Polliwog on Safari

Cub Scout Nature Hike

2012-02-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I put my naturalist and teacher skills to work leading an energetic group of 4th grade scouts on a hike to complete some of their Forester and Naturalist requirements. I had planned to blog some thoughts about the day and tips for facilitating your own hike. When my friend Alison Noyce sent me the photos, I decided to post a photo essay instead. I think they speak for themselves.

So here we go...

Want to slide down a hill, anyone?

Many thanks to Alison Noyce for taking and sharing these photos with me.

Have you spent time in nature lately? What did you do?

Related posts

Top 10 Ways to Promote Science Inquiry

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Double click the photo to see the details in the right wing.

Photo taken 29 January 2012

Travel Tuesdays: Awakening in Strange Place

2012-02-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

"To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world. You are surrounded by adventure. You have no idea of what is in store for you, but you will, if you are wise and know the art of travel, let yourself go on the stream of the unknown..."
~Frey Stark, Baghdad Sketches

This has happened to me many times during travel- awakening in a strange town (or place)- but the place that always comes to mind when I read this quotation is Marrakesh, Morocco. My husband, our two friends, and I had been in Morocco for roughly a week on the day in question. We had been suffering from a bout of "Traveler's D" and were all a bit wrung out. We turned in early.

We were awoken at dawn the next morning by the Muezzin's call to prayer, "Allahu Akbar." This wasn't the first time I'd heard the call to prayer- we had been in Niger before our trip to Morocco and had already heard it in country. The difference was the fact that I was in a dead sleep when the call came loud and clear from a speaker in the Mosque across the street.

It was loud.
It was disorienting.
Then, as I processed my surroundings and realized where I was, it was pleasant. I'm not Muslim, so I wasn't called to pray, but I felt the significance of that call- the ceremony of that call. I felt peaceful there in my bed listening to the city coming alive.

This day turned out to be an important travel day for me- the day we met Mokhtar- the man I blogged about in Travel Tuesdays: Morocco.
The man I shared stories and laughs with in the back of a Land rover.
The man who guided us on our camel trek.
The man who gave me the Muslim name we later gave to our daughter.

So it's true... you have no idea what's in store for you, but if you let yourself go on the stream of the unknown, wonderful things can happen.

Have you ever had the experience of awakening in a strange town? What unexpected events happened that day?

Related Posts
Travel Tuesdays
Travel Tuesdays: Morocco

Liebster Award

2012-02-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning, I received a lovely email from Polliwog reader Heather Newman, telling me how much she enjoys my blog and that she chose "Polliwog on Safari" for a Liebster Award. Thanks so much Heather!

Taken from Heather Newman Illustrations: "The origins of the Liebster Blog Award are unclear, but the word translates from German as "darling" or "beloved." It's given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers in order to generate some traffic for them." (I tried to confirm the origins of this award, but alas, my quick search was unsuccessful. I don't have the time to scour the interwebs searching. Plus, the origin is less important to me than the purpose).

The rules seem to have morphed over time, but the first three are pretty consistent:

Choose FIVE up and coming blogs to award the Liebster to. Blogs must have less than 200 followers. (It's hard to confirm the number of followers sometimes, so I've used my best judgement when that info is not visible on a site).
Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you gave the award to with links to their sites. Leave comments on their blogs so they know about the award.
Share 5 random facts about yourself. (Not all Liebster blogs did this, but it was a fun part of Heather's post, so I'm including it).

5 Random Facts About Me:

I played violin/fiddle for 7 years. I was never very good at it. Listening to me play must have been torture for my family.
Once I discovered that my voice was my instrument, I was much happier. I competed in state-wide singing competitions in high school. I played Bloody Mary in the musical South Pacific (an alto part) even though I'm a high soprano.
I hate raw tomatoes but I'll eat them any other way- sauce, sun dried, roasted, ketchup.
I love to dance. My current favorite dance music is Bhangra.
I'm super sensitive to sounds. My friend Christina teases me because she can be sitting talking to me while our kids drag a squeaky wagon around. She blocks it out but I can't- I get twitchy. The same goes for music. I can be in a loud restaurant (with music in the background) and announce the name of a song playing. Others may not even be able to hear the music. This can be terribly annoying, especially when I'm unable to screen out a song when I'm trying to write in a coffee shop.

Choosing only 5 blogs was difficult. I tried to choose a variety that I thought would appeal to my readers.

