One Step at a Time

I never learned to blow bubble gum and pop it. In order to set this up as a short-term goal for me (it’s never too late), my granddaughter once kindly broke bubble blowing into steps: 1) Chew gum until soft. 2) Flatten on roof of mouth. 3) Stretch and flatten behind front teeth. 4) Blow between teeth. 5) Let pop.

Setting small goals and making steps toward accomplishing them boosts our self-esteem at any age. This is especially true when we monitor our progress. I can write down the progress I make toward bubble blowing to encourage myself.

Children today have so many pressures to perform academically and even athletically, why not encourage them to achieve little goals that foster a sense of self-satisfaction and offer tangible rewards? Even small goals can provide themes that bring more vibrancy to everyday routines. If someone in the family sets a goal for holding his breath under water for a minute or knitting the world’s longest scarf, the rest of the family can cheer them on.

Try setting simple goals for the whole family. Learn a song by practicing one line a night, or read a long book together by tackling a chapter a week. Plan a family five-mile walk, but start by ambling several blocks and work up to your final goal. Put together a huge puzzle. Paint a mural.

Think of things you still want to learn, and do them with your child: French braiding, baton twirling, tap dancing, pogo-stick hopping. Creating small goals not only spurs us on to accomplishment, whether we’re two or 42, it helps us understand how broad and exciting life’s learning can be at any age.

Dragons and Self-Love: Students Celebrate “Mock Caldecott” Winners and Diverse Voices in Children’s Literature

Every year the American Library Association awards one Caldecott Medal to the picture book with the best illustrations and several “Caldecott Honors” to runners-up. Over the past few weeks, our librarian, Mari Pongkhamsing, read Caldecott Medal contenders to elementary students, and they voted for their favorites to win a “Mock Caldecott Medal.” 

Julie Leung's book The Truth about Dragons, illustrated by Hanna Cha, won our students’ Mock Caldecott, as well as a real Caldecott Honor award. It also won the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association picture book award. It tells the story of a boy exploring his mixed White and Asian cultural heritage in a whimsical adventure through two forests. He learns about the fierce dragons of European legends and the majestic Chinese dragons, and that, as  Kirkus Review summarizes, “both worlds, though distinctly different, exist within the child and are open to be explored.”

Big, written and illustrated by Vashti Harrison, received Caldecott Honors from three of our classes and won the real Caldecott Medal this year. It tells the story of a girl struggling with how society sees her and learning to love herself no matter what.

In addition to voting to select the class’s award winners, students wrote brief summaries of the books and drew pictures inspired by the illustrations. Some of these are visible in the photos here, along with the yellow ribbons (most votes from a class) and blue ribbons (honor awards for second and third most votes per class). The real Caldecott awards are shown, too (gold for the winner and silver for honors), along with others, like the Coretta Scott King Book Awards, which are given for "outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience." 

It’s been exciting to see Ms. Mari nurture our students’ love of reading and admiration for diverse voices. We’re so appreciative of her and the authors and illustrators who make the world of children’s literature so powerful and enchanting. Looking forward to new books in 2024!

Exploring Culinary Creativity: Unveiling the “Secret Ingredient” in Our Elementary School Fried Rice Adventure

Our second through fifth graders recently made fried rice in gardening class, and as often happens when we do cooking lessons, parents have been eager to know what “the secret ingredient” was that made their children so excited about a healthy dish. Of course the real “secret” is that they were involved in the cooking, and often the growing and harvesting! But here are the ingredients, in case you want to recreate the dish at home:

• jasmine rice

• red, orange, and yellow bell pepper

• one sweet onion

• one egg

• 5–7 cloves of garlic

• carrots

• green onion

• ginger root grated or very finely diced

• green peas (frozen is fine)

• gluten free soy sauce

• coconut aminos

• sesame oil

• olive oil

• garlic powder

• black pepper

• salt

Sauté one onion and 5-7 garlic cloves in sesame and olive oil on low heat until browned. Add in diced carrots and diced bell pepper. Once cooked through, add the rice, egg, and all of the seasonings.