tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25051230396605959902026-10-13T20:56:19.420-04:001 teacher. 1 world. Eco-friendly. EdTech-friendly. Classroom-friendly.Teacher-friendly. Kid-friendly. Parent-friendly. Planet-friendly. Sustainability. Innovation. What can we do to increase the likelihood that this one li'l world will be here eons from now? Whether you are a teacher, a parent, or just someone who firmly believes that every tiny bit helps, let's all be part of the solution rather than adding to the problem, knowing that innovation along the way is the way to make that happen!Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.comBlogger1794125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-50296961774588451962026-10-10T02:30:00.000-04:002026-10-10T02:30:00.117-04:00

With it being October, the haunting season is among us. Halloween cometh! Approaching the holiday with a eco-mindset can help us get in the groove in a sustainable way...while also helping us to save a little green in our pockets!Check out this infographic to help you green your Halloween scene. The ideas were compiled from the following websites:Sustainable Jungle's 39 Sustainable Halloween

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-78207187507889142982026-10-03T01:30:00.000-04:002026-10-03T01:30:00.121-04:00

The show "Friends" always captured my attention. The camaraderie of this group of buddies & pals, I wanted that. I loved the fact that they had Central Perk as their local hangout in NYC when they weren't hanging out at either Joey & Chandler's or Monica and Rachel's apartment. Who wouldn't want that level of connection and community?Well picture this....a new kind of café, one that has

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-27448900461942611202026-09-26T02:00:00.000-04:002026-09-26T02:00:00.224-04:00

Katherine Hayhoe, my favorite climate scientist, wrote an interesting post this past July on Talking Climate entitled "The Future of Sports Depends on Climate Action." In the article, she references EcoAthletes, founded by Lew Blaustein. Hayhoe interviews two EcoAthletes sport players: Imani Dorsey Kunzweiler and Jasmyne Spencer. They share their insight on the impact on climate change

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-56465593397054482722026-09-19T02:00:00.000-04:002026-09-19T02:00:00.121-04:00

I have probably mentioned a time or two that Eric Curts' Control-Alt-Achieve website is one of my top go-to edtech websites. I've watched a ton of his videos and I got the opportunity to attend a session of his when I went to FETC 2025. He's such a good teacher who easily describes anything he teaches in an easy-to-understand manner.He has created a whole website wonderland called EduGems. Using

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-25966436057140949212026-09-12T01:30:00.000-04:002026-09-12T01:30:00.113-04:00

I am a book girl. Not just seasonally, but year round. Though I will admit, summer definitely provides me with more time for diving in. I'm definitely a sucker for a good picture or young adult book.... especially when it comes to showing female representation in the STEM fields!Here are some book lists from some excellent sources on all sorts of great STEM & Eco topics...just perfect for the

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-58289930212368175242026-09-05T01:30:00.000-04:002026-09-05T01:30:00.114-04:00

AI is everywhere...for the good, bad, and ugly of it. Given that, we as educators need a bounty in our tool kit. Perfect here at the start of the school year!New for 2026's Back to School season, BrainPop (working in coordination with Digital Promise) has put together an entire AI Literacy Collection as a subset under their Digital Citizenship Collection of lessons and movies. Tim &

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-83880743952439740782026-08-29T01:30:00.000-04:002026-08-29T01:30:00.115-04:00

It's been a hot one out there. Summer, that is. Record breaking in many ways, as I wrote about in my July 11th post "The Heat Is On: Sizzling & Sweltering this Summer."Since then, the heat has continued. I'm fascinating by the number of articles I've run across that have revealed true "hidden treasures" that have literally surfaced in the drought conditions we have seen. Riverbeds have been

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-35288301106816786572026-08-22T02:00:00.000-04:002026-08-22T02:00:00.116-04:00

