He watches the Orioles
while practicing guitar, banjo, ukulele, harp, mandolin. Oh, and the
banjolele. Did you even know there was such a thing? One year he was
practicing tuba for a show in Towson and the Orioles games were pretty
exciting at our house.
And if you think "sad trombone" sounds sad?
Last
summer we joined Lifetime Fitness together, and it worked for awhile
until school knocked us out of whack in the Fall. We're trying it again
this Summer, with Margo now old enough to try the upstairs activities
with us. Her excitement is good for the rest of us. (I could use some
extra enthusiasm when it comes to exercise.) And of course that means
pool dates with Alice and George. I have plenty of enthusiasm for those,
although I wish Lifetime had more shade structures.
What
do I do in the Summer? Well, I craft. I try new crazy craft ideas,
often blending recyclables with materials from my craft stash. I bought a
boatload of costume jewelry at the Abiding Savior Flea Market, so I'm
thinking that will figure in this year's creations. I'm going to have a
table at this year's Oakland Mills Cultural Arts Festival, selling fun,
cute items for five dollars and under. Mostly dollar stuff. Target
audience? Kids and teens who can't afford to buy anything from the
professional, artisan-vendors. We don't have much for them. I'm also
going to do a raffle for a barrel-full of craft supplies. That was
Margo's idea, and you'll be hearing more about that here as the time
approaches.
In
the Summer I brainstorm activities for my early childhood special needs
music and movement classes. I'm always looking for new music, new
hands-on materials, and new picture books that go with songs. Often, I
make my own picture books using scrapbook albums and printouts from the
computer. I have been experimenting with creating iPad picture books as
well. I have done a few using the slideshow function, accompanied by
songs, with mixed success. Slideshows don't count musical beats or wait
for key words, which is important to me. I have an idea for a "Wake Up"
book that has been percolating all through the past school year....
Summer.
Recharging. Recess. Absolutely vital. Teachers and students alike must
be creators. We can't create if the well runs dry. This is how we recharge. How do you "fill your well"?
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