#Kinderblog14, week 5: Arts & Entertainment

Holy crippity-crap, it is Sunday, isn't it? And that means you folks are waiting for another challenge.

Ok, here goes:

Arts and Entertainment:

When you spend all day in a room with young children, there is no avoiding the moments where it is all you can do not to bust out laughing.

What are the parts of this job that make you laugh the hardest (or work the hardest to KEEP from laughing)? Share examples if you want -- we all have our stories that should go in a book some day!

Because, let's be honest: it really DOES resemble a circus, some days!

Remember to tweet your post using the #kinderblog14 hashtag, and to post the link in the comments here, and/or on our Facebook page.

Smiles & Sunshine;

Amy

#Kinderblog, Week 4: The Personals

Hello my friends!

I know I am a day late with this one. I am on vacation in the middle of nowhere (which is also the middle of EVERYTHING that matters. It's beautiful here.) and both my time and my internet access are a little sparse. Have no fear, though, I am ready to challenge you today!

For the 4th week of this challenge, you once again have 2 choices:

1.) Write about a relationship (either personal or professional) that challenges you, or is maybe difficult for you. What makes it hard? What are the ways that it makes you grow? Is it worth the difficult-ness? Why do you think that relationship came into your life? What are you learning from it?

2.) Write a personals ad for the perfect classroom assistant or partner teacher for YOU. What are the skills and qualities that balance out your strengths and weaknesses? What are the areas of knowledge that are less strong for you, and that would be important in a partner-in-crime for you? What are some of your quirks that someone else might need to be patient with?

As always, tweet your responses with the #kinderblog14 hashtag, post a link in the comments, and/or share it on our Facebook page.

I can't wait to read about you!

Smiles & Sunshine from paradise
xo
Amy

#Kinderblog, Week 3: Homes and Gardens

Well, hello, friends!

I know I am just under the wire on this one, but it is still Sunday in my part of the world, so I feel like I'm ok.

Last week's challenge was... very challenging for many of you, and I wanted to give big shiny gold stars to those of you who found the courage to express disagreement. I really think this is one of the hardest things for teachers to do, but also the most important for all of us as professionals. If you opted out last week, I completely understand, but I also hope that, maybe, it planted a seed of courage in you, and that maybe somewhere down the line, you will find a way to meet the spirit of the challenge in your own way.

This week's challenge is a lot less scary, and even includes TWO possible ways to participate:

Option 1: What is the process you follow for setting up your classroom? What are your priorities, your values, your beliefs, about classroom setup, decor, and organization? (Feel free to share photos! We love photos!)

Option 2: How do you feel about where you live? This could be your house, your neighbourhood, your city, region, even your country. What do you love about it? What do you hate? What would you change if you could? Again, we love pictures!

Ready, set, go!

As always, remember to tweet your response using the #kinderblog14 hashtag, and to link to it in the comments here, or on Facebook.

I can't wait to read about the places you love.

Amy

#Kinderblog14, Week 2: Letters to the Editor

Hello again, friends! I know it is already Monday in some parts of the world, but it's still Sunday in my beautiful Mountain Time Zone, so I AM NOT LATE YET!

I loved loved loved reading your responses to the Week #1 challenge, so much so that I sort of want to just make you all finish ANOTHER draft post, just to see what we are all hesitant and unsure about. I sometimes feel like the bravest thing we do, as bloggers, is hit "publish" and wait for the response.

HOWEVER, I imagine you all would like a new challenge, so here it is. (Please note that this will still required you to Be Brave). This is a new sort of challenge (almost like a field trip!) and it has 2 parts:

1: ANYWHERE ON THE GREAT WIDE INTERWEBZ: Find an article or blog post that you do not agree with, and post your response in the comments of that article/post. Obviously, do this in a way that is respectful, professional, and kind, but BE CLEAR about your points of disagreement and the reasons for them.

2: On your OWN blog, share a link to the article, a brief summary of it, and tell us WHY it pressed your buttons. Is it just plain WRONG? It is misleading? Is it misinformed, or not adequately informed? Is it striking a nerve for you personally because of a specific situation or experience?