'Tis that season: the school year is coming... or perhaps for you, it's even already here and has begun.The transition time for teachers from "Summer You" to "School You" can be a little bumpy. It's hard to let go of one, and then move into the other. (Especially if summertime is your thrive time of feeling alive through the gift of time.)"Summer You" knows how to breathe and decompress, reading

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-49668007085908613682026-08-15T01:30:00.000-04:002026-08-15T01:30:00.125-04:00

Here's a fun AI back-to-school teacher prompt that I've been enjoying playing with for both myself and friends. Created by LaNedra Johnson, her prompt is on her Facebook page "Canva Creations for Teachers." LaNedra's Facebook pages is decorated with a ton of colorful creations from teachers sharing their posters. It has definitely inspired me to play around with it too. You can play around with

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-84127677858516373252026-08-08T03:00:00.000-04:002026-08-08T03:00:00.207-04:00

Summertime and the living is easy. Picnics, BBQs, cookouts, fresh fruits and vegetables. Summer comes with a lot of edible perks. Corn on the cob--yummy!My most recent trip to the grocery store showed me another, when I was greeted with this bin, right next to to the table of corn I was grabbing for that night's dinner. Typically we shuck our corn at home, but this had me at "turning corn husks

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-83500275977258169552026-08-01T01:30:00.000-04:002026-08-01T01:30:00.113-04:00

Jane Taylor's simple rhyme from 1806 still hold true here, now 220 years later. There's nothing like a sparkling star-filled sky above, especially here in the summer. Of course, how much are any of us seeing in our neighborhoods given the light pollution we all encounter.But imagine what all we would see in deep dark sky. DarkSky International is dedicated to helping you find that. On their

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-82874530927128113132026-07-25T02:00:00.000-04:002026-08-16T10:56:41.678-04:00

Not all heroes wear a cape. When they are eco heroes, they sometimes wear swim gear and take part in webinars.That's what is ahead from Action for Nature next Saturday, August 1st, 2026 at 2 pm Eastern time (11 AM Pacific Time). They are hosting the "Eco-Hero Connects Webinar: Ocean Conservation: Protecting Marine Ecosystems." Four of the recipients of Action For Nature's Young Eco-Hero

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-7862325901799345202026-07-18T01:30:00.000-04:002026-07-18T01:30:00.112-04:00

For Father's Day, my crew got their dad a smart bird feeder. There are several brands out there: Bird Buddy,Birdify, Chirp Cam, Kiwibit, Birdkiss....just to name a few.If you aren't sure what a smart bird feeder is, it is somewhat like a regular bird feeder, but on steroids. It typically has a solar panel which powers the camera feature. They typically also are tied to an app which alerts you to

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-84453158719297139902026-07-11T02:00:00.000-04:002026-07-16T13:26:45.592-04:00

The end of June found Europe sweating, with over the top, record breaking temperatures.According to the World Meteorological Organization, the following countries all had areas that broke records, many of them for 3 consecutive days during the span of time between June 21--28, 2026: Germany, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, France, and Spain.

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-77419802924308447122026-07-03T02:30:00.000-04:002026-07-03T02:30:00.116-04:00

July 4th, 2026 marks a memorable day: America's 250th birthday. We've all seen the snippets coming our way regarding this semiquincentennial birthday & American anniversary: patriotic parades ahead, firework events, festivals & celebrations.... and even down to sales galore at all the stores, with decor red ♥️, white 🤍, and blue 💙, and discount signs everywhere!  