My 5 Blog Picks:

They're All My Own- Long time readers won't be surprised by this pick. Yes, Alison is my friend, but I really do think her blog is pretty awesome. Those of you who read my post about Adoption Insensitivity probably hopped over there last week. Alison blogs about life as an adopted person and as the parent of two biological children and two adopted children.
Coloring Between the Lines- Children's author/illustrator Anne Sibley O'Brien blogs about her work as a children's author/illustrator. Her blog tagline sums it up well: "Reflections on race, culture, and children's books." Her blogging schedule isn't consistent, but when she does post she always has important things to say.
Sprout's Bookshelf- This blog is new to me. I discovered it during the KidLit Comment Challenge and boy am I gad I did. Librarian in training, Mary Kinser, shares reviews of great books she's reading with her son. From her blog: "This blog grew out of my continual efforts to surround my son with books that support him, as part of a transracial family formed through international adoption. Sprout's Bookshelf contains titles that feature diversity of all sorts, and books that address various aspects of adoption as well."
Growing with Science- The blog of Roberta Gibson, an entomologist and writer. Blog tagline: "Putting the fun back into scientific exploration." A great resource for parents, educators, homeschoolers and unschoolers.
I.N.K. Interesting Non-Fiction for Kids- This group blog highlights the work of some of my favorite non-fiction children's authors: Melissa Stewart, April Pulley Sayre, and Steve Jenkins, to name a few. Taken from their blog: "Discover books that show how nonfiction writers are some of the best storytellers around. Learn how these writers practice their craft: research techniques, fact gathering and detective work. Check out how they find unusual tidbits..."

Thanks to all of these great bloggers for their work.

Do you have a favorite blog with less than 200 followers? Please share it in a comment.*

*Kid friendly blogs, only, please.

Timman Queemah: Ground Meat With Chickpeas and Rice

2012-02-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

My son came home with a writing assignment this week that also required cooking. He was to plan and cook a meal for his family and use that experience to write an expository text. We started at the beginning: What did he want to cook? We ran though some of our family favorites and old stand-byes until we came to Timman Queemah- Ground meat with chickpeas and rice. He didn't even hesitate before choosing it.

I've written about food often here on Polliwog, so long-time readers will not be surprised that my American kid chose an Iraqi dish. We tend to cook and eat a variety of foods from a variety of cultures as a matter of course in our house. We found this one several years ago in The Iraqi Cookbook by Lamees Ibrahim. It became an instant favorite that's eaten often, especially in the winter months.

Our family has taken to calling this dish “Iraqi Chop Suey,” because, like American Chop Suey, it is a one pot family meal that seems to be bottomless. It's also made with ground meat and tomatoes, just like American Chop Suey. The main difference is the inclusion of chick peas and the use of different seasonings. To us, it also feels like comfort food, just like American Chop Suey. We hope no Iraqi's will be insulted by our term of endearment for this well-loved meal.

My son brought the recipe to school, as directed, and we gathered the needed ingredients. He cooked the meal on Wednesday night with my assistance. While he cooked, he paused occasionally to record his observations and sensory details.

Taken from The Iraqi Cookbook:

"This is a popular dish in Iraq, cooked for religious Islamic celebrations and shared by the whole neighborhood. A few families (usually Shi’ite) will cook very large quantities and distribute individual dishes to every house on the street.

Sometimes, two large cauldrons are set up in the front garden of a wealthy house, one for sauce and one for rice. Men from the family, their friends, and neighbors will cook. The meal is then shared. Any person who brings an empty plate or two will be served. Sharing the cooking and eating is of great enjoyment to everyone."

Serves 6-8

Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking time: about 2 hours (45 min. if you used canned chick peas)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground lamb (or other ground meat such as beef or turkey)

1 lb dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans (or one 29 oz can chick peas)

1-2 onions, chopped (I use 2)

1 small can tomato paste

1 lb chopped tomatoes (in the winter we use one 15 1/2 oz can chopped tomotoes)

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp mixed spices (garam masala- find it in the international/Asian aisle of your grocery store)

Salt and black pepper to taste

(Cooked rice. We use 1 1/2 cups brown basmati cooked in 3 cups water)

Directions:

Soak the chick peas overnight in plenty of cold water. (If using canned chickpeas, skip to step 3).
Change the water and boil in a saucepan for about one hour.
Brown the ground lamb in a large skillet over medium heat.*
Add salt, spices, and black pepper, stirring frequently. (Don’t skip the salt- it really intensifies the flavors.)
Add chopped onion and cook until onion is soft.
Add tomato paste and chopped tomatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Season with salt and black pepper. Add meat mixture to boiling chick peas, cover the pan, turn the heat down, and simmer for about 1 hour, until chickpeas are soft. (If using canned chickpeas, drain them and add them directly to the meat mixture).
Add more water if needed. The sauce should be thick enough to eat with rice. Cook with the lid off to reduce water if needed.

