RainbowsWithinReach Launches 17th Year!!

Let the new year begin!!! 

Oh happy day. 

My annual trip to Concordia University in Chicago. 

Workshop presentations. 

Old friends. New friends. 

Lots of hugs!

[Each year we stay at 'Miss Carole's' home and have Chicago-style DEEP dish birthday pizza.... 

this time it was ACTUALLY Allen's birthday dinner.] 

"Miss Carole" of Sticky Bubble Gum + Macaroni Soup Fame

Before I could set-up my workshop space I was able to tour their brand new, state-of-the-art, Early Childhood building and gather some inspiration to share. The day was filled with rainbows in the sky and in the paint!

NOW. Look at this master-piece!

 

This amazing 'bulletin-board-banner' was outside the infant-toddler room. 

What an incredible piece!

Let the children paint to their open-ended heart's desire:
browns, blues, greens.  

Then have happy artistic teacher tear paintings into appropriate pieces to make a glorious assembled cooperative finished masterpiece! 
BRILLIANT!! 

Remember the old camp song? 

"My God is So Big" 

The song lyrics were on the corner of the finished banner. 

Here are some more goodies from toddler town. 

In each of these above examples the children have been 'left' to their own devices to explore the media, in this case paint. It is only after their exploration that the adults in their lives (teachers) have taken their innocent process-filled finger painted canvas and then turned their explorations into a finished product for ultimate display purposes.

This is a win-win.  

The children explore freely.

Their work is *TRANSFORMED* into a permanent display.

Click back to this article to see how a 'similar' approach was used as a concept in Reggio Emilia ITALY with toddlers exploring paint and ultimately Italian teachers creating a mural. [YES!!! I got to have a day in Reggio to perform for the Italian children. To see all 18 of my articles about that ultimate field trip click here.]

Now its time to get over to 'my' corner of the day. 

LUV LUV LUV these next photos!

 We were in the campus 'black-box' theater. 

Welcome to my morning workshop: 

"Fine Arts and Fine Motor."

*Hey! That's the title of my ongoing Friday blog series!

Click right here for 25 blog articles on this very same topic.  

These enthusiastic teachers are 'Sky-Writing' 

--which is the title track from: 

"Debbie's Ditties 6: The Handwriting Mix." 

Look what I just learned how to do with Picassa. Just save the energy and enthusiasm of the presentation! 

My afternoon workshop was entitled 

"Stemming the Tide of Childhood Obesity: Let's Get MOVING!" 

Alas, my camera's batteries were worn out. 

There are no afternoon participant photos.  

I'd taken several hundred photos of the children's artwork on display (which will be sprinkled in here over the days and weeks ahead.) 

So no 'moving' participants. AKKKK. 

And we had fun!

The song that made us all literally huff and puff with knowing smiles of how out-of-shape we are as adults is my dittie entitled, "Ride my Bike." 

So I leave you with my genuine bike's portrait

as painted by the sun. 

Let's get up and get mooooooving! 

Get this new year launched with a whole new attitude and commitment to healthy choices. 

-- Debbie -- 

*Order from my website. 

Use the promo-code "Great" to save 10% off your order

"Get a Grip!!"

You've gotta love a conference where people stop by your presentation room to give you a hug BEFORE you begin!! The title for my Tuesday presentation was "Get a Grip!" I still smile thinking of the applicability of this title for me in Vegas. (If ever there was an event where I was in need of 'getting-a-grip' this was the one, with my brother Dan in ICU clear across the country, I was more than a tad bit dingier than usual.) This workshop was all about the music and movement to support fine motor development, print directionality and included the disco tune for the holding of a crayon. The first hour I shared the songs and dances that I recorded for the Zaner-Bloser curriculum for Kindergarten 'handwriting.' Of course I always incorporate my "Debbie's Directions" for those in attendance and we practise laughing on cue.....one of my favorite parts of waking up our brains!

Then we had just enough time for me to share one of my favorite quotes, "Why do writers write? Because it isn't there." This simple sentiment from Thomas Berger makes the perfect transition to the sharing of my picture books with the teachers. Oddly, it was at that exact moment that the LCD projector got disconnected from my laptop, right in time for the conclusion section, so everyone had to use their imagination more than I had hoped. Argggggg. 'The show must go on.' Technology is so awesome when it works. Argggggg. I hope that my participants will stop by here at my blog to see the photos that they missed in Vegas. I had wanted them to see the pictures of Carrie's kindergarten quilt for the extension of "Red, White and Blue" and my intention was to conclude with my 'big ending' of the slides of Hajar's invented spelling of "You're Wonderful." Instead I described these visuals and the teachers who supervised the miracles. But we all know a pictures worth a thousand words. Alas.

Just as soon as we concluded with my traditional 'thank you, for singing, today' in sign language we made a bee line up to the fifth floor and the exhibit hall for my earlier scheduled book signing with Crystal Springs Books. I really felt like a full-fledged diva when Melissa Sheldon (the organizer of the entire event for over 6000+++) was personally standing at the elevator with its doors held wide for the benefit of my making a speedy transition. I had 'people' in Vegas!! Whoooop! Whoooop!!

Handwriting Happiness

Here's my first workshop in Indiana. To say that the room was full of eager participants is one thing, but to see their enthusiastic faces in action is quite another. Here I'm catching them all mid-giggles as we are working out our choreography for my favorite Zaner-Bloser song, "Top to Bottom" which is all about print directionality from the perspective of four and five year olds. Don't you just want your children to be in the classroom of these energetic teachers??

More LA LUV

It is so thrilling to open my email after a big event, like the Louisiana conference, look what I find:

"Hi Debbie, Met you today in Baton Rouge. I bought your book "Your Wonderful" for my five year old daughter, Faith. I read it to her one time and listened to the cd once. She LOVES it. She can "read" and "sing" the book after one time. She's so gifted and talented (lol). My son Luke is playing it on the piano as I type this. All this to say "Thank You" for what you do. The Lord is using your talents in a mighty way. Keep it up."

"I was just at the conference in Baton Rouge. I loved it!! Your keynote was so inspirational. I stayed for the Handwriting session, too. Wish I could have stayed all day. Thanks for everything and all of the ideas."

"I sent you a FB friend request as soon as I got home..... you were awesome...... If you have a chance to check out my pictures you will see why I am so touched by your work..... I have a 15 year old with Down Syndrome that is my world..... she would love you!!! the reason I got into the work that I do, to give back the life lessons I've learned from my angel......."

"Just back from the Louisiana PreK/K conference, I thouroughly enjoyed your general session and your two music sessions. I had met you briefly last year and was so excited to see you listed as this year's keynote speaker! You are fantastic! I only wish I could have you come to our school and surprise our children. If it were possible I would love to coordinate a visit. Thanks for your style and enthusiasm. Loved it!"

"I attended all of your sessions today, LOVED them all!"

"I taught my kids 'Red, White and Blue' today.... and they liked it so much. You are such an amazing lady. I don't think anyone can top you! I soooooo wish we could get you back to Louisiana for a special session. I would be there with bells on."

"You were so great yesterday. This is my first year in PreK and now I feel like I can bring my class to life with your songs. Thank you."

"We so enjoyed your work! I love the quote from Mother Theresa. It is my favorite.... I had never heard that before. Keep up the great work. You are a blessing."

"I taught 'You're Wonderful' to my class the morning I got back. I don't know who likes it best? The kiddos or their teachers? Can't wait to teach it to my other class tomorrow.... they loved the sign language and I loved hearing them use the 'big' words."

Well that's at least the tip of the iceberg. I think you get the idea. This type of feedback is such a delight. The work I do is useful to teachers the very next time they step foot in their classrooms and that is the whole idea, right? It's such a blessing to share my travels and adventures with the front line of teachers and their administrators, too.

Let me promise you, they revive me -- just as much as I revive them.... such a very delightful cycle to watch unfold. Let's keep it rolling!! Share you stories with me. Share your children's artwork. Share you ideas that springboard from our time together!! SHARE!!!

ZB Get's a Grip in KY

The afternoon brought an enthusiastic response to the topic of fine motor development and the room was comfortably crowded with eager smiles. This is such a fun-tastic workshop to present, as the songs are such supports in a challenging area. I can literally watch as the teachers bob their heads in affirmation like a collection of bobble heads. Fine motor is a tough sell, but critical at the same time.

Unbridled Enthusiasm

Everyone got on board the slant-dance song. I told them it's a cross between the chicken dance & YMCA..... hardly any Macarena. Time flies when you're having fun! Seventy five minutes is just enough to hit the highlights, but we had plenty of fun in the process. These fanclub members have already been using my ditties in their kindergarten classroom. I'm told that "Piggy Rap" has been the proverbial favorite for two years running. It's so much fun to hear what different classes choose as their top choice. Can't go wrong with da pigs!!

"Glee" in Real Life

While my connection to cyber-leprecauns is connected, I wanna get caught up on some sights & sounds that I haven't yet shared. Goodness, I have daisies & sunsets & yoga & flowers & all sorts of details that I haven't yet gotten onto my photo journal of adventures.
It's been at least a weekor two since our annual favorite-performance-of-the-summer night. Think Glee in real life. This is the 42nd summer for the "Kids from Wisconsin" to demonstrate just what teenagers are capable of producing. We get to go to professional musicals all the time, but the calibar of this evening's performance is always about four levels above anything else we see in the course of the year. It's raw energy. Total energy. Powerful energy. It must be all of those teenage hormones that drives it to the level of awesome. There are 10 guys & 10 gals and a 16 piece jazz band. The choreography is seriously incredible. They go thru 8 to 10 costume changes per evening. The first two pictures are their ode to "Grease" and the final picture is from the grand finale. Kudos to the Kids!!