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To be read out loud…
…and in the presence of others.
Growing Down
by Shel SilversteinMix a grunt and a grumble, a sneer and a frown,and what do you have? Why old Mr. Brown,the crabbiest man in our whole darn town.We all called him Grow-Up Brown;For years each girl and boy and pupheard “Grow up, grow up, oh grow up.”He’d say, “Why don’t you be polite?Why must you shout and fuss and fight?Why can’t you keep dirt off your clothes?Why can’t you remember to wipe your nose?Why must you always make such noise?Why don’t you go pick up your toys?Why do you hate to wash your hands?Why are your shoes all filled with sand?Why must you shout when I’m lying down?Why don’t you grow up?” grumped Grow-up Brown.One day we said to Grow-Up Brown,“Hey, why don’t you try growing down?Why don’t you crawl on your knees?Why don’t you try climbing trees?Why don’t you bang on a tin-can drum?Why don’t you chew some bubble gum?Why don’t you play kick the can?Why don’t you not was your hands?Why don’t you join the baseball team?Why do’nt you jump and yell and scream?Why do’nt you try skipping stones?Why don’t you eat ice cream cones?Why don’t you cry when you feel sad?Why don’t you cuddle with your dad?Why don’t you have weenie roasts?Why don’t you believe in ghosts?Why don’t you have pillow fights?Why don’t you sleep with your teddy at night?Why don’t you swing from monkey bars?Why don’t you wish on falling stars?Why don’t you run in three-legged races?Why don’t you make weirdie faces?Why don’t you smile, Grow-Up Brown?Then Grow-Up Brown, he scrunched and frownedAnd scratched his head and walked around,And finally he said with a helpless sound,“Maybe I will try growing down.”So Grow-Up Brown began to singand started doing silly things:He started making weirdie facesand came in first in the three-legged races.All day he swung from monkey bars,All night he’d lie and count the stars,He tooted horns, he banged on drums,He spent twenty bucks on bubble gum,He went to all the weenie roasts,And once he thought he saw a ghost.He got to be great at pillow fightsand went to sleep with his teddy at night.He flew a kite, he kicked a can,He rubbed some dirt upon his hands.He drew some pictures, threw some stones.Ate forty-seven ice cream cones.He got some sand between his toes,Got a loose tooth and a bloody nose.He got a dog, they rolled in the mud.He imititated Elmer Fudd.He climbed a roof (though no one asked),He broke his wrist- he wore a cast.He rolled down hills, he climbed up trees,He scuffed his elbows, skinned his knees,He tried to join the baseball team;When they said no, he spit and screamed.He cried when he was feeling sadAnd went and cuddled with his dad.He wore a hat that didn’t fit,He learned just how far he could spit,He learned to wrestle and get tickled,Sucked his thumb, he belched and giggled.He got his trousers torn and stained,He ran out barefoot in the rain,Shouting to all the folks in town,“It’s much more fun, this growin’ down.”can someone posts some illustrations?I think they would be fun… -
I have found this guy, some veggie chili & lots o’ beautiful things!
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Look what the Real Deal Found………..
As the seasons and my bedrooms change, I decided to clean up my desk. This is something I think you will all enjoy………….
2 Spanish/Yellow Onions
2 Red Bell Peppers
10 Minced Garlic
2 Tblsp. Cumin Seed/Cumin Powder
3 Tblsp. Chili Powder
2-28 Oz. Cans Crushed Tomatoes
Brown Sugar
Oregano
4-15 oz. Can Beans. Pinto, Black, Kidney
2 Cups Frozen Corn.
I Know Tapper would be proud. I am Maine-bound in less than two weeks and I can’t wait.
Sending love and Hugs.
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“These aren’t pure eggs…”Keagan, McCarthy Towne 5th grade, referring to the eggs provided for egg drop
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“if you never work with anyone else, that just makes you narrow-minded and selfish.”
Jessica
6th grade, McCarthy Towne School
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IT WORKED!!
Using only the 5 rules provided in my framing, Boots built the Anti-Gravity machine! This is a mock up for a larger team-challenge puzzle that Golgi and I came up with in January. It was inspired by a baby’s toy we saw in a little toystore in Somerville. It’s made up of 6 beams with an eye-hook on each end, and 24 elastics finished with s-hooks. The full-scale version would be be 7x7x7 (this is 1x1x1), hopefully we can build it soon!
here’s the LOP:
AIMING:
problem-solving, organized effort, communication, role-taking/leadership styles
FRAMING:
“your challenge is to build a gravity-defying apparatus! The design relies on balance and symmetry. There are five truths of this design:
1. every end is connected to four other ends
2. every end is connected to three different beams
3. each beam is connected to four other beams
4. parallel beams are not connected to each other.