*Prepare the rice to be done around the same time.

As we all sat down to eat, we helped brainstorm sensory details about the food. Now he'll use his notes to compose a piece while at school. I never gave an assignment like this to my students, so I'm looking forward to seeing the results.

Have you combined cooking and writing with your kids or students? How did it go?

We hope you'll try the recipe and let us know your thoughts. The Iraqi Cookbook also has lots of other great recipes, so check it out!

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Wordless Wednesday: Winter Wonderland

2012-02-01T05:57:00.000-08:00

Photos taken 20 January 2012

Travel Tuesdays: Take the City Bus, Not the Tour Bus

2012-01-31T05:32:00.000-08:00

When our son was two and a half, we took a family trip to a village outside of Florence, Italy. Instead of renting a car, each day we walked to a local bus stop and took a bus to the market or into Florence.

Taken from my journal:
Our son (name left out for privacy) was excited to take his first bus ride and we loved interacting with the locals. One morning, a nice, older couple boarded the bus and immediately began smiling at our son and talking to him in Italian. The woman motioned to ask if she could see his Pinocchio. Our son handed it to her. She smiled, pretended to make Pinocchio walk on her leg, then gave him back to our son. Then she asked to see his Tony the Tiger and was surprised he shared it, too. She called him "generous." She smiled, pointed at Pinocchio and said, "beautiful." Then she pointed at Tony and made a face to indicate he's not. (Note: Pinocchio is an Italian character).

Then she asked our son's name.
We told her and she got excited. Then she asked for his name in English. (He has a very Italian name). When we repeated his name she got really animated. (I guess she thought we had translated it to an Italian name for her benefit). She talked animatedly with her husband for a few minutes before turning to us again. She spoke limited English, so we varied between the little English she knew, the little Italian we knew, and a variety of gestures and facial expressions.

Essentially, this was the conversation:

Woman: Why (his Italian name) for an American?
Rick (my husband): Mi Italiano-Americano.
The woman turned to her husband and told him Rick is Italian. "Italiano! Italiano!"
Woman: Grandmother? Grandfather?
Rick: Grandmother, Napolitano (from Naples). Grandfather, Siciliano (from Sicily).
The woman smiled and clapped as she repeated it for the whole bus in Italian.
More people joined in.
A woman leaned in from behind me, waved her arms in the air and said, "Mi Siciliano!" and tapped her chest with both hands.
Arms waved as the story was repeated toward the back of the bus.
I looked up the word for "surname" then told them ours is Cusolito. The Sicilian woman smiled and gestured happily. By now, everyone around us was smiling.

It was such a wonderful conversation. They didn't care that Rick didn't speak Italian. To them, Rick is Italian.They were just as thrilled to talk to us as we were to talk to them.

We felt so welcomed by that friendly bunch of strangers.

For me, this story perfectly demonstrates why we don't take tour buses. What we experienced on that day was far more interesting and exciting than pressing our noses up to a window to see what a guide determined we should see.

How about you...Have you ever taken the local bus, tuk-tuk, jeepney, etc. in a foreign country? How was it for you?

Related Posts:
Travel Tuesdays: Keep A Journal
Travel Tuesdays: Top 10 Tips for Traveling with Children
Travel Tuesdays: Balleyara Market, Niger

Poet in Residence, The final Installment

2012-01-27T12:46:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all the great comments on my earlier "Poet in Residence" posts. Here's the last batch of poems.

CHERRY PIE

I adore my mother’s cherry pie

It’s so good I wish to die

When my mother

makes it great

guess who happens to be late.

Is she making cherry pie?

Oh my gosh it’s just a lie!!

by Andrew B.

Butterfly

Butterfly! Butterfly!

With your speckled wings,

fly to the church,

soar to the sea,

and land on a tree.

by Sarah M

Nibbling on Leaves

One day a Japanese caterpillar

was nibbling

on a soft, juicy,

luscious leaf.

He ate it all the

way through.

BOOM!

He landed

on dinner!

by Ben H

HAWK

Swooping over

head

Predator of

the wild

Protector of

a nest

Bird of

Prey

Hawk

by Jacob D.

