Friends:

Today was Day 6 of my “Stories on Board Residency.” What a day! In the 8 years that I have been the artist-in-residence at this school, never once have I been late. Today changed that record. There was a big accident that clogged traffic for miles, causing me to arrive at 9:00 am (first class is at 8:45 am). I frantically called the librarian, Ellen (who books me every year), explaining the situation. She reassured me that everything would be just fine and she would adjust my schedule.

Fortunately, there was a puppet performance in the cafeteria by Calliope Puppet Theater. Ellen cancelled my first class and sent them to the puppet show. Then she moved my second class to my lunch period. That enabled me to have some free time in the morning so I was able to watch the show. It was a great show, showcasing multicultural stories about music from around the world. Karen Konnerth, the puppeteer, is a friend and I loved how much educational content was woven into her show. The kids really enjoyed it. Here is the story of the Legend of the Marimba from Guatemala.

I ate lunch at 10:00am! Then I had five back-to-back classes with no break in between. Needless to say, at the end of the day, I was exhausted!

Though the day started off on the wrong track, my classes were great. I did have to handle some discipline issues in kindergarten and second grade but the rest of the students were fantastic. Here is a picture of some of today’s second grade class playing “Pizza Party,” based on my story, “The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.” Hello, Ms. Leblanc’s class!

Again, I had a blast working with 3rd through 5th grade, creating the game boards. My third grade class’ story was “The Lion and the Mouse.” They came up with some creative titles and games including “Mouseopoly,” “Lion Limbo,” and “Lion and Mouse Land.” This is “Mouseopoly.”

This third grade group created “The Lion and The Mouse Game.” The third graders worked so well together – it was amazing. I really enjoyed their ideas and collaboration. They truly exemplified teamwork. Way to go, Ms. Ryan’s class! Woo hoo!

My fourth graders were assigned the story, “Jack Seeks His Fortune,” an Appalachian mountain tale. These students amazed me with their creativity. Some of their game board titles include “Jack and His Sack of Gold,” “Goldopoly” (notice how so many of the students love the “opoly” type of game?), “Go for the Gold!,” and “Not So Fortunate.” Ms. Morrow’s class, you did a fantastic job with your boards. I can’t wait to see them finished. Check out this board.

In fifth grade, they worked on the story, “Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby.” This group of fifth graders were planners and contemplaters, discussing their options in detail and consulting with each other on their game board designs. As a result, they worked a little slower and their board games did not progress as much as the other classes. Still, there were some impressive boards. This one is called, “The Carrot Trail.”

This 5th grade board game is titled, “Brer Rabbit’s Briar Patch.” I love the rabbit’s face! Fantastic work, Ms. McLeod’s class!

One of my fifth grade students from yesterday’s class, Samuel, really impressed me. He asked me if he could take a board home so that he could design his own board game. Today, he left the board in the library for me. It’s such an intricate design. I was so touched that he had the initiative to want to work on his own design. Samuel is such a sweet student. Every day, he carries my suitcase (filled with all my supplies – I call it my “Rolling Classroom”) down the stairs for me at the end of the day. Thank you so much, Samuel. You are awesome. This is Samuel’s board game design – he promised to fill it in and actually create the game too. Too cool!

So today, lemon turned into sweet lemonade. And there’s more to come! Until next time… best wishes!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

It has been a wonderful two weeks visiting all the classrooms of the school where I am the teaching artist-in-residence. I feel like I have truly made deep connections with the students and the teachers.

Today was bittersweet, because it was so wonderful and because it was my last day to visit the classes. My day couldn’t have gone any better if I had planned it that way. My second grade class was as sweet as sugar cane! They had a blast listening to “Pulling Up the Sweet Potato” and “The Cajun Cornbread Boy.” Then we did a cumulative round game that I wrote called “Pile It on the Pie A Mile High.” The students had to think of Louisiana foods to add to the top of the pie as the song went on. It was so much fun because we made mistakes! What a beautiful bunch of children!

My third grade class was fabulously prepared. Their teacher worked with them on the side to rehearse. And it showed. They were so prepared, working completely without their scripts! Their performance is going to ROCK! I can’t wait to see it! Great job, Ms. G (my fellow chocoholic)!

My fourth grade class (the very same one that was a huge challenge the other day) did a great job with their rehearsal. I was such a joy to see the students finally working together to create a piece of which they could be proud. There are a lot of chatter boxes but this class is full of bright, creative children who can accomplish a lot when they put their minds to it. One of my most challenging students (the one who received a behavior report the other day) shone “on stage” when she performed. It gave me goosebumps to see her succeed like that. Afterwards, she hugged me and asked me when I was coming back to the class. It was one of those “Wow” moments.