Yeah. I know. I am totally pushing you to air some of your dirty laundry. It feels good. Trust me.

When you're all done, tweet the link with the #kinderblog tag, share it in the comments below, and/or on our Facebook page.

Ok... go!

#Kinderblog, Day 14: Wordless Wednesday

I know, I am barely in under the wire on this one, but it is still the 14th in my timezone, so I am calling it fair.

It's Wednesday, which means you have no words to write!

Post a photo of the view from your window. Any window.

Fun, right?

Can't wait to see your view!

Sweet dreams, friends.
xo
Amy

#Kinderblog, Day 14: A goal for the week

Yikes, can you even believe I have posted on time, TWO DAYS IN A ROW?

Yeah, me neither.

Ok, for today, please complete the following sentence:

"I want to _____ with my class this week."

That's all. Easy, right?

Can't wait to read what you are all up to!

xo
Amy

#kinderblog, Day 13: Monday lists

Look! It's me! Writing a prompt post ON TIME! (Not only on time, but EARLY, because it is actually Sunday night right now, and I am going to schedule this for the morning.) I WIN THE INTERWEBZ.

Ok, here's a nice, quick, easy post for a Monday:à

List 5 songs that make you sing. Or dance. Or both.

(Bonus points if you include sound or video.)

That's all.

Happy Monday, friends. May the force be with you.
xo
Amy

#Kinderblog Ketchup

(Ketchup... Catch-up... Get it? Never mind.)

Ok, folks, I am going to fly through the prompts that will get us all caught up to today, and then TOMORROW I AM GOING TO SCHEDULE THE PROMPTS FOR ALL OF NEXT WEEK. Because, clearly, I am unable to find a way to write 4 or 5 sentences every day. I BLAME THE PUPPY.

So, on Day 8: Wordless Wednesday! Post a photo of your favourite thing about your classroom, school, or office.

Day 9:  Walk us all through your before-school morning routine.

Day 10: TGIF! If you won the lottery, what would you do?

Day 11: Complete this sentence: "I get choked up every time I tell the story of _____"

And Day 12 (which is tomorrow, but let's just get it out of the day): Describe your very favourite article of clothing.

THERE. The ketchup/catch-up is done. Share your links in the comments so I can read your stuff.

And thanks for being patient with me.

Happy weekend, friends.

xo
Amy

#kinderchat post-a-day, Days 6 & 7: A twofer

You guys. Believe me, the irony of missing a prompt during a post-a-day challenge is NOT LOST ON ME.

I don't even know what happened yesterday. I went back to school, and came home and went to #kinderchat, and then went to bed, and then woke up at 3 am in a panic that I hadn't posted the prompt, and by then... IT WAS TODAY.

I am pathetic, I know.

So, here are 2 prompts for the price of one:

Day 6 (That would be yesterday): Monday lists: 5 things in your backpack/briefcase/purse/tote bag.

Day 7 (That would be today): Complete this sentence: Before the end of the school year, I want to ____ with my class.

Ok, that is all. I will NOT FORGET TOMORROW'S PROMPT. 

Promise.

#Kinderblog Post-a -day, Day 4: When I grow up...

Crap, friends, it is already Day 5 in some time zones, and I am just now getting the day 4 prompt up... WHY DO YOU PEOPLE PUT UP WITH ME?!

Ok, quick and dirty so this post is not delayed any further:

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Make the story as long or as short as you want -- feel free to tell us ALL the iterations of your dream occupations.

I can't wait to read (and this is one post that I can't wait to WRITE, too!)

Sweet dreams from the land of ice and snow;

xo
Amy

#kinderblog post-a-day, Day 3: TGIF - the best thing about 2013...

I know I am a little late today, but it is still January 3rd, and you still have time to get this post up today. It's an easy (and fun!) one, I promise!

Share the very best thing(s) about 2013!

There, see? Easy peasy!

Share your post in the comments, here or on Facebook, and don't forget to tweet it out!

