I was like an ass kicking homeschooler yesterday.

So we studied Greek Gods yesterday.
Like all day.
I am amazed at how much I learned or relearned.
I love myth and I am so happy to share it with the boys.
The silver age got me- to be a child for 100 years? oooo.
And the tale of Demeter.
And all about Eros.
And the Gorgons.
The tale of Achilles.
And all of it.
It's just so cool we get to blow our kid's minds with new information.
Blaise wants to see a hell hound and Finnian has worn a toga for 24 hours.

That's learning.

Hands on Small Business

It was a dream leading Hands on Small Business Classes for Microsoft Office Live and Kirtsy!

I just wanted to share some of the amazing outcomes of these classes with you:

The first class was at the Kickstart coffee and scooter shop in the funky Short North district of my city. While I was setting up shop and getting ready to meet all of the cool new pals I saw this chick sitting near me and I made some small talk with her. She looked to be studying and I was most likely annoying her. But I wasn't annoying her. She was intrigued.
Sunny joined us and we found out that she was a PhD candidate at OSU and her boyfriend had just unexpectedly died. She was heartbroken and trying to find the time and energy to help continue a legacy of scholarships that he had started for students who needed financial assistance in following their dreams.
Heart. Grab.
And just like that we got her involved in social media.
One night.
Over candy bars and coffee and a bunch of women.
Hello life.
I love it.


And all the sessions went magical like this. We found one another at so many different levels of knowledge. Some just starting out on the social media journey and some advanced and seeking more and more. We leaned on each other and right from the start of each class I encouraged all of us to take the floor and share knowledge. It worked. We went through the information and little light bulbs went off all over the rooms at intervals.

The excitement was palpable for some.

The resistance to platforms like twitter waned and we all looked forward to the future-

to the NOW of business.

We shook out 2.0 selves out and stretched.

At Wild Goose we were fascinated by each other and all of the gifts that were presented at the table and at Panera/WhollyCraft we laughed and laughed together and found help with issues we were struggling with and even some business bartering.
Women were hugging each other at the end of sessions and dates were being planned and networking just happened naturally. I can't forget the mentoring and friendships and connections galore over wine at the fabulous HOUSE WINE!

The locations were perfect and the people just kept coming in the doors and when they turned to leave- they had a bit more skip their step. The economic landscape is a bit tricky right now for small business and this course was really helpful in providing some FREE information and FREE applications and platforms.

It rocked.
It was kinda beautiful.
I felt empowered and helpful and it was a great place for me to share.
I would be honored to do more work like this.
Work that truly matters.
That has reach.

In January, Amie Adams will be leading two more virtual HOSB sessions.
So no matter where you're located, you can catch HOSB LIVE on your computer!
Everywhere on Jan. 8

Everywhere on Jan. 12
Find out more at the Hands On Small Business site.
CHECK IT OUT!

I want to see you there!

Me and some Kirtsy gals- Love the way women work together!
I stole this photo from Laura Mayes- thanks baby!

Yo ladies please don't forget about this!
If yr a small business owner or have dreams to be one PLEASE come.
We will learn and play together.
We will laugh.
I promise.
There are 100 other cool nights out all over USA and Canda.
(Kirtsy and Microsoft Office Live ROCK)
Check it out!
Go.
You must.

If you live in Columbus or near enough to drive to these AMAZING FREE EVENTS
I will be giving cool things away.
We can sip coffee and wine and have a night just for us.
See you there!
RSVP pretty please xoxoxoxoxo

The end of the school year GIVEAWAY

Wanna give yr kiddos teacher or any teacher in yr life AN AWESOME gift for the end of the year?
I have a copy of 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny: Life Lessons from Teaching by the delightful Philip Done to give to you!
Actually the amazing author himself will mail you or that teacher a copy this weekend!

This book made me laugh and cry. I love this man. Really. I do. He and I have been emailing for a long time now and his book really grabs you if you have any sort of connection to the education world. It will grab you if yr a parent too. If you have a heart he will open it.
I have had a lot of negativity at times in my life surrounding the state of the education system in America and this books shakes that crud right off and makes me dreamy and idealistic again for what teaching is all about and how learning can be! It makes me miss my school kiddos so much.
His honest and funny book is uplifting without being all Chicken Soup for the soul annoying.
It is the real deal and I am glad that I have it in my library.
I am also glad that I have Philip as a contact now in the world of writing and education.
He's brill!
I think this book should be given at graduation for all teachers. For Realz!
AND he's super nice! He will mail a copy to one lucky reader or teacher!
Just leave a comment and tell me something about yr favorite teacher and I will draw a lucky winner Sat morning!