(HAWK, particularly the line breaks, was inspired by the work of William Carlos Williams. Can you recognize it? We read River of Words; The story of William Carlos Williams as part of our poetry study. It's a fantastic picture book about the life of William Carlos Williams).

At My Grandmother’s House

I sit

on the couch where I always

relax

Just sitting

watching TV while

eating with my family.

All I can smell

is my noodles

I hear

the TV going on

and on

and on.

I feel happy!

So is

my brother

and grandmother.

I feel like

I’m in my

own world.

I sprint

into the kitchen because

I hear

the parade

We’re just

looking

out the window.

I had a great time

my grandmother’s house.

by Jordyn D.

Which poems, phrases or lines speak to you?

Related Posts:

Poet in Residence

Poet in Residence, Part 2

Poet in Residence, Part 3

Seashell Poetry- Lunes
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Adoption Insensitivity

2012-01-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

I've resisted posting much about my publishing aspirations here. But several recent events have made me want to share.

My dear friend Alison was adopted as an infant and now parents two biological children and two children adopted from Ethiopia. To say adoption is important to her would be an understatement. (Please read her blog to learn more). I, too, have strong feelings about the topic. My best friend from childhood was adopted. While her adoption certainly was not a constant topic in our friendship (we often had much more important things to talk about such as boys), it was important to me because it was part of what made her who she was. Later, when we were adults, I was lucky enough to experience her search for her birth parents. I later met her birth mother and biological sister. As her friend, these meetings were important to me.

Around this same time, two students in my 4th grade class were children who had been adopted. One girl's mother invited me to attend an adoption conference with her. I readily accepted and chose to attend workshops that especially addressed education topics. That was when I first learned of the "family orchard" as one alternative to a family tree.

When Alison and I first met, her son Mikias had just come home from Ethiopia (our boys were in preschool together and are still great buddies). We talk about adoption often as she works through the ups and downs of interacting with her own birth family. We also talk about her sons' experiences as adopted children. And Alison blogs about it all, quite openly.

Recently, Alison wrote a post titled "You're Adopted. Hahahah!" She started by sharing a "joke" that has been making the rounds on Facebook and then went on to sarcastically share a bunch of other insensitive jokes she found. That post generated lots of comments. One posted today caught my eye. Amanda from BeKindBeSillyBeHonest left a link to this post about the same photo. In her post, she went on to share stories of adoption insensitivity displayed by her kids' school. (Please read the post).

My heart sank. How can educators who know there are adopted children in their classes continue to assign insensitive assignments such as "Interview your family about where you got your name." or "Interview your family about your birth story?" (To be clear, the teacher knows her son was adopted at age eleven). Alison's boys were also given a timeline assignment that could have been worded differently to prevent hurting the boys (and Alison for that matter). Alison called me in tears the day that assignment came home. Even the best teachers can make mistakes.

Circumstances like this are what motivated Alison and I to co-author a picture book titled BINIAM AND WILL: THE FAMILY TREE PROJECT. It features an Ethiopian-born child adopted in America and his American-born best friend. While our story focuses on their friendship, the problem the boys face together is an assignment to create a family tree.

When I shared the manuscript with others for critique, one person suggested that these kinds of assignments are not given in schools any more. "... it seems unlikely that in the 21st century any teacher would assume that all her/his students live in an intact biological family."

I wish my reader were correct. Even then, I thought she was being incredibly generous. This educator appreciated her generosity even as I knew it wasn't true. Amanda's post today confirms what we already knew- more education is needed to help teachers assign tasks that honor all different kinds of families. I'm not suggesting we eliminate discussions of biology or genetics in science classes or anything like that. It's just that most name, or family tree, or birth story assignments can be given with modified directions that include all kids and all families.

That's why Alison and I were compelled to write, BINIAM AND WILL. Amanda's post has reminded me of our original desire to write a story to help educate others. She's given Alison and I a kick in the backside to shift into high gear and start sending our manuscript out to more publishers.

If you want to know more, please check out the resource Amanda shared "Adoption Basics for Educators." It includes a glossary of terms and a list of resources.

Wordless Wednesday: Ice Ornaments

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

Photo taken 19 January 2012

Photo taken 20 January 2012

Travel Tuesdays: Travel Broadens Perspectives

2012-01-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

"Ideally, travel broadens our perspectives personally, culturally, and politically. Suddenly the palate with which we paint our lives has more colors. We realize there are exciting alternatives to the social and community norms that our less traveled neighbors may never consider…but you can only reap these rewards if you’re open to them….Make a decision that on any trip you take, you’ll make a point to be open to new experiences, seek options that get you out of your comfort zone, and be a cultural chameleon-- trying on new ways of looking at things and striving to become a 'temporary local.'”(emphasis mine)

~ Rick Steeves, Travel as a Political Act, p. 4

I love this quotation.

