National Parks and Families
Granny apple doll makingPeaks of Otter, Virginia My family has enjoyed visiting National Parks in the United States and Canada for years…and years. Each National Park offers ranger-led programs for …
Starting the School Year with a Substitute
No one can plan for medical emergencies or when babies are born. Several times I have been a substitute for the first week or two of school. This particular time, …
Stinky Neighbors
True Hikers While I understand that not everyone, or everything, can smell like a new baby, there are some neighbors who possess a certain…um…aroma, for lack of a better word, …
Don’t Want This Hug
Sequoia Nat’l ParkCalifornia We love to camp at primitive campsites. Okay, my husband and I love to camp at these non-electrical locales. The children just put up with the fact …
The Pleasure of Reading to Children
My greatest pleasure, when substituting for the younger grades, is reading to the class. I was lucky enough to enjoy this privilege when my own children were in grade school. …
An Uninvited Dinner Guest
When camping in nature, you need to be ready for any uninvited guests who might drop by. Oftentimes they invite themselves to dinner. Back when it was just the five …
Night Prowls
The next night of our rustic camping at a state park in Virginia, the older children and I went on a night prowl with a park ranger. My husband stayed …
The Gift of Thanks
The joy of substituting, every once in a while, you reach someone and help them to understand concepts in review when the teacher leaves work. High school geometry. Multi-step word …
Nature, quiet?!
Friends will ask us how we can camp every summer out in nature where it is so quiet at night. First, I try to explain that with our crew it …
All the Classroom’s a Stage: Third Grade Thespians
Children are natural born actors. Think about it. Aren’t children always looking for an audience? A two-year-old follows you around to give her rendition of “tantrum” or a nine-year-old offers …