I've been a miner for a heart of gold

It was a GOLD RUSH today.
We have been reading about the wild west and talking about the gold rush so we decided to have our own panning for gold experience in the backyard. I took small pieces of foam covered in gold glitter and hid them beneath sand in my trusty large wash tub. We used some old camping tins and water and panned for gold!
It was fun and kept their attention for quite a long time
I read some stories on the gold rush and California to them while they played and later we counted all the gold and since Finn had twenty pieces he could buy something out of the "general store".
There was even one shiny piece of gold left for me.
Guess what?
It was just enough to buy a cold Stella Artois from the "store" for mom.












For older kids- here is a good timeline to print out!

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I'll follow you/When the stars go blue

The Perseid meteor shower happens this week. I seem to come back again to a cyclical thought pattern around this time of the year. I am crap with my memory. I tend to forget large chunks of time, but luckily I am life long friends with Michelle who can tell me the color of shirt I was wearing on May 15 of 1992 if I questioned.
However, I always recall the meteor showers. It seems that no matter the state of my life during any particular late summer, the the Perseid meteor shower makes it all better. I am planning on waking up Finn this week so he can see it. I know this may or may not have a good outcome, but it is important I think. Because from what I read about next year, a last-quarter moon will be super bright and make it more difficult to see the Perseid's. I can't see him having to wait until he is 6 to see this amazing show.

Finn is announcing all sorts of facts to us lately:
A star is a large ball of gas (yes)

The Earth is our planet and it is the biggest in the universe.
(well, actually not )

I will go to space camp (oh really?)

Stars are so twinkly and tiny.(tiny?)

Sometimes he asks me questions that I have not the answers for. I don't know about Pluto apparently. I am thankful for the library. We talked lofty today at breakfast. We talked about Copernicus and the sun. It was all too much for him so we played Thomas the Tank Engine instead.
After a bit he asked how we know how big and far away these stars and planets are bc there are no maps and as hard as he tries he cannot reach up and touch one.

(Even on his red plastic chair in the backyard)

I agreed that this was tricky. I told him that there are smarty pant math people out there who make up math puzzles that tell us these things. As I was talking I realized that to Finn it all must come down to faith and believing in what I am telling him.
So, I gathered him up in my arms and explained that although there was no map that we could hold in our hands that charts the distance between or the size of our hearts...that we just knew it was a direct line and that they were massive when they beat for each other.

And even if we are very far away from each other-
although they might seem small and far away- our hearts- are really quite enormous and always within reach if you believe.

Kinda like the stars for a four year old...

Get me delivered to yr email xo

You say you hunger for something you can't name at all

If it wasn't enough to love yr neighborhood for the folks and the village charm it sure rocks the casbah to have neighbors with a zip line!
They are an amazing homeschooling family and have offered up resources and help if I were to decide to home school Finnian for Kindergarten next year. Wow.

The world has so much kindness in it if you just open your palm & receive.

Get me delivered to yr email xo

I have only come here seeking knowledge

The day got better. Finn found his groove and we all came back to a sweeter place. Finn found dad's Stanley tape measure and measured the whole house twelve times. When he dozed off on our bed today I looked him up and down and tried to listen to the words of my friend Paige- She told me yesterday that next year I will look back and think what a baby he was. He is a baby still. He is not going to reason with me just yet. Perhaps never. I am also still a young and green mother too, no matter my age or how much knowledge I have gained swinging on the learning curve. I am still growing and I need to think about this. It's all good.






egg cartons and small objects

I let Blaise play with Finn's counting bears this morning as Finn was upstairs. It was a nice little 20 minutes just for me and Blaise. He covets the little bears and is smart enough to know that we keep them in a tackle box with other tiny choking hazards and will point to the box and grunt!
I let him play with them today for some simple fine motor time. He loved the sorting and dumping and picking up and supervised I think it is fine to let young ones play with tiny objects.

