Pass The Torch

Free Service-Learning Curriculum!

Kelly — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:40:15 +0000

The YMCA Center for Asset Development has made available a new resource entitled, Seasons of Service: Engaging Youth in Service-Learning Throughout the Year curriculum. It has been nominated for a 2012 National Service Impact Award. This offers a 3-in-1 curriculum package to engage and equip youth as change agents in the community. [...]

C.R. Mudgeon – Book Review

Kelly — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:02:24 +0000

The story, C.R. Mudgeon, by Leslie Muir is a fun story about a sensible hedgehog who likes to know just what to expect. He is uncomfortable with surprises or excitement that changes anything in his predictable life. When a noisy new neighbor, Paprika the squirrel moves in, C.R. is very uncomfortable with [...]

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

Kelly — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:32:12 +0000

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards singled out America’s most outstanding youth volunteers to reward their good work and hold them up as examples for all of us — kids and adults alike. Established in 1995, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represents the United States’ largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service. [...]

UnBEElievables – Book Review

Kelly — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:11:01 +0000

Do you have a honey lover in your house? Or maybe a child that already understands the important value bees have in your ecosystem? UnBEElievables is a collection of honeybee poems and paintings by Douglas Florian. This colorful and informative book offers a unique and interesting blend of poetry, artwork and scientific explanations about [...]

Cabo San Lucas Ziplining

Kelly — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 01:09:53 +0000

For spring break this year, my family visited Cabo San Lucas. Our first excursion was to the rugged and hilly desert to go ziplining. We had planned for the trip ahead of time, by purchasing vouchers through Los Cabos Guide, which saved us 35% of the $380 bill (four of us ziplined.) And we [...]

Top 10 Warm-Weather Destinations

Kelly — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:32:25 +0000

As a family, we’ve visited a few warm-weather destinations and I thought it would be fun to make a list based on our experiences. I know more are on our “bucket list”, but as of today, these are our top-ten picks for warm-weather destinations: 10. Orlando, Florida – because every child should visit Disney [...]

Sign the “Bully” Petition

Kelly — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 00:50:06 +0000

I’ve been reading a lot about his petition, and I thought it was fitting to mention it here. The documentary, “Bully,” releases on March 30, but the Motion Picture Association of America has rated it “R” due to language in the film, which means many students who need to see the movie won’t be [...]

Biking at Your Beach Destination

Kelly — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 17:29:25 +0000

I was looking through old posts from a few years ago, and found this photo illustrating one of the ways we made our beach vacations so fun when the kids were young. Enjoy! First Published 2007 Every year, we make a winter visit to some Florida beach. And every year we make sure the [...]

Kindergarten Humor

Kelly — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:17:41 +0000

Kindergarten students came by my office the other day to share a birthday cupcake. There were a few cupcakes still in the plastic container, but they were pretty jumbled so I asked if they dropped the container. “Yes, but they’re okay,” one replied brightly. As the other opened the container so I could take one, [...]

To iPad or not To iPad

Kelly — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:28:33 +0000

My daughter is a freshman in high school and had been considering purchasing an iPad for several months. She was having a hard time getting use of a decent computer during one of her classes this semester, so she took the plunge and purchased an iPad 2 even though we learned the iPad 3 [...]