Happy Friday, friends!
xo
Amy

#kinderblog Post a day, Day 1: Wordless Wednesday

Hello friends!

Welcome to the #kinderchat January Post-A-Day challenge.

Your first assignment does NOT EVEN REQUIRE YOU TO WRITE WORDS.

Post a photo (or a few photos), or a video, that represents your 2013.

Then, of course, post a link in the comments here, or on our Facebook page, and tweet it out using the #kinderblog tag.

That's all - easy peasy!

Happy first day of 2014, friends. We are SO EXCITED about this journey with all of you!

#Kinderblog13, Assignment 5: Fear

I bet you all thought I would forget about this week's prompt, right? Since I am up here in the woods, far away from civilization, where I have opened my laptop exactly twice in one week?

No such luck.

The last 2 weeks topics, while perhaps not EASY, have been, maybe, pretty comfortable for most of you, I think. This week, it's time to shake it up a little.

Your one-word prompt:

Fear.

Okay, there you go. Chew on that one for a while. I can't wait to read what you have to say!

Lots of love from the back of beyond;
Amy

#Kinderblog13, Assignment 4: Dream

Whoa, we are already up to week 4? Where did the time go?

I bet you all thought that I would not get this post up on time because I am roadtripping, but NO SUCH LUCK!

Your one word prompt for this week:

Dream.

As always, please share your link in the comments, and tweet it out using #kinderblog13.

(Also: wow, you guys are so awesome. I am so impressed with the caliber of the posts you all are writing, ON YOUR SUMMER VACATION.#Awesomesauce.)

Hope your travels are as happy as mine have been so far!

Amy

#Kinderblog13, Assignment 3: Change

Ok, folks, it's week 3 of the #kinderblog13 challenge. Your one-word prompt for this week:

Change.

As always, once you write your post, please link to it in the comments here, and tweet it out using the #kinderblog13 hashtag.

Just joining us now? The full instructions on how to do the challenge can be found here. Welcome aboard!

#Kinderblog13, Assignment 2: Brag

Wow, the response to the first #kinderblog2013 topic -- Confess -- was nothing short of amazing. If you haven't had a chance to read everyone's posts, please check out the comments for all the links. How great is to know that we are not alone with our quirks and flaws?

This weeks challenge is something teachers are notoriously BAD at doing:

Brag.

Go ahead, do it.

As always, when your post is done, please tweet it out using the #kinderblo2013 tag, and post a link in the comments right here.


(If you are new to the challenge, and missed the instructions from early this week, you can check them out here. Join us! You are welcome to jump in any time!)

Smiles & Sunshine;
Amy

#Kinderblog13, Assignment #1: Confessions

Ok, friends: #Kinderblog2013 officially begins TODAY. (If you missed the instructions from early this week, you can check them out here.) Huge thanks and kudos to those of you who jumpstarted things by writing the warm-up assignment. If you are just joining us now, you can go back and do the warm up first, or just dive right in with this first assignment.

As a challenge to myself this year, I'm going to try and give each assignment as a single word, which you can then interpret in a way that works for you. That said, the first assignment is:

Confess.

Come on, tell us all your secrets (but not anything that might get you fired, okay?)

Don't forget, when your post is done, please come back and link to it in the comments, and tweet it out using #kinderblog13.

#Kinderblog13: Pre-race packet and warm up exercise!

(Ok, this not really anything like a race, but it worked well with the warm-up metaphor, so stay with me, ok?)

HI! 
Amy here, friends, blogging from my little corner of The Canada. I am a little late getting the summer blog challenge going this year, and I blame this on having the World's Weirdest End-Of-Year. Seriously. Because of catastrophic flooding in my beautiful city, we did not have a last day of school. That's right. We just sent the kids home, business-as-usual, at the end of one day, and then... schools were closed and there were no more days. I'm still getting over it.

BUT! It is starting to feel like summer (847 degree temperatures help with that) and so THE TIME HAS COME...

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, take your seats, because:

THE 2013 #KINDERCHAT SUMMER BLOGGING CHALLENGE BEGINS NOW!

