One of the things I would like to do in this new year is to teach the children to look for the possibilities in life. Every day is filled with opportunities and possibilities and discoveries that will make their little lives richer and deeper. It’s a matter of the eternal search that makes that richer life apparent. I would like to teach this to them before they go off to school, because I believe that school can be a “safety zone” of “not having to discover – only having to ‘hand back’ what is expected” and that nullifies the whole human notion of possibilities.

A possibility is something that can happen if one works hard enough to make it happen. But that possibility is all but hidden from the non-curious, the non doer, the guy who is trapped in the idea that there is only one mousetrap out there.

My daughter, Katy, has a sign in her office at work: “Just because you’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean it was always a stupid way of doing it.”

This sign is meant to shake up the people who think that just because they have always done something one way, there isn’t a better way to do it. Let’s look at cooking as an example of “always….” “I’ve always used this pan to make this dish; I’ve always made it this way; I’ve always struggled with this dish, so I don’t make it very often.” Maybe it’s the pan; maybe it’s the way the dish is made that makes it difficult. So if you change the pan and change the way you make it, the dish might be a whole lot easier to make. A recipe book is a consultant not a jailer!

Let’s look at paper mache. Who says that paper mache must be made from strips of paper? Very young children hate to use paper mache because to them it seems no matter how many tedious strips of newspaper they manage to put on, the thing never looks any different. So if we look at the possibilities, we can see easily what to do and how, and the project of paper mache becomes not only interesting to children, but doable. It’s a matter of thinking it through and changing the “It’s always the way I’ve done this…”

Teaching children to see all the possibilities of life is fun, but it’s tricky and they have to be on your wavelength. Children are learning to follow directions. They are learning the rules of play, so it can be complicated, but possibilities take a kind of thought that children are very adept to because their desires have not been tired out, and their curiosity about how things work is strong.

For adults, making changes always seems like too much new work, but that’s for the negative thinker. Making changes should nearly always lighten tasks, renew the world at hand, and make life a little better. It’s a matter of “thinking it through.” But all of this takes energy and desire and a sense that things can truly be made better with a little effort.

The hardest part is thinking it through and it begins like this: “What if… and I would need to…and that would enable…and then….” It’s a green light for 2010!

It was the day after Christmas at a church in San Francisco . The pastor of the church was looking over the crèche when he noticed that the baby Jesus was missing from among the figures. He hurried outside and looking about saw a little boy with a red wagon, and in the wagon was the figure of the little infant Jesus.

So he took a deep calming breath and walked up to the small boy and said, “Well, where did you get your passenger, my fine friend?”

The little boy replied, “I got Him at church.”

“And why did you take Him from the church?”

The little boy explained, “Well, about a week before Christmas I prayed to the little Lord Jesus, and I told Him if He would bring me a red wagon for Christmas I would give Him a ride around the block in it….”

And just a little more cute and good:

Javeon and Brady earned a Treasure Box pass today by inventing and then playing and winning a new game of their own design.

Kylie won a Treasure Box pass today for finding a mistake in Miss Amy’s work, and correcting it very politely. Way to go, Kylie!

Emily won the Writing Contest in Miss Amy’s Class. She carried it away and will wear a symbol of her work.

Reese won a Treasure Box pass for knowing what “decade” means.

Yeah team.

Good Morning!

Welcome back to school. It’s been a while, but it’s been a great break for teachers. We are all chatting about getting back to school, and that is always good.

January brings a quiet month. We will have a pajama party at the end of this week. Children may wear their pjs and robes to school, but must wear shoes and socks. If we can go out, slippers will be ruined.

Calendars have gone out. Please read them. This is your reminder of what is going on at school.

On January 15, at Noon, we will have our annual International Feast. This is completely voluntary. If you are free at lunch time and would like to spend a half hour or and hour with your child, and you enjoy cooking, please plan to bring a dish from a culture besides America to share. Please bring enough for four adults. Children will choose their meal by smorgasbord. Suggestions include: spaghetti, African rice and peanuts, pizza, Egg rolls, Curry, roast guinea pig, sea cucumbers, swan and anything else that strikes your fancy or your child’s ;-}

Snow and Ice!

The Garden School closes when the public schools either in Warrick or Vanderburgh Counties close. We will not be issuing a separate school closing. If counties are on delay, we will be on delay as well. A two hour delay means the Garden School will be open at 9:00. If schools close early, parents will be called to pick up children with the same punctuality as is expected in the public schools.

Ill Children.

Please remember that a child who “doesn’t feel well, Mommy” in the morning should not be brought to school at all. If your child needs over the counter “help me feel better quick” medicines in the morning, PLEASE keep him at home. Children left at home for one day will usually get better that day than if they are brought to school. Be smart and cut his bug off at the pass.

As a tip that really works, if you feel that tickle in your throat and think you might be coming down with something, gargle with straight lemon juice three times and you’ll be surprised how you seem to ward it off.

Have a great week!

Well, after a long and needed rest, we’re back at it. Sometimes it’s nice to put regular things aside so that when you pick them up again, there is something new and delightful about those regular things!

I spent a great deal of this vacation on one of the little barn cats that has been coming around the school for food since this summer. He was horribly injured a couple of weeks before Christmas, and for about two weeks, we tried to save his paw, but failed. He needed an amputation. So to make a long story short, I brought him home Christmas Eve having had his hind leg removed at the hip, and by Christmas he was up the tree with the other little beast. It took more than a few days of worry and work to put this all right.

I did manage to stay at home a few days, and learned some new things about cooking. As this is supposed to be Sunday’s Plate, I will share them with you.

I was making some ordinary vanilla cupcakes and knew that the recipe would be mediocre at best, and decided to add another 1/2 cup of milk and leave it beating at high speed for about five minutes. The cupcakes turned out to be one of the best batches I’ve ever made. One of my children asked me warily if I had store bought cupcakes! I’m going to try that at school this week when I make spice cupcakes. You can’t have a light enough cupcake!

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Another thing I learned was how to make Pizzelles. They are little griddle cakes you make with a press that turn into large cookies or ice cream cones, or bowels. They are charming and delicious. I made orange rum flavor and they were wonderful. I plan on making them for the kids this summer as sandwich bread for their peanut butter.

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I learned how to use condensed milk to make bar cookies. This is a very nice substance and very usable in making all kinds of bar cookies. One recipe calls for:

2 cups flour
2 cups of oats
1.5 cups brown sugar
1 package white chocolate chips
1 package walnuts or pecans
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs beaten
1 can of condensed milk
2/3 cup peanut butter

Mix all dry ingredients; divide in 1/2.

Into one half mix your beaten eggs and press this half into a baking dish and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Mix milk and peanut butter together and pour over first layer hot from the oven.

Put second half of dry mix on top, press, and bake for 20 more minutes. Let cool and cut into big fat squares – to die for.

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One of the things I learned to do properly is fry left over mashed potatoes. The secret is to mix them up with eggs and let them sit. Then when you melt your butter in the pan, you LEAVE THEM ALONE until they are fairly brown on one side then flip them ONCE!

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One of the things I’ve been making is “The Recipe.” This is made with fruit and brandy. Needless to say I can’t make it at school; it has to be a home recipe ;-}. It’s made with sugar, brandy, and canned fruit beginning with pineapple, then cherries, then peaches. The ultimate goal is to make a very adult fruit cake. It’s very delicious. This is NOT traditional fruit cake. This is really quite a different kind of cake. Upon giving one of our teachers a small bit of pineapple, she had to sit down. Now if you are reading this and would like to sample some, please let Miss Judy know. I will be making them this coming weekend.

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Until next week c’est bonne!