I confess, Rick Steeves' guidebooks aren't usually my guidebooks of choice. When traveling I tend to favor Lonely Planet and Rough Guides. (This probably has much to do with the fact that most of our travel has been in developing countries while most of Steeves' travel has been in Europe).

But this book beckoned to me from its "faced out" perch in our library. With a title like that, I had to check it out. What did I learn? Despite our very different travel preferences, Rick Steeves and I have come away with similar beliefs.

Here's another quotation from page 161:

"I’m convinced that people-to-people travel experiences can be a powerful force for peace."

Indeed. Once I have a personal connection to a place, I care more deeply about its citizens. And that care extends to people who know me and know of my travels. Many of my students would come to me after seeing news of a capsized ferry in the Philippines or a change in the President of Peru. Once they heard of my travels there, they consumed the news differently. They cared about people they never even met. But they knew me and I knew people there.

And this quotation from page 5:

"Travel challenges truths we were raised thinking were self-evident and God-given. Leaving home, we learn other people find different truths to be self-evident. We realize that it just makes sense to give everyone a little wiggle room."

This, I find, can be one of the hardest points to make understood to non-travelers. We don't have a monopoly on what's right or just or good. We have our way. Other cultures have their own ways. A little respect for those differences goes a long way.

Do these quotations ring true you? Do you have a favorite travel quotation?

Poet in Residence, Part 3

2012-01-20T05:15:00.000-08:00

Today, the third installment of poems written by 4th graders in the classroom where I served as "Poet in Residence" during the fall.

ZIP ZAP SCOOTER

ZIP ZAP

Here and there

Racing down the drive way

ZOOM ZAP

Up and down the drive way

Having so much fun.

by Emmie D.

Fall Fun!

Gather all the leaves then throw

up up they fly

scary faces everywhere

who shall I scare?

knock knock who’s there

trick or treat thank you!

by Lauren O.

The Wavy Plant?

You,

with white wavy moss

growing off you.

You,

with your mysterious holes.

You,

look like an anemone.

I wonder where

you live.

Wait!

You

are a mushroom!

Of course… The Woods.

by Kayla W.

Me and my mom

are just alike

We love each other dearly

I always do what she does

She is my role model

We love to do every thing together

MY MOM IS THE BEST!!!!

by Kyah W.

Nana’s House

I have a special bedroom.

I have a yellow bedspread.

I love a big brown teddy bear.

I feel safe and loved there.

by Olivia G.

Not Just a Plain Rock

White with glitter

Partially gray

like a small glacier

floating

away

by Lucas K.

Which image or phrase is your favorite?

Related Posts:

Poet in Residence

Poet in Residence, Part 2

Seashell Poetry- Lunes
Fall Haiku

Wordless Wednesday: Ice on Black Brook

2012-01-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Photos taken 17 January 2012

Travel Tuesdays: Trip Planning, Part 2

2012-01-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Once we choose a location for a trip, I begin doing a little research with our kids. I start at our local library's on-line catalog. After arriving at the website, I simply enter one of our library card numbers (or our alternate ID) and pin number. Then I can search for books, CDs, magazines, etc. to my heart's content. If you live in the US, you likely have the same service at your library. If you haven't used it, you're really missing out!

From the comfort of my own home, I can search my local library's complete catalog and the catalogs of the other libraries in our library system (Which is somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 libraries). If I find a book I want in another library, I simply click the "Place Hold" button. That book will usually arrive at my local library in a matter of days (Some take longer).

Here are a few titles I reserved for the kids last night:

A crafty one especially for my crafty daughter

A graphic style that will appeal to my son

A shorter non-fiction for my Kindergarten daughter

And a longer one to appeal to my 4th grade son.

Of course, globes and atlases will also feature heavily in our reading. We own several we like, though I recently read about this one from Barefoot Books that looks wonderful.

(An aside: If you're not familiar with Barefoot Books, please visit their website. They produce lovely books).

What children's books about Italy have you enjoyed? Do you have any titles to recommend to us? How do you help your children learn about the places they'll visit?

Poet in Residence, part 2

2012-01-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, I posted poems written by students in my son's grade 4 classroom. I served as "Poet in Residence" during the fall.

Today, I continue sharing their work.