Today was the school’s Black History luncheon. All the teachers contributed a dish. Talk about delicious! I strayed from my healthy eating habits to splurge on lunch – fried chicken, the creamiest homemade mac-n-cheese, spinach artichoke dip, and the most delectable cabbage and smoked sausage casserole! I really felt like part of the family, laughing at the table with my new friends and sharing their food.

After lunch, I saw Pre-K. What a delightful group of students!!!!! (Ms. S – you are a rockin’ teacher!) The children, teachers, and I had the best time! After I told “The Cajun Cornbread Boy,” one of the students nicknamed me “Cayenne Dianne.” It was hilarious. We laughed so hard that my stomach hurt and my make-up ran. It was one of those moments filled with abundant joy. I love laughing so hard that it sounds like your soul is bubbling to the top. Thank you, Ms. S and Ms. L for a “spicy” time!

My fifth grade class did a great job with their rehearsal. They still needed some direction but, over all, they were fine. Afterward, we even had time for a little fun and played “Pile It on the Pie A Mile High.” I look forward to their performance tomorrow!

The teacher who wrote the grant to bring me to the school filled out an evaluation form for me for another grant I am working on. This is what she said (it brought tears to my eyes)… It was one of the highlights of my day!

“Dianne has been able to captivate our students from three year olds to fifth graders. Her age-appropriate stories have sparked creativity across all grade levels. The teachers have stopped me in the halls to thank me for making sure she was in our grant! They have been very impressed by her abilities.”

But I have to say that my favorite part of the day was receiving a gift from today’s second grade class. I was moved to tears by their gift. Look at this card – the grapes are made with the students’ fingerprints!

The students wrote letters to accompany the humongous card they gave me. And the letters weren’t form letters either – they came from the students’ hearts! Ms. K – you have class!! (pun totally intended… LOL) Here are some of the letters:

“Dear Ms. Dianne, thank you for coming to our school. I loved the Cornbread Boy. I enjoyed the Sweet Potato Story. My favorite part in the Cornbread Boy story was ‘a jump, a skip, and a hop.’ Also, I was fond of dancing with the scarves. I like when we were putting our scarves down and up. I hope you can come back to our class. Love, Mikala”

“Dear Ms. Dianne, Thank you for coming to our school. I liked the cockroach story. I liked the cockroach story because it was funny. Also, I enjoyed Cornbread Boy. I loved the part when the cornbread boy did a triple back flip off of the alligator’s head. I hope you can come back next year and join us again. Love, Vernay”

“Dear Ms. Dianne, Thank you Ms. Dianne for coming to our class. I enjoyed the Pile it on the Pie song. I liked it when it started getting confusing. Also, I loved when you said, Run run as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m full of cayenne. I hope you come back next year. I hope you keep writing stories. Sincerely, Tanlon”

“Dear Ms. Dianne, Thank you for the two fun days. I enjoyed the cockroach story because you sneezed on us. Also, I liked dancing with the scarves. My favorite part was going in circles. We hope you come back next year. Love, Hallie P.S. You smell like vanilla ice cream.”

and one that truly tickled me…

“Dear Ms. Dianne, Thank you for the good times. I loved the cockroach story. I liked when you sneezed on people. Also, I enjoyed dancing with the scarves when we had to bring the scarves up. I hope you can come back next year. What do you take a bath with? I love you. Love, Dwayne”

A side note: Students in all of my classes have been commenting, “You smell so good, Ms. Dianne.” The students have told me that I smell like cotton candy, blueberries, vanilla, strawberries, ice cream, and vanilla ice cream! It’s so funny!

It’s nearly 2:30 am and I have a big day tomorrow — my third, fourth, and fifth graders perform! Yay! Lower grades and parents will be watching. I have been up late preparing treats for my students (autographed pictures and medals or friendship bracelets in pretty bags) and teachers. The students who perform without a script will receive a special treat from me. I hope I have to give out every treat bag! Wish my students luck!

Until next time… Happy Tales to You!

Warmly, Dianne

Organized and Energized! – Part 5 The Kids Room
By Dianne de Las Casas

The Kid’s Room
Because we are a society of consumerism, our children tend to have more “stuff” than we did as children. Not only do our children have toys, they also have TVs, DVD players, video games, handheld games, computers, stereos, books, DVDs, CDs, arts and craft materials, AND clothes all in ONE room! That’s a lot of “stuff!” Don’t worry – my children fall in that category too. Where do we put it all?

• ACT! – Yes, the kid’s room is one of the places you need to ACT – Assess, Clear, and Take control. Assess by looking at your child’s room as “zones.” Each zone has a different purpose.

• The Rest/Lounge Zone – I believe that children, like adults, need a restful place to retreat to. Their bed and bed area is just as important as ours. Young growing bodies need plenty of rest so a quality bed is essential. I also believe that the bed is a child’s safe haven, a place for sweet dreams. Dress up the bed and make it a focal point of the room. This is Eliana’s bed (my 7 year old). It is a bunk bed with a full-size mattress on the bottom and a single-size mattress on top. It’s perfect for sleepovers and company. It’s also the lounge area, TV watching area, and with the addition of a couple of blankets tucked under the top mattress, it becomes a fort, a castle, a cave, a ship, or a house. The possibilities are endless. Eliana loves her bed!

