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Susan
Director of the Center for Children's Learning of the Portland Children's Museum
Recent Activity
Considering Loose Parts and Stories
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My colleague Rachelle Doorley over at Tinkerlab has asked me to write an article for her upcoming book. I'm excited about that, and about her book! (And grateful for her patience as I am a bit behind the deadlines...) But... Continue reading
Posted Dec 2, 2012 at Wonder love
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Keeping Time
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This post was originally written for the Opal School Blog, but as a personal reflection, it made sense to post it here as well. My desk these days is filled with calendars, lists, agendas, new files and binders. Somehow attempting... Continue reading
Posted Aug 26, 2012 at Wonder love
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Introducing Opal School Online
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The Opal School Summer Symposium has become a very popular annual event, bringing people from around the world together for 3 days to collaborate and think together about approaches to education that intend to support the extraordinary potentials of children.... Continue reading
Posted Aug 5, 2012 at Wonder love
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How to Teach Reading and Writing (and a little math and science, too)
Stella loves to lay in the hammock. I'd say it is her favorite summer pastime this year. I spent about an hour laying in it with her one morning this week, and I taught her to read and write. Here's... Continue reading
Posted Jul 15, 2012 at Wonder love
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Get away
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Oh! It's just the thing to do sometimes... the pictures can tell the story. Continue reading
Posted Apr 9, 2012 at Wonder love
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Slow Down
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It has been a long winter. Lots and lots of working overtime and Sophie in a (semi-)professional theater production which means she gets paid and I drive and a new puppy and soccer practices and various lessons and all the... Continue reading
Posted Apr 3, 2012 at Wonder love
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The Creativity Crisis
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Published almost 2 years ago, The Creativity Crisis re-surfaced on Twitter yesterday from @IDEA and I had a re-read. (If you want to listen to the embedded podcast, start at about 12:30 for the interview with Bronson and Merryman.) If... Continue reading
Posted Apr 1, 2012 at Wonder love
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Opal School Blog is Open!
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The home page of the Opal School Blog is now open to the public! So that's where I've been for the past few months. I'm going to try and develop these two blogs as reflective of one another -- one... Continue reading
Posted Mar 31, 2012 at Wonder love
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2011 Top Ten
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Well, I really did try to choose just 10 images of 2011 moments that would capture it's spirit. Offer a nod of gratitude. Leave a trace. But that inspired a different way of thinking about it. It's really about reflecting... Continue reading
Posted Dec 31, 2011 at Wonder love
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A peek into Opal School
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There is, actually, an official Opal School blog. Someday soon I hope to make it public -- but for now, I have to settle for sharing a post here and there, slurped from that blog over to this one --... Continue reading
Posted Dec 29, 2011 at Wonder love
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No homework
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I was just finishing an article for Opal School's newsletter about the wonder of learning. I looked up from my work to see Max and his dad fully engaged in the collaborative creation of a new comic strip series. Character... Continue reading
Posted Nov 28, 2011 at Wonder love
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Thanks
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As I was driving today my eye caught the briefest glimpse of a bird poking around in the yellow leaves piled at the edge of the road. And I wondered just for the briefest second about how many birds there... Continue reading
Posted Nov 21, 2011 at Wonder love
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Faces for Six Pumpkins
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It is a good idea, it turns out, to plan the faces for your extra pumpkins while you are waiting patiently for the seeds... those endless seeds all tangled up in orange goo... to find their way out of the... Continue reading
Posted Oct 29, 2011 at Wonder love
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Time
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I happened upon a few old pictures today. This one just slayed me: The snaggle-toothed seven-year old Sophie. And this one: Such sweetness and little wide-eyed faces. I miss those babies. I can't help it. And it's not because now... Continue reading
Posted Sep 25, 2011 at Wonder love
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Before furnishing
Tonight is the school picnic! Stella: You mean it's tomorrow now? Yes. Stella: Oh! So that means that M is going to be at school! Yes she is! Stella: Every single tomorrow M is going to be in my class.... Continue reading
Posted Sep 12, 2011 at Wonder love
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Family Dinner
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Sophie (she's 14 now!) had me call her when I was just a very precise number of blocks from home last night so she could time the slicing of these peaches just so. So when they arrived on the table,... Continue reading
Posted Sep 6, 2011 at Wonder love
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The Power of Oops
"I punch-ded Ruby today. It was an accident - ly. But it was an oopsie moment. I had an oopsie moment. Acause in my classroom we don't punch. We had to solve the problem. So I had to sit on... Continue reading
Posted May 31, 2011 at Wonder love
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Summer Symposium (already)
We're gearing up for Opal School's 11th annual summer symposium and my anxiety is keeping me busy. This year, Lella Gandini will be with us for 3 days along with a group from Ochoa elementary school in Tucson, AZ. It... Continue reading
Posted May 17, 2011 at Wonder love
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To Scream and To Sing
On the advice of Susan Ohanian, I took a look at this commentary by Stephen Krashen earlier today. He is pointed and convincing, as usual, but I wasn't particularly moved by what he had to say. And then I read... Continue reading
Posted Apr 10, 2011 at Wonder love
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Thank you Kristin! I finally got a moment to explore your site-- oh, loveliness! So glad for the connection!
Toggle Commented Mar 23, 2011 on A new image at Wonder love
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Fearless
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To celebrate our first day of vacation, Max made a Spring Break Cake. It was a treat. But equally delicious was a moment with Stella at the playground, just prior to the cutting of the cake. She had eyed those... Continue reading
Posted Mar 22, 2011 at Wonder love
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Focus on Strengths
An Excerpt from Two Billion Dollars in Nickels: Reflections on the Entrepreneurial Life, by Paul Orfalea with Dean Zatkowsky (BookSurge: 2008): Although society’s understanding of dyslexia and ADHD is improving, too many people still equate “difference” with “disability.” Every disability... Continue reading
Posted Mar 7, 2011 at Wonder love
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Doing Dangerous Things
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So here's a book I wrote about so long ago... in the hands of two 10 year old boys hell bent on making a mess, lots of noise, and using up all my kitchen staples. And hoping so wholeheartedly that... Continue reading
Posted Mar 5, 2011 at Wonder love
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For the birds
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The view outside one of our biggest windows this time of year is terribly dreary. We decided to cheer it up by hanging some feeders it in and hoping for bird friends to join us. We added a collection of... Continue reading
Posted Feb 4, 2011 at Wonder love
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Getting Somewhere
Oh, I know it's been a long time. But I'm inspired tonight to return. Yesterday, I saw the new documentary Race to Nowhere and, of course, I cried. Tears of sadness for the experiences that we have come to accept... Continue reading
Posted Jan 18, 2011 at Wonder love
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