In January,

the joyful

kids play with

Some ride

by Gabrielle B.

Dinner Web

Dinner came here

For the spider

It is not a deer

it’s a fighter

A dragonfly came ready

his name is Freddy

He fought

but he got caught

by Noah M.

CHICKEN TEENAGERS WITH HOTSAUCE

One day while I was sitting in a field

I was eating chicken wings

as the breeze

hit me in the face

the chicken wings were good

they were buffalo chicken wings

my mouth was burning

like a … ouch ouch ouch

why is there hot sauce in my mouth

I must have fallen asleep

and those teenagers

put hot sauce in my mouth

by Ethan D.

The Sweet Sounds Of Fall

Kids crawl

in piles of leaves.

Crisp leaves fall

from tall trees.

Cold wind slithers

across me like a snake.

I DASH on my bike

and bonce on the bumps.

I wear a costume

each Halloween.

I wear something

SCARY!

I carve a pumpkin,

with a grin.

And

school begins!

by Andrew S.

Thanksgiving Morning

everyone is in a good mood

and ready for all the yummy food

All the family is here

talking loud with cheer

we all watch football

then we nap to end it all.

by Kate B.

you mystery thing

your warm welcoming’s in the cold winter

warm maple syrup

your bumpy skin like a driveway

you dropping

clump

the warm maple syrup the tree next to you

had gave me

oh wait I think you might be a...

P-I-N-E-C-O-N-E

a pinecone

by Kylie S.

Please leave a comment for these young poets. I'll publish more next Friday.

Related Posts:

Poet in Residence

Seashell Poetry- Lunes
Fall Haiku

Wordless Wednesday: First Snow of 2012

2012-01-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Photos taken 10 January 2012

Travel Tuesdays: Trip Planning

2012-01-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

"Travel, undertaken with mindfulness, can be a powerful vehicle for transformation."

~ Joseph Dispenza, The Way of the Traveler

My family is in the early stages of planning a trip to Sicily and Lipari to trace my husband's family roots. We had planned to go last year, but skyrocketing airfare due, in part, to the Arab Spring, led us to postpone. We scaled back travel plans last year, saved up our travel money, and now we're ready to plan in earnest.

I love this early dreaming phase. We've been pouring over guide books, perusing sites that rent villas, and agonizing over airfare. I love the dreaming, the endless possibilities, that excited feeling in the base of my stomach. It's exhilarating.

And maybe a little bit tiring. Where should we stay? Is this other place better? Will that place meet our needs? Should we fly to the islands or take a ferry?

But here's what I've learned from previous trips: No matter what decisions we make, it will all work out in the end. The trip may not be what we expected, but it will provide a life-changing adventure. Travel is just like that. It's impossible for me to travel, particularly to another country, and not be changed in some way.

And, hey...there's a hotel on Lipari with Cusolito in its name, so that's pretty exciting! Maybe we'll find distant relatives.

What life-changing trips have you taken? What changed? What did you learn?

Related Posts:
Travel Tuesdays: Top 10 Tips for Traveling with Children
Travel Tuesdays: India
Travel Tuesdays: Morocco

Poet in Residence

2012-01-06T05:21:00.000-08:00

This past fall I served as "Poet in Residence" in my son's grade 4 classroom. While I mostly write for children now, my first love was poetry. In fact, even my prose has a lyrical quality to it. I loved being with fourth graders again and guiding them on their own poetic journeys.

To culminate this season long experience, we created an anthology of their poems. Each student received a copy just before the holiday break. Here's the cover, designed by a student named Jacob. I love how he tied together some of the generators we used for poems. One day, each student brought in a special object from nature and used that to write a poem. Another day, they looked at photographs I brought in. They also made maps of their important play places and then wrote a poem about a specific place on the map. Can you see those ideas represented in his images?

Every student (and their teacher, Mr. Davignon) included at least one poem in the anthology. Since many students wrote poems from photographs I had taken, those photographs also appeared along with the poems.

Starting today, with the poets' permission, I'll share some of their work. I'll post more over the next month or so.

Aside from correcting an occasional spelling error, I have not altered these poems in any way. I offered guidance about how to revise poetry but the work is entirely their own. I hope you enjoy their work. If you do, please tell them by leaving a comment.

The Crab

When I look I see

a fearsome yet strong animal.

It is humble

and never backs down from a battle.

His claws are like boxing gloves

his shell is like his shield.

The ocean is his battlefield.

by Elijah S.