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-80125120811682965182026-06-27T01:30:00.000-04:002026-06-27T01:30:00.116-04:00

I've been pretty agitated about my social media algorithms lately. Particularly my Facebook account, which has been my preferred go-to social media platform. My FB thread seems to have every third post some advertisement that I'm completely not interested in. It seems like serious changes have happened, and my unscientific survey of my friends reveals they think the same. Add in the

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-756176560156059872026-06-19T14:37:49.661-04:002026-06-20T12:29:59.369-04:00

What do fathers, freedom, financial planners, and forward thinking spaces like Obama's Presidential Center have in common?They all are tied to this weekend ahead, at least here in our house. Simultaneously, they all point to the same big question: What will we leave behind?Here at home, my husband and I started the weekend with a Zoom call with our financial planner. This has become a relatively

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-45956270210350061712026-06-13T02:30:00.000-04:002026-06-13T02:30:00.114-04:00

They had me at Harrison Ford. So I dug a little deeper and I was enraptured and captured by all 33 of National Geographic's "33 Changemakers" for 2026.I love every way about how Nat Geo celebrates these environmental stewards, inspiring inovators, and bold thinkers. These people who have a commitment to the greater good of our planet and our people. They serve as leaders who model

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-57964957985328393042026-06-06T02:30:00.000-04:002026-06-06T19:05:10.557-04:00

The first line in this TED-ED video is: "From space, our planet appears to be more ocean than earth." We were reminded of this with some of the amazing pictures that came out from Artemis II's mission on April 1st to 11th, 2026.Yet, water scarcity is real for many people globally. Accessibility of this water is our biggest issue, for where it is located versus where it is needed.Watch

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-49750247053298974422026-05-30T02:30:00.002-04:002026-05-30T02:30:00.109-04:00

I had to chuckle when I first started watching author Heather White's November 8th, 2025 TED Talk on Eco-Anxiety: A Message from Our Future Selves. She referenced Michael J. Fox & the 1980s movie Back to the Future. I think the chuckling came from both my own fascination (my kids call it "obsession") with the '80s. It also came from recently seeing the on-stage production of Back to the

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-48324603237269210172026-05-23T03:00:00.000-04:002026-05-23T03:00:00.203-04:00

I'm a reader, and I typically have one book on my Kindle, an audio book for when I'm in the car or doing chores, and sometimes even a real book to read by the pool or when tech reading devices won't suffice.So, it's no surprise that I happened upon Bruce Holsinger’s Culpability. A 2025 release, this book is about what happens with the family who owns an AI-powered car that is involved in a

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-12061439500414824152026-05-16T00:30:00.175-04:002026-05-16T00:30:00.122-04:00

I've seen "it" slated as "Social Media's 'Big Tobacco' Moment" in at least a half dozen locations.What is the "it?" The "it" is the fact that social media court cases are starting to loudly prove that yes, social media is an addiction, and it can cause harm to kids. Two landmark trials have been in the news in the past six weeks. Earlier this year on March 24th Meta (parent company to

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-86778966326990347922026-05-09T01:30:00.047-04:002026-05-09T01:30:00.112-04:00

Mother’s Day always comes with a fanfare: Hallmark stores, flower shops, advertisements, brunch reservations.... It's a revered holiday with a lot of hoopla, as well it should be! (Says the mother in me! Birthing is hard work, and we moms deserve a lot of credit for the houses we run and the parenting we do on the daily.)But this year especially, I'm walking into Mother's Day differently, having

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-65432408686575644732026-05-02T02:30:00.002-04:002026-05-02T13:25:13.541-04:00

I recently spent a week breaking up with my childhood home.Why? Well, it was a one week marathon whirlwind of a week, going thru my ol' homestead because my my mom passed away 2 months ago. All this happening on the cusp of her 86th bday. It's the home she and Dad moved into a year after they were married.It's the home I came home from the hospital from on day "just a couple."It's the house

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2505123039660595990.post-71668543804463102752026-04-25T02:30:00.003-04:002026-04-25T02:30:00.114-04:00

March is known as Women's History Month, but who says you only have to pay tribute to women one month of the year? I certainly do NOT subscribe to that! Especially during the month of Earth Day!This article from BBC Wildlife showcases these 10 amazing women: "10 Women Who Changed the World: The Pioneering Female Conservationists, From Jane Goodall to Sylvia Earle, who redefined Our Bond with

Vickihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05892492608797640057noreply@blogger.com0