On the Trail

The trail starts in a pretty field of flowers, birds and butterflies.

Today two teacher friends, Freddy and I all went hiking on a trail near my house.  It was a beautiful, sunny day.  We have been very lucky with some wonderful weather lately!  Fresh air and exercise are always such a great way to relax and stay healthy.  What have you been doing outside on these gorgeous days?  I hope you have been playing outside too!!

Freddy is worn out from chasing squirrels.

Ms. Tricarico finds balance in the outdoors.

Opportunity Sets

On my way to circus class tonight I saw the sun setting.  It was so pretty that I decided I needed to pull over in a safe spot to check it out.  I wanted to share it with you!

Growth Mindset: A Grown-up Post

We have the power to learn just about any skill.

This post is more for the "grown-ups" today:

I set out on a mission this summer.  I was not sure what would really come of it, but I knew one thing.  I knew that my students amaze me each year.  I have two outgoing, hard-working, bright groups of kindergarteners come to me each September.  Many of these students have never stepped foot in a classroom, let alone a large public school.  Some of these students have never been to America until a few months before the school year begins.  Yet, for the most part, these children enter with smiles, hang on my every word and gesture.  They are an astouding fascination.  The most successful of these small children show the same characteristics: perseverence, the ability to problem solve and grow from failure and an eagerness to reflect on hopes and goals.

Well, I remember I used to feel that way.  I used to think I could be anything I wanted to be.  You know what?  I actually still can be!  With a growth mindset we can do many of the things we otherwise thought we could not while thinking with a fixed mindset.  After beginning to learn more about growth mindset while reading Carol Dweck's book, Mindset, I realized that it is not only crucial to bring these ideas to the classroom but that I should also instill in myself a notion to switch back to my primal growth mindset.  This is why, in this blog, you will see me discussing the farfetched ideas of swinging from a trapeze, flying a helicopter and learning how to do one-footed turns on ice skates.  These are all things I would not have thought I could do before.  Now, I realize, that with dedication and hard work I can go as far as I want when learning new skills.

Here is Carol Dweck's book.  It is available at most libraries.  :-)

Your young child may appreciate reading these books while reflecting on all of their accomplishments so far.  Then, maybe you can make a list of 3 things they would like to learn to do one day.

 
 

Adventure is in the Air

I did it!  I flew a helicopter today!  This was an idea that sounded a little scary to me.  I had to make sure that I listened carefully to all of my instructor's safety rules and procedures.  I also had to watch closely so that when it was my turn to fly the helicopter I could do it smoothly.  Can you believe that my helicopter did not have a door on my side??  YIKES!  Luckily I was seatbelted in!

I had a great time learning to use the controls on the Robinson R22 Helicopter that I flew.  It was quite small and only fit two people.  My instructor, Mr. Mario, was very encouraging and friendly.  I flew over and along a river, a big highway, trees and buildings.  It was such a wonderful view!  If I ever do it again I hope for it to be a sunny day.  I did not record too much while I was in the air, because I had to ask Mr. Mario to fly while I used my camera.  I wanted to make sure that I flew as much as possible while I was up there.  You can see a little clip of my flight below.

Here are some books at our library that you can borrow!

 

Waiting for the Clouds to Pass

The weather was so nice yesterday and the forecast looked great for this afternoon.  I was surprised to wake up to take Freddy for a walk in the misty drizzling rain.  You see, I have been waiting for great weather so I could finally take my helicopter flight lesson that I had been trying to take all summer.

Well, I have learned about all of the controls and safety of flying but still I am waiting to give it a try for myself.  Instead, I find myself waiting for the clouds to clear a bit.  I am entertaining myself by riding around on a Segway at the airport.  I made some new friends here and one was nice enough to record for a little bit.  Check it out...

What would you do to pass the time if you were bored?

A Day in the Park

It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day outside today!  I spent a lot of time outside in the park. Freddy loved walking through Colonial Park past groups of people at picnics, a fair with bands playing in the gazebo and new doggy friends.  We took a walk over to peek into the rose garden and then walked around the fields of labeled plants and trees.  Of course we could not leave without going to the dog park...it is Freddy's absolute favorite!  Have you ever been to Colonial Park?  It is beautiful!  Check out the site:  http://www.somersetcountyparks.org/parksfacilities/colonial/ColonialPark.html

Freddy loves to run around with friends at the dog park.

The History of Buttons

Today I went to the Buccleuch Mansion in New Brunswick, New Jersey for a meeting.  I am a part of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution).  This means that I helped to do a lot of work researching my ancestors to prove that one of my great-great-great-great-great grandfathers was a soldier in the Revolutionary War to help gain independence for America.

At each of the meetings we have the chance to learn about history.  This month we had a wonderful presentation on the history of buttons!  The presenter, Mrs. Bobbie Michael, was amazing at teaching us all about different types of buttons from all over the world.

Do you have a collection of anything?  I would love to hear about it!

Here is a bracelet she has made while collecting some buttons.

 Here is Mrs. Michael inside of the mansion.

Here are some interesting books at the library:

 

 

                                                 

Perfect Pitch (Well...for me it was)

Today the weather was absolutely perfect!  One of my sisters, her husband and my brother came out to TD Bank Ballpark to cheer me on as I attempted to throw out the first pitch at today's Somerset Patriot's game.  I was so nervous that I would not make it to the catcher, but luckily I did.  The Patriots are an amazing ballteam and they are always hosting wonderful events for our community.  If you have not been to the stadium yet, I highly recommend it!

 

Here is a non-fiction book and two fiction stories about pitchers that you can find in the Somerset County Library System: