This is one of my favorite times of the year (ok, I have many)!  My first graders are now independent enough that we have projects going on all over the classroom.  In honor of Poetry Month and National Haiku Poetry Day, we will begin our class book of Moffat USA haikus.  Above is a sampling of some of the pages in years past created by the students.

I will be formatting the planning pages and accompanying Moffat images soon for my TeachersPayTeachers store so that others may join in in creating one in their classroom.  For a very professional look, I then upload my images to Shutterfly and make the book available to my students' parents to purchase.  It's a great end of year project!  Enjoy!

It's that time of year when I look forward to the Annual Lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree.  Oddly, Moffat has hitched a ride to see the amazing site THREE times and I have yet to go!  It is very high on my bucket list. In 2011, The Carpenter's Gift by David Rubel was published.. This is the story of 8-year-old Henry, who works alongside his father during the Depression selling Christmas trees.  Henry dreams of living in a home other than the drafty shack they currently have and the kindness of others, brings Henry's wish to life.  

David Rubel wrote this book in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity.  Today, deserving families now call the magical wood from a Rockefeller Christmas Tree their home!  Enjoy the video links below to learn more about this wonderful partnership and giving back to the community! 

November is Native American Heritage Month and I wanted to post a few resources to help in teacher planning.  We were fortunate enough to visit the National Museum of the American Indian while in Washington, DC this past spring.  The museum is overwhelming with the artifacts that it contains.  Below is a link from the museum that will be helpful for planning for the month.
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Moffat and I are enjoying a beautiful morning in my favorite outdoor space with the wonderful orange glow of the fall leaves as an inspiration for writing. The leaves are finally changing in the city, but the mountains of Colorado were in their full glory almost a month ago. As you may have noticed, Moffat has many wonderful friends that take him galavanting on incredibly diverse adventures.  Today, I thought I would share some behind-the-scenes fun with two of Moffat's good friends, Candy and Erica, as they enjoyed their annual camping trip up to Maroon Bells.

It has been weeks since I have posted. Blame it on the start of school and my brain being on overload.  I think about it daily, but never get there.

Interestingly, I joined my husband for a documentary this evening and it happened to be on John Denver.  I have always loved John's songs with the stories he told and the melodies he carried on his guitar.  I also remember how he tragically died at an early age in an airplane crash.  As the documentary progressed, the date of his death came up and the anniversary happens to be today.  He died in 1997 at the age of 53.

Several years ago, I remember walking along the beautiful, foggy beaches of Monterey, California.  I can remember how shocked I was when my family and I came across a marker on a rock commemorating the sudden loss of John Denver.  I don't recall that I knew where he had died until our morning walk.

As a Colorado native, his songs are calling card to the beauty of our state.  He was a long time resident of Aspen, Colorado, long before it ever became the ski town it is today.  Each time I hear one of his songs, I remember how much I enjoy his music.  As I watched the documentary, I learned more about his interest in both space and NASA and the oceans with his time spent with Jacque Cousteau.

I am surprised that this commemorative rock is in my collection.  It is an obscure location, but one worth remembering.  My own personal travel lesson is to always be open to where the day might take you.  There are surprises around every corner and many are worth reflecting upon!

After years teaching about Owney, the National Railway Postal Dog, it was a treat to finally get to visit the National Postal Museum and finally see Owney in person!  The story of Owney is quite a delightful story for young children and a great way to integrate history and geography while analyzing primary sources.

The National Postal Museum has Owney on display and a fabulous railway exhibit demonstrating how mail was transported via train.  Online, take the time to explore the Smithsonian's online offerings on Owney, including the large digitized set of images of the tags he collected along the way.