This is an annual tradition around these here parts, but if you are new to our happy little #kinderchat family, here is how it works:

• Who can join? The challenge is open to anyone. Most participants are teachers, but all are welcome. The questions/assignments usually relate to teaching and/or kids, but if you are a quantum physicist and can write a relevant post, you are welcome here.
• What happens? Every Saturday for 6 weeks, beginning this Saturday (July 6th), I will post a new blogging assignment right here. I'll probably tweet it, too, so make sure you are following me (@happycampergirl) as well as the kinderchat account (@kinderchat123).
• What do I need to do? Once the topic is posted:
1. Write your response and post it on your own blog
2. Leave the link to your response in the comments of the assignment.
3. Tweet out the link, using the #kinderblog13 hashtag.
4. Visit at least one other blogger's response, AND LEAVE THEM A COMMENT. (This is important, bloggers love comments. It's like having your glitter-covered clip moved to purple so you get to pick a coupon to exchange a sticker redeemable for treasure from the prize box. #snark.)

What I love very best about this challenge is how simple it is. You can do all 6 questions, or just the ones that float your boat. You can join in mid-way, or start from the beginning. You can miss a week and no one will reprimand you. It is SUMMER VACATION, so nothing should be stressful.

If you have never blogged before, this is a great reason to start. If your blog has been neglected due to the insanity of school, this is an opportunity to refresh it. If you are an avid blogger who is not sure what to write about when you do not have munchkins in your classroom, this will provide you with some inspiration. If you are not a blogger, but an avid blog reader, keep a twitter search running for #kinderblog12, because you are bound to make some awesome discoveries.

AND NOW, because I know some of you can't wait to get started, here is a (completely optional, but short and fun) warm up assignment (this is the ONLY assignment with a word count limit, I promise!):

In 250 words or less, tell us YOUR story. What do you do, why do you do it, how do you do it, for how long have you been doing it, where do you do it? What do you BELIEVE about what you do? How do you FEEL about what you do? You only have 250 words, so use them well.

Remember: it doesn't have to be prose. It can be a poem, a song, a series of pictures, even a video clip of you talking, but: ONLY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY WORDS.

Ok, that's it. If you write a warm up post, don't forget to link to it in the comments. If you have questions about how this whole thing works, you can post them as comments, too.

Aaannnnndddd..... we're off and running! The first official question gets posted on Saturday; don't forget to come back and check it out.

Smiles and sunshine;

Amy 

Being Brave

Amy here, friends. As the organizer of this whole blogging challenge, I took the liberty of claiming the first "real" post. I hope you all don't mind...

As I always am when I come up with a #kinderchat project, I was a little nervous when I cooked up the idea of us collectively completing NaBloPoMo. 31 posts in 31 days is A LOT of posts. What if this is a dumb idea? What if no one signs up? WHAT IF I HAVE A PARTY AND NOBODY COMES?

Underlying the nervousness, though, was a certain bedrock of faith. I know #kinderchat. This is my home. These are my people. I knew that, if I put up this challenge, there was a core group of people who would volunteer, and another handful that I could probably cajole into participating. I figured we could limp through, if need be. I can write. Heidi can write. All of our moderators can write. Yeah, we could figure something out. As Mardelle said: "Everyone always comes. It's like family."

And then, the signups started. Signups came in from people I didn't know, who didn't know me, who were new to #Kinderchat, who had never blogged. And with their signups came notes: "This is new for me, but it is time to take a risk." "I have never done anything like this before." "I tell my students 'it is good to try new things'." "I don't know what I will say, but I want to try this." "I'm not sure I'm ready to HAVE a blog, but I want to try writing..." Other signups came, from longterm #kinderchat heroes, celebrities in the world of early childhood social media. Wow. WOW. I mean, extended a challenge to My People. Many of you accepted a challenge from... a stranger.

The notes made me think about what I was asking of you people: "Please, give me your name and your e-mail address, and then WRITE something, and send it to me, and trust me to edit it, and then let me post it where GOD ONLY KNOWS HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL READ IT, and maybe discuss it, and comment on it, and possibly even criticize it." Jebus, it's like I asked you to get naked in front of the Interwebz, isn't it?

