Education and parenting. Helping your child with reading, math, science and getting along with others.
My dear friend, Lori Abe, arranged for us to take a private tour of the Hawaii Governor’s Mansion. The mansion is about to close for renovations, so it was the perfect timing. Lori is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Josh Greene. As we walked towards the State House, she called to…
The Koko Crater Botanical Garden was near where we were staying in Hawaii Kai. It’s an interesting microclimate that is desert-like, despite being located in Hawaii. The cactus garden is the star of the garden, donated by Charles M. Wills. This is a gentle 2-mile loop, and the hike is pretty flat. It took us…
Frank Owen Gehry was a Canadian and American architect and designer known for his postmodern designs and use of unconventional forms and materials. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become attractions. My favorite part of the Guggenheim Museum is the architecture. A stunning design by the recently…
During our Hawaii vacation, I purposely did not bring my computer. Instead, I packed a small watercolor kit with the intention of finishing a sketchbook during that trip. I had watched Taria of Taria’s Sketchy Adventures on YouTube create a beautiful memory book by urban sketching her vacation. I wasn’t able to paint every day,…
We probably made a mistake by going to the Smithsonian Museum of African American History first. It’s next door. I think it was the soul food meal that put my husband and me into a food coma. Still, we wandered through the museum in search of dinosaurs, and it did not disappoint. They also have…
This song is based on the powerful book – Barbed Wire Between Us – that follows two little girls held in the same detention camp (Fort Sill, Oklahoma) decades apart. Sadly, their story of family separation and illegal detention echoes recent news about places such as the ICE detention facility at Dilley and others, causing…
Creating a reading-rich classroom is a great way to build literacy and love of books in elementary students. Young learners perform much better when they feel well cared for, structured, and motivated in their learning environment. A well-planned reading space can enhance focus, motivate engagement, and make reading more engaging and pleasurable for learners of…