Sprouts and Seeds started May 27th

Greener Pastures: Tiny steps to reduce waste make a big difference

The Raindrop Preschoolers & Toddlers have taken several steps to reduce the amount of classroom waste headed for the landfill including:

• Using washable cups and beautiful handmade ceramic plates
• Recycling paper scraps, old copies, etc.
• Sending snack scraps to the worm bin
• Sending emails and making phone calls in place of paper mail and photocopies when possible

Please post a comment and share green initiatives at Raindrop Coop that I have missed and add your own great ideas and at-home/work efforts.

Make free interactive digital books online!

At CAST's Universal Design for Learning Bookbuilder website, anyone can make free online digital books/media presentations that include up to three animated characters with auto-generated text-to-voice functions. The presentations can include images, audio files, and formatted text and have pagination built in.

This tool was originally developed in support of reading comprehension and is often used to prompt readers to think critically about a text based on research-based comprehension strategies that are at the forefront of best practices in school-based reading instruction. However, it has many other uses, including documenting fieldtrips and making books more accessible to the visually impaired through text aloud features. Bookbuilder was designed and disseminated by the Center for Applied Special Technology.

Click on the post title to visit Bookbuilder, view sample books, and sign up for a free account. You can even download any of the books free of charge to use on your computer offline.

Check out The Fall Book of Colors for an example of how this technology can be used as a shared reading activity for younger children. Bookbuilder would also be a great way to help children design their own digital books and presentations. BTW- all of CAST's tools and websites are completely AD FREE!

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About CAST

CAST is a nonprofit research and development organization that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals, especially those with disabilities, through Universal Design for Learning.

Founded in 1984 as the Center for Applied Special Technology, CAST has earned international recognition for its innovative contributions to educational products, classroom practices, and policies. Its staff includes specialists in education research and policy, neuropsychology, clinical/school psychology, technology, engineering, curriculum development, K-12 professional development, and more.

Digging our hands in

Tonight we had our first official board meeting of the year and I have to tell you, I'm ready to go. I hadn't seen our teacher since June so to talk with her again tonight was so exciting. I know my son is going to be even more thrilled come September 12th, his first day of class.

It was nice having a summer break from school work. Because being on the Board is being part of that proverbial 20% that does 80% of the work. However, I wouldn't have it any other way. This is my seventh year as a Co-op member and I used to be one of those parents who didn't serve on the Board nor understand what moved people to do so. But now I'm addicted: addicted to spending time with so many intelligent, motivated, and fun parents. I'm addicted to helping to actually run a school, rather than passively be served or instructed by policy.

Tonight we talked about our Open House, Orientation, Room Warming day, first day of school, three field trips, and our Harvest party. And this will all be taking place in the next couple of months! It's promising to be a busy start but well worth the effort.

The community garden is growing gangbusters

Raindrop Cooperative Preschool's plot at the Hoquiam Community Garden was spearheaded during the 2007-2008 school year by the Hogaboom family. The initial plantings of marigolds, pumpkin sprouts, and butternut squash starts were made by the students at the beginning of June 2008. The pumpkins were even grown from seed as part of a year end plant-life and gardening unit, and the marigolds have blossomed beautifully all summer long. Some additional herb starts (chives, mint, thyme, and oregano?) were donated by the Patterson family and the sunflowers have been grown by seed from a free packet left by another Community Garden participant. The Hunt, Hogaboom, Glowacki, and Patterson families have been frequent visitors and garden tenders over the summer.

Preschool teacher Mrs. Lenss plans several classroom visits to the garden plot during the Autumn months as part of an integrated curriculum theme. Please feel free to share your comments and aspirations regarding our tiny garden plot with other visitors to this site! Photos can be emailed to raindropcoop@gmail.com for inclusion in a digital scrapbook.