And the thing is: YOU DID IT. You took a deep breath, signed yourself up, and committed to writing something. (You did not ACTUALLY get naked. Although, if you chose to write your post with no pants on... well, that is your business.)

And then, because it seems my brain is hardwired to think about the parallel process between what we do as professionals, and what we ask our students to do, I thought about how we ask students to do this EVERY SINGLE  DAY. Make mistakes in public! Share your thinking! Show your work! Explain your process! Talk about your feelings! Tell your friend that you are angry with her! This is big work, no matter how old you are.

That thinking process led me to this singular conclusion: you, my friends, are exemplary educators. I do not have to know you well to know that. You took a risk and pushed yourselves because THAT is what we ask our students to do, and you grasp the hypocrisy of asking students to do things that we would not do ourselves. You are willing to make a mistake in public, to share your thinking, to show your work, to explain your process, to talk about your feelings. (That said, I would suggest that this may not be the most appropriate venue to tell a friend that you are mad at her...)

So, I am tipping my hat in respect, and bowing my head in gratitude, to you, dear contributors. Thank you, for taking this risk. I promise to take good care of your work. It has long been a rule in my classroom to "Be Brave" Apparently this holds true in your classrooms, too.

Now, let's get this party started, shall we?

I am a kindergarten teacher and a  curriculum leader at a private school in the Canada. The best teacher training I ever received came from 12 summers of summer camp work. I am a recovering bunhead, the guardian of an epileptic chihuahua, and I'm pretty sure I bleed glitter. When I'm not hanging out around here, you can find me over at my own blog: Miss Night's Marbles. I also answer questions from teachers at Ask Miss Night.  

Tomorrow, our first true guest post, from @principalKmelt: "Celebrating Creative Superheroes". That seems a logical followup to a post about bravery, doesn't it?

#Kinderchat Joins #NaBloPoMo (or: so you want to be a blogger...)

Helloooooo, Friends!

Merry Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah to one and all. Whatever you celebrate(d), I hope it is/was happy and full of peace and magic and delicious treats.

Based on the response I got on The Twitterz and The Facebook, it looks like several of you would be interested in helping #Kinderchat participate in BlogHer's NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). The rules of participation are simple: we need to post a blog post every day for 31 days. To do this, we need your help. Here is how it will work:

If you would like to contribute, please complete the form embedded below. Once you have signed up, you will receive a link to a spreadsheet where you can choose the date for your post.  If you sign up to contribute, your post is due to us, via e-mail or Twitter DM, or Facebook Message, no later than 3 days before your date of publication. This will give us time to proofread and format things. So, if you sign up for the January 15th post, please get it to us by January 12th. You are more than welcome to submit your post more than 3 days in advance. In fact, we would love that! 

Preliminary guidelines for posts:

• There is no length requirement. You post can be as wordy (or not) as you like.
• The topic matter is wide open, as long as it is in some way related to the care and education of young children. 
• As much as possible, it is a good idea to include a picture, video, or image of some kind. This helps make the post "pinnable" and more Facebook friendly.
• Whatever images or video you use, please make sure you are using them legally and with permission. Creativecommons.org can help you find images that can be used without violating copyright.
• Your signup to be a contributor is understood as permission for us to use your content, images, and video, on this site only, for the purposes of this project only.
• You are welcome to cross-post on your own blog. 
• We will give full attribution for your posts, and will include (at minimum): a link to your twitter account and/or your blog. If you would like us to include additional attributions, please share that information when you submit your post.
• Posts can be submitted as Word attachments via e-mail (kinderchat123(at)gmail(dot)com); by Twitter DM to a linked google doc, or by Facebook message at the Kinderchat Page (message should include a link to a google doc). 

Ok, ready to go? Sign up here to get started! Within 2 days of signing up, you will receive an e-mail confirming the instructions for submission.

Happy New Year, friends! We can't wait to read you!