I want to come back here today and have something to say about my day that is good. We were supposed to go to the art museum today, but Finn's behavior was terrible this morning and running on little sleep (thanks to Blaise the insomniac) I was terrible right back. I can see myself, like I am outside of my body, parenting the opposite of my true belief. The mother I do not want to be. He was reacting to me. I had scared him with my anger. I am sure that these days are scattered over the relationship landscape of parent and child, but they still suck. They still sting.

Get me delivered to yr email xo

see your head in the fading light/and through the dark yr eyes shine bright

I have been trying to catch up on my listening. I always have music on around the house for the family, but I rarely listen to my pod casts or radio programs like I once did.
NPR was the soundtrack to my life as a young person. I got my news in the morning from NPR and most evenings I would listen to All things considered while I prepped as a server in both restaurants I worked. I knew what time it was according to the voice talking to me.
In 1994 when I had barely enough money to buy daily necessities like Camel Lights, NYTimes, coffee, and Rolling Rock I would still send my local station money because I really did love listening. I really did learn. I think I learned about David Sedaris on NPR for the first time and started piecing together what creative nonfiction was in my head. I knew way back then that I someday wanted to have an essay read on NPR. I am pretty certain that I am never going to be famous, but I am almost convinced that I will have an essay on NPR someday. You know when you see actors or ice skaters or ballerinas or contortionist on interviews and they tell you that they were fairly certain even from a young age that they would become this or that. Well, I feel like that too with NPR. You just say Ira Glass and all the hairs on my neck shake and shiver.

Anyhoo, I was listening to some TAL on the plane and listened to a great episode. It is here.

I reminded myself to tune the knob in my brain that allows me to pay closer attention. I am always better for listening to TAL because it makes me tune in and fall in sync with the random landscape of humanity. It was perfect that I loaded my ipod with these shows before I took my trip this weekend bc I feel like picked up on many stories and listened harder to people and lingered just a bit more over those character nuances all around me. More than anything I am aware now that it is part of my job to filter. It is part of my job to pay attention and recognize those moments when they wash right over you. When they pool at yr feet...

Get me delivered to yr email xo

Photo via www.thislife.org

Whenever you need someone to lay your heart and head upon.

The state of the atmosphere with respect to wind today is perfect. It is lovely as it swirls around and the sun is shining brighter than ever. It is gorgeous outside. Finn worked on building a house outside with his cool tools. We spent the whole day in the garden and grandma and grandpa surprised us with a little visit that included post lunch chocolate ice cream cones.


I posted and emailed all of you that requested mini camp packets...I am posting them on a blog called CHEEKYMONKEYPLAY. Here. I think I replied to all of you that emailed- if not, hope yr reading this!!! :)
I plan on getting weeks 1-3 up this week and 4-6 next week. xo



Even with weather like this and chocolate ice cream, my heart is so heavy. One of my dear friends is going into rehab this week. She is suffering from alcoholism and has been since the day she whispered it into my ear in a taxi cab at three in the morning ten years ago. She has had ups and downs but it is at a massive watershed right now. It is time to really decide to live or die. I have been torn up and down and sideways and fat hot tears slide down my cheeks when I wonder why some people get caught with things. Why did it happen to her and not me or anyone else I went to college with? How does the world work? Not with a bang but a whimper...

Get up on your feet, yeah/Step to the beat

I am getting back in gear this week and hope to finish my mini camp packets this weekend. I was so shocked and rocked at the 50+ peeps that joined in to camp it with us this summer. I know many of you are interested in just taking the info and doing yr own thing, but if anyone would like to document this educational fun we should set up a little photo gallery on flickr or something!( anyone wanna volunteer?) :) If anyone else would like to get in on the mini camp fun please email me soon. amytsharp (at) gmail (dot) com.
Birds have taken over my house! I have been making garlands and hanging birds for comfest all weekend. There is so much crafting going on here in preparation that my house looks like a shop! Finn and Blaise love them and I might just have to make a bunch more for their rooms soon! Felt rules. Speaking of birds...check out my pal over at her blog for a chance to win one of our cool teethers!