The Silent Hawk

It’s eyes

watch all day for prey

Then it goes down to fight

It’s feet as sharp

as a shark’s jaw

It’s claws as big

as a lion’s paw

It blends in

the sky

Like an overwatch

by Max M.

CLIMBING TO FALL

I am

clambering

Up, up, up, on the

highest branch. Below

there’s a logger, OH NO,

Did I just say, LOGGER!

“TIMBER,” here I go

again, falling

Down,

Bump,

OOF, OOF!

———————————————

by Dante C.

A WINNING GAME

Ortiz is up

it’s full count

there’s no doubt.

The pitcher beams a fastball

WOW!

It’s blasted into the air

HOMERUN !

But I can’t look

He’s…….. OUT

I did a big pout

But wait

YANKEES LOST

RED SOX ARE

THE BOSS!

by Ethan P.

Humming Bird

Humming bird, humming bird

Where will you fly?

With your wings moving so fast

As you go by

Zig-zagging from flower to flower

Just like cheetahs dashing by

Looks like you have no wings

Sometimes,

I think you’re attached to strings

by Jakob M.

Please leave a comment for these young poets.

Related Posts:

Seashell Poetry- Lunes
Fall Haiku

Wordless Wednesday: Backyard Visitors

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Photos taken 23 December 2011

Travel Tuesdays: Inter-faith Celebrations

2012-01-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

I wasn't the traveler this time, but many people traveled to our home to celebrate this holiday season. We all came together on the night of December 25th to celebrate.

The friends and family who gathered were varied. In addition to many guests from our home state, we welcomed guests from the UK, Maryland, California and China. We also welcomed friends who immigrated to the US from France, China, and India. There were Christians, Jews, agnostics and atheists present. Some were raised with religion and no longer practice. Some were raised without religion and asked many questions about the practices of the Jews and Christians present. Two menorahs glowed beside a nativity brought back from Mexico.

What I love most about this annual event is the openness and sharing that occurs. We support each others' choice to practice a religion or not. We help each other celebrate. We break bread together. (Dumplings, knishes and latkes followed by lasagna, meatballs, Caesar salad and noodle kugel). We honor important family and religious traditions.

To me, this is the perfect way to celebrate during the month of December.

If you celebrated a holiday this season, I hope it was joyful, peaceful and full of traditions.

May we all find new ways to connect with those of different faiths this year, for that, I believe, is the best way to bring peace to our troubled world.

Namaste.

2011: A Year in Review

2011-12-31T11:39:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for reading Polliwog this year.

Today I'll recap some of my favorite posts 2011.

Travel Tuesdays

Wordless Wednesday

On Nature

Stress Therapy: Get Back to Nature I relearn how much I need to get into nature when stressed.
Nature Observations with Young Children Tips for helping young children notice details.
Three (or Four) Season Harvests Our cold frame is still providing us with chard, celery, rosemary, and parsley. We hope to harvest arugula and mesclun mix in early spring.

This and That

Drum to the Beat A wonderful drumming experience for children. My family has been drumming away on our new Djembe.
Hive Detectives A fantastic non-fiction book for older elementary students.
Happy Earth Day 2011 The post that got me started with Travel Tuesdays. Several readers asked me to share more travel stories after seeing this post.
RACE-Are we so Different? An important traveling and on-line exhibit.
Shurit Ads (Egyptian Lentil Soup) I posted this during the Egyptian Revolution. Google Analytics showed that the day Mubarek left Egypt, a reader in Cairo spent 11 minutes on my blog reading this plus 5 other posts. I just thought that was so cool- I was watching history in the making in their country and they were reading my blog.

Thanks again for reading. I'll be back with a Travel Tuesdays post this week.

In the meantime, please drop me an email at michelle(at)michellecusolito(dot)com or leave a comment to let me know which kinds of posts you enjoy or find useful. I'm hoping to build my blog community this year so I want to know what works for you. If you have particular content you'd like to see me include, please let me know.

Make sure you never miss a post. Subscribe via RSS or email.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a little break from my blog to spend quality time with my family and friends. I'll be back after the New Year.

Wordless Wednesday: Ornaments on our Tree

2011-12-21T05:25:00.000-08:00

Travel Tuesdays: Keep a Journal

2011-12-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

You've heard it before-keep a journal when you travel. It seems a simple enough idea but most of us don't manage to do it. Or if you're like me, you start out well and fizzle out as the trip goes on. Over the years I've forced myself to make time for my journal and I'm always glad I did.