• Entertainment Zone – The TV, DVD player, stereo, video games, handheld games, DVDs, and CDs go in this area.

• Study and creative Zone – The desk, computer, and arts & crafts supplies go in this area. This is Eliana’s, my 7 year old’s, study and creative zone. The large princess hat box stores her “memories,” special cards, certificates, awards, artwork and photos from this school year. A corkboard allows her to display favorite items. Dolls she wants to keep but does not frequently play with are stored at the top. A re-purposed and hand-decorated canister holds pens, pencils and stickers. Drawers hold markers, crayons, art supplies, and paper. The upper cabinets house DVDS, games, and “make-up” (lip glosses, lotions, and body sprays).

• Library Zone – A bookshelf and reading materials belong in this area. Eliana has A LOT of books. Like her mother, she is a readaholic. We installed other shelves to house stuffed animals, paper dolls, and other collectibles.

I designed a room for my brother’s girls (Ages 5, 6 & 8). The problem was a small, roughly 10X12′ room that needed to fit three girls (four when Eliana spends the night). To solve this problem, we used bunk beds and a color coded storage system. The room, previously an office, was painted blue. I liked the color but added electric green stripes around the room to give the room a vibrant look. We didn’t want “pinky” walls but the room is still decidedly girly because of the whole color palette. Our theme was “Garden Fairies.” The curtain is an inexpensive, no-sew project, made of four twin bed sheets! Notice the clear storage bins under the bed – yes, we used all available storage.

• Play Zone – Toys and dress-up costumes should be contained in this area. For young children, think “kindergarten.” Use colorful bins to divide the toys. Remember the “Like with Like” rule – action figures in one bin, blocks in another, Legos in another, race cars in another, etc. Look for a toy chest with multiple uses. My oldest daughter had a toy chest that had a built-in bookshelf. My youngest daughter has a toy chest that doubles as a bench.

My nieces love to play dress up. So I added a small vanity donated by my mother in a corner by, appropriately, the closet. The vanity houses a lamp, tiaras, lip glosses, and jewelry. Above the vanity hangs a painting created by my 17 year old daughter. It’s an area fit for garden princesses!

In my nieces’ room, there was no room for a toy box. I conquered this problem with color-coded storage bins stored on two book shelves. Camrynn is pink, Ashlynn is green, and Jasmynn is yellow. Jasmynn’s bin is on the lowest shelf because she is the youngest and the shortest. Each girl has their own set of shelves. The remaining shelves are community shelves for items like books and toys they all play with. The bulky closet door was replaced with a colorful curtain (a $20 shower curtain).

• Dress Zone – Clothes should be divided between the closet (use a system that has bars low enough for your child to reach) and a dresser.

• Clear out outgrown clothes – Do it seasonally. If your child has a birthday or gift-receiving holiday coming up, purge your child’s room (with his/her help, of course). Get rid of the old to make room for the new.

• Folding Laundry – Teach your children how to fold laundry and put it away. Play music or a favorite DVD while they do it – “whistle while you work.” My 7 year old daughter has been folding laundry since she was four. She knows exactly where everything goes. Not only does she take pride in the job, it relieves my husband and me of that weekly burden.

• Teach your children, no matter what age, to make their bed every day. Younger children can “help” while children five and older can shoulder the responsibility themselves. Making the bed should be a required morning chore, before breakfast. Always in a rush? Wake up five minutes earlier so everyone can make their bed.

• Teen Rooms – Teens’ rooms work much the way younger children’s rooms work. Toys are replaced by guitars, laptops, and more sophisticated video games (DDR, the Wii, and Guitar Hero). The same rules apply – divide the room into zones. Consider a daybed or a futon sofa so that your teen’s friends can hang out in the room. Use a small laundry basket so that they will be forced to do a weekly load (yes, they should do it themselves – they are leaving the house soon, you hope…). Require that they make the bed every day. This is the bed of my teen daughter, Soleil (17).

My teen daughter, Soleil (17), collects unusual purses. She receives them as gifts as well as from travels. We display her purses, which she also uses on a regular basis, in the same area to give the collection impact. Not all of her purses are on display – some are on display and she changes them out or purges them as new ones arrive.

Most of all, praise your children when for a job well done. Tell them how proud you are of them and the work they did in their space (yes, your teen too!).

There is a Shaker saying that a friend of mine taught me, “If it can be put down, it can be put up.” Put up the clutter; don’t put up with the clutter! This is your year to get organized and energized. Here’s to beautiful spaces. Here’s to beautiful you!