Time can break your heart

I got some news this morning that should make me feel better. I found out that a person(s) of interest is in custody for the 2003 murder of one of my students. Kiya was shot to death as she slept on her couch in June 2003 by bullets most likely intended for someone else. It was called a drive by shooting. It is a significant marked spot in the time line of my life. It has been such a long time and I had resigned that the police would never be able to crack the silence of my school's neighborhood. I had let go of a lot of the negative and terrible feelings and had been able to look back on Kiya with positive thoughts. I guess I was just plugging the hole because this morning I sat and sobbed and sobbed at the news link my old co-worker sent me. I could not stop crying and it might have been a release of four years or just a final goodbye- I don't know. I just do know that Kiya imprinted her soul on mine and there are not enough words to describe the 9 year old girl from the inner city who memorized Langston Hughes and brought the school to its knees with her poetry and the ability to speak in front of assemblies and mesmerize crowds. She was ethereal in her beauty inside and out. I feel honored that I was able to spend my days with her. I have said it before, but she and all the other students were my amazing primer to motherhood. I cherish what they taught me.
In the weeks after her death I became pregnant with Finn. In my inner most thoughts and private wishes I would allow myself to believe that a tiny piece of Kiya was being reborn. I spoke her name and thought of naming my unborn child Kiya if a girl...
I thought of a lot of things during those first few months after she was murdered. I mostly thought of her light and her goodness and today I am trying to get back to that place again. I am trying to see that there is sense in a senseless world. I am trying to think of her smiling and gorgeous and smart up in heaven like my friend Regan says, "Having a tea party with Langston Hughes." If there is a heaven I am sure Langston Hughes and most of the other inhabitants are surrounding her and she is the belle of the whole shabang.

When I get down sometimes I will read this particular poem that Kiya read at our school one evening at a family night. I will hear her complete confidence and strong voice... I will hear the past but see the future.

A GREAT SOMEBODY
By: Adrian Sceley Hartesty
I am a serious child.
I am a serious child with serious goals.
My life is destine to be filled with positivity.
I am a worker.
If it takes hard work to reach my goals, I will do it.
I am a clean somebody.
I know if I lie down with hogs, I will come up with mud. So I will work to keep my mind, my body and my character clean.
I am intelligent.
My brain is a storage place.
So I will fill it to the brim with knowledge and look forward with hope of what tomorrow will bring.
I am a hero.
I don’t spend time wasting time because I know there is room at the top for me.
I am the greatest somebody there is,
so start leading me now teachers,
start guiding me now teachers,
start praising me now teachers.
and you will see me rise to the highest heights.

Then you'll spread your wings/And you'll take to the sky

While reading about insects this morning (I am so over newest bug fascination) Finn and I decided to plan our summer camp. I feel way behind time because back in the working education world I would have already had my plans submitted and field trips approved and calenders made for the summer program I led for 7 years. My energy was always super high at this stage of the game as I looked forward to all of the cool themes and trips I had planned for my students. I left my job last July and with a 6 month old, moving into a new house, and the overwhelming SAHM experience new vibe, I was too freaked to plan much of a schedule. This year I going back to basics, to the place I thrive. I am planning a mini summer camp for the boys. A planned, but never strict schedule of themes, lessons, and field trips. I might not be able to do much else today bc I am so excited about Finnian's enthusiasm. We spent an HOUR planning our calendar and rubbing our hands together like mad scientists.


I am already in talks with some local pals who are going to join our "camp" summer schedule and perhaps meet up for field trips and I would love to invite you to join in virtually! I can get really into these types of theme units and would be happy to post lessons and activities and create packets if you all are interested. This used to be my work life and I think it is silly not to recreate it in my real life. I would love to share.

If you are interested in a summer camp packet
please email me at amytsharp(at) gmail (dot) com!

Im stronger than the monster beneath your bed/Smarter than the tricks played on your heart

Week five/blackboard poems
Previously Lie Poems
This morning we did a simple poetry lesson that also worked on letter recognition. Finn dictated a "poem" about the scary closet in his room.(How is this so universal?) and I wrote it on the blackboard. We read it a few times and then I asked him to pick the words he wanted to learn to "read" and he choose a few and we made a little game to play. I cut out the words and he had to find the matching word and tape it over the original word. Every time he found one he got to put a magical stone on the word.(God love sparkly shiny raised stickers)
It was simple and you could also write a famous poem on the blackboard or paper and play the game this way to introduce great poems to children.
I also found this site and nearly fell over. This is one cool place! I want many of these cool instruments!