I took a journal to the Philippines when I was 16. I wrote in it sporadically but never captured the really important details I wish I had now. My next big trip after that was to Ecuador and I did keep a daily journal. I even managed to include a few sketches of local plants. It was easier on that trip because I was in a remote field station with lots of down time in the afternoons/evenings.

I pride myself on having a good memory but even I forget the important details over time. I realized this recently when I wrote a non-fiction story about my encounter with a poisonous snake in the rain forest of Ecuador. I recounted that first meeting, which, frankly, is emblazoned in my mind. But, by the time I related my meeting with the 4th poisonous snake, I got some details wrong. Luckily, I had my trusty journal to reference and I corrected the details. Now, maybe you're not a writer, so you think these details don't matter so much. I'd say they do.

At some point in the future when you go back and meet your former self in a journal you'll be glad you recorded the details.

Here's a tidbit from my Ecuador journal:
"I'm amazed by the clothes I now consider clean. If they're not totally covered with mud...they're wearable! Things take so long to dry (and even then they're not dry- they're still damp) that it's not worth washing anything. I keep wearing the same yucky clothes over and over again and keep everything else closed up tight in my bag."

Another important result of keeping a journal is you get to know yourself better as you learn and grow from your travels. My early journals are more record keeping of my trips- you know... what I did, saw, ate. That sort of thing. Over time, though, they've become more important records of me as a person. My last travel journal from India is rich with personal expressions of my feelings and responses to the trip.

Here's one excerpt I'm willing to share publicly:
(For context, our friend Lisa was marrying Aravind in Hyderabad India. Lisa's parents couldn't make the trip so my husband, Rick, and I stood in for them during the ceremony).

"...I was seated on the stage with Rick facing Aravind and his parents. I was so overcome with emotion at the enormity of what was happening that I welled up. Was I really part of a Hindu wedding? Was I really playing such a significant role in this rite of passage for Lisa? I was glad I was seated with my back to the guests so they couldn't see my face. (It was only later when we switched sides that I realized a video camera was facing us and projecting everything onto a large screen for everyone to see).

I was in the moment. I was overwhelmed. I was happy and excited and awestruck. Rick and I looked at each other and acknowledged that this moment made all of the challenges of traveling with young children in India worthwhile."

There are many more personal and thoughtful entries in that particular journal. I developed as a journal keeper and moved from record keeping into being more reflective.

If you haven't kept a journal during travel, I encourage you to do so. It can be on paper, in your computer, or on a blog. The sky's the limit nowadays. (Just make sure you back up digital journals). Ask your children to keep one, too. Our son kept a journal when we were in India. He was only 5 at the time, so his journal consists of roughly one page per day. In typical Kindergarten fashion, he drew a picture and wrote a sentence below the picture. He wrote about whatever was important to him at the time so it's a wonderful record of who he was then. He focused on the plane ride, playing with Aravind's nephew and the henna that decorated my hands.

Have you kept a journal during travel. How have you benefited from it?

New Bedford Whaling Museum

2011-12-16T06:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my son's fourth grade class took a field trip to the New Bedford Whaling Museum in New Bedford, Massachusetts. There are several impressive exhibits. The first you notice upon entering is the baleen whale skeletons hanging from the ceiling. (Yes, they're real!)

This one's a fetus.

There's also a toothed whale:

The first part of our visit was a session that looked at food webs and food chains, specifically those that include baleen whales and toothed whales.

My son's favorite session (mine, too) was in the afternoon. We explored the different cultures whalers encountered during their 3 to 5 year whaling trips. Various students were called up to try on traditional clothing from the people the whalers met, such as people from the Azores, Cape Verde, and Hawaii. The students recorded their journey on a world map. Here's my son trying on a coat like the inuit/inupiak of Alaska wore.

And here are their "sunglasses." The sunlight on a snow covered landscape can be blinding. The slits limit the amount of sunlight let in.

We then toured specific parts of the museum. Our first stop was a life-sized model of whaling ship sleeping quarters. Students were able to lie down in a bunk while our docent described life on a whaling ship. (Unfortunately, it was too dark to get a good photo). We agreed that their lives seemed hard and tedious.

We also toured exhibits of various artifacts from the cultures whalers encountered. The grand finale of our tour was a model of an actual ship that sailed out of New Bedford. The model is 50% the size of the original. We were able to climb on board and have a tour.

If you live or vacation in our area, I highly recommend you visit the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

What great museums or cultural spots are in your area? Please share them in comments so other Polliwog readers can visit.

Related Posts:
2011 Cranberry Harvest Celebration
Museum of Science Overnight