5. the x, y, & z axis will each have two beams aligned with them
if all of these statements are true by the time you have used all of your materials, no beams will be touching each other, many will be locked in space, either parallel or perpendicular to each other.
So what are some of your ideas for claiming? -
Sunday Morning.
Sunday morning and part of me is thinking about Monday morning, and part of me is thinking about Saturday afternoon (Kentucky Derby), and part of me is thinking about summer and part of me is thinking about going on a long bike trip.
This is a view from my every-morning. My mom made that green bag in my crate!
Biking to school each morning makes me want to bike all day long. I have 4 more weeks of instruction with the kids this school year. I feel myself slamming into what can sometimes be a wall of reflectiveness. Wanting to do, and finding myself thinking instead.
Today, however, I feel full of do. & want to do, and do, and do. I am not sure where the next months will lead, but I am loving the sun on my porch right now. I am excited to go see what produce is at the Farmers’ Market, and looking forward to the final weeks with my kids. They are amazingly brilliant & my goal is that they all feel this by the end of the year. School can be so many things, I hope I can be a force for making it a positive place for my kids.
Our last few weeks will be centered around learning about ourselves as learners and also learning about advocating for what each needs to learn and make the most of school for themselves in the coming years. If you have any suggestions about games, activities, links, ETC, please post!
Gracias and love. & I went camping this weekend by a frog lake. All night the frogs sing- except when they ALL stop for 10 minutes or so and it’s silent. Suddenly, one, then, two, then hundreds are singing again. Nature is amazing.
& so are you.
C.
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SRSLY THO, GET NICE!:
golifeboat (hurry up) spring mixtape 2012
download here:
http://uploading.com/files/m9aeb16b/SRSLY_THO_GET_NICE.zip/
stream here:
http://www.mixcloud.com/golifeboat/srsly-tho-get-nice-golifeboat-hurry-up-spring-2012-mixtape/
i’ll have it known, i still don’t think i was wrong.
yes, spring, you can do better. i get it. so it got below freezing, so what? it didn’t snow did it? okay, so it snowed. it’s not like anything stuck right? right. it was in the 80’s like a month ago! you don’t have to be sure about the longevity of brilliance to celebrate its coming.
that being said, i also would like to remind you, spring, that you already sprang once, and we’d all appreciate it if you would just keep right on springing. that might not even be accurate. at this point the request is to resume the springing. please? i think these songs are good messengers of the feeling that we are a little disappointed, taken aback, but also just ready for you to be your best self.
(but if you take a couple of ticks and black flies down in this chill, you get a high five because it was totally worth it)
i’ve really been enjoying getting connected with this blog the last few weeks. i hope that you all will jump into it again too, it’s pretty rewarding just to think that you might get something out of it. i miss you. thank you for your posts, i check this daily.
love, as ever,
g
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At the Bus Stop
I was at the bus stop today. Stood beside me was a man and next to him was his carer.
All of a sudden the man (not his carer) proceeded to facilitate me. This was an unexpected but brilliant moment that threw me for a second. I mean, nobody ever dares look at you at a bus stop, let alone talk to you.
Anyway after a solid conversation about the football team I support (he has 3 teams) we got onto the topic of the lottery (he enters every Friday).
He then asked an amazing question having just informed me of the numbers he would be picking for tonight’s lottery draw.
He asked “Are you lucky?”
I took the question quite literally at first and said I’ve never had any luck at the lottery. He had, having won £5 two years ago!
I got on the bus and debriefed myself.
I realised I am very lucky indeed.
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Talky talky? Sure!
- me: hey everyone! guess what? if you click on one of the entries on our blog, below it you'll find a DISQUS section where we can comment and converse! doesn't that sound great?
- you: yea that sounds supa awesome!!
- me: also, when you post, tag your name, like i have with some of mine and alastair's, that way, when i'm thinking to myself, "oh i want to listen to that song," or "read that brilliant entry," i can easily search and find it. if there are any other tags that you think might consistently apply, like "real deal" or "mixtape" then add that too!
- you: okay, that doesn't sound like too much work!
- me: it isn't! thanks!
- you: no problem! can't wait to post all the time!
- me: i can't wait either!
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Hey guys! I have the beginnings of a new song/ start of a new project for you!
Try to ignore the really bad recording, the ending will probably change as this is a very new idea!
would love to hear your thoughts!
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An essential question in today’s trending: What are you wearing when you aren’t wearing anything?
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blue jeans no longer. PRESENTING: colored denim.
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Clothes
I’ve decided that this Friday I am going clothes shopping. I haven’t done this for almost a year. Whats “cool” in America….. but not “trendy”. I want “in” but not “innnn”. you picking up what im putting down?
Love
A