From the morning/past the evening/till the end of the light

Finn has been dying to ride the city bus. He has a lot of school bus riding experience with me as I took him on several school field trips in 2006-2007 before I "retired". When we became a one truck family I thought it was time to start the public transport primer. I actually love riding the bus. People will gag now.
I think my appreciation for the bus came with the 7 years I worked in the inner city. I took my students on numerous field trips on the bus and every summer during summer school and summer programming me and at least 15 kids rode the city bus nearly every day to the downtown library. I loved all of the colorful characters on the bus. I loved seeing my students confidence with the workings of the city. I loved that someones uncle or neighbor or someone they knew was always riding the bus with us. I loved the bus drivers. (Mean Lady and Mr. Cutie and all the stories they told us... ) Those bus routes became so effortless and simple and secure. Even in the deep parts of the city where people were constantly telling me to be safe... I loved the bus.
Our weekly play date is starting to get tricky with Joe spinning into his busy busy season and we are thinking we are going to ride the bus there on Tuesday nights. I think it will be just another adventure. It is earth day today. Hurrah! I think the public transportation lesson fell perfectly on the calendar.
Finn now thinks however that I should purchase shoes like the young ladies in the above photograph. He said that she had lovely lady shoes and that I should wear them. I looked down at my shoes and hairy legs and kinda agreed with him. I said perhaps some fancy shoes this weekend babe? When daddy and mommy go out? I am so looking forward to Friday. My parents are taking the boys for the whole weekend and Joe and I are having a date. I miss dates.
At least the weather is allowing for our makeshift dating to start: Put kids to bed/drink wine out under the carport/make out

Now come and join the living/it's not so far from you

Finn was gifted with these adorable cards last night. They are Good Citizenship cards from EEBOO. They are really neat-o with great community, social responsibility, and manners prompts. We talked about each card and it was obvious that much dialogue could be started with these cards. I was very pleased to hear Finn speak so easily about recycling, assisting the elderly, and 911. He is listening! He is retaining!
The pack was missing a few of the issues we are tweaking and so I made one of my own to sneak into the glossy pack. I figured a visual aid along with repeated patterned noise might be useful:

Outside I looked for a way/To teach my heart to sing

Week Two/Friendship poems
Previously Walt Whitman Poems


Ken Koch used a translated Italian sonnet by Dante Alighieri to teach friendship and journey poems to children:

Guido, I wish that you and Lapo and I
Were carried off by magic
And put in a boat, which, ever time there was a wind,
Would sail on the ocean exactly where we wanted.

In this way storms and other dangerous weather
Wouldn't be able to harm us-
And I wish that, since we all were of one mind,
We'd go on wanting more and more to be together.

And I wish that Vanna and Lagia too
And the girl whose name on the list is number thirty
Were put in the boat by the magician too

And that we all did nothing but talk about love
And I wish that they were just as glad to be there
As I believe the three of us would be



Invite yr child to imagine some magical transportation.
Kids love this! Finn chose a yellow magic rocket ship!
Ask yr child who they would love to invite on this journey.
Talk about friendship and the qualities that their friends have that they love.
We spent a lot of time on this portion.
Inquire where in the world or universe they want to go?
I talked with Finn about describing people and places.
Older kids can take off and write a story from this poetry prompt here.
Just allowing them to close their eyes and imagine and speak out loud works well. Try and display the poems around the house for more connections!

Finnian's Poem:

Jack I wish that Parker and you and me could go on my yellow magic rocket ship
go flying on the moon
like flying astronauts
we are flying astronauts
when we get there we are going to play on the rocket ship and the moon
eat candy
more sugar
more sugar
we will build a stair
so we can drop drop drop
we fight the bees that live on the moon and steal their honey
we will be good and share
and eat more honey on the moon

And flew away/Everyday/They flew away

Pretzel letters on a Tuesday morning:

1 1/2 cups water
1 packet of yeast
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt

mix mix mix kids
small spoons stirring
flour a surface
divide dough
shape into letters or numbers
brush dough with egg wash
salt tops
bake 425 for around 10 mins

Easy letter recognition play
and yummy too