VIRTUAL SCHOOL VISIT at Ladera Stars Academy, Thousand Oaks, CA

Last Friday I had an enjoyable visit online with Julie Nerland’s kindergarten class at Ladera Stars Academy in Thousand Oaks, California. The kids were very enthusiastic and very responsive. Julie and I struggled a bit with the technology (she never figured out how to get her camera to work so I never got to see the children) but the important part was that the kids could see me and I could hear them. I learned that they recently hatched chicken eggs in their classroom and would soon be adding the chicks to the school flock. Every day children at the school feed the chickens and collect eggs. Because of the kindergarteners’ interest in chickens I focused my presentation mainly on my book HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6 and other books about birds. (We discussed that chickens are birds, and like all birds, chickens lay eggs and have feathers.) I also shared my book A ZEBRA’S WORLD and showed them how they can make their own cut paper art using the downloadableinstructions at my website. We finished by singing the Wiggle and Waggle song, which I acted out with my sock puppets.

I thank Kristen Bott Nordstrom for making my visit possible and for arranging the details. She purchased the author visit for her school at a fund raiser for victims of the recent terrible fires in Los Angeles and Altadena. I was happy to contribute the author visit to the cause.

Note: I am accustomed to using Zoom for virtual author visits to schools. However, this school no longer has Zoom available on their school computers, so we were using GoogleMeets, a platform that neither the teachers nor I had much familiarity with. We made it work but it would have been better if the classroom camera had been connected. Next time!

AUTHOR VISIT TO WPC PRESCHOOL: Hooray for Wiggle and Waggle!

Wiggle and Waggle Sock Puppets

A week ago I made my annual visit to the Westwood Presbyterian Church Preschool, Los Angeles, California. This year, rather than meeting with the children in their classrooms as I usually do, I met with the two- and three-year-olds and their parents as part of their pancake breakfast, and I met with the four- and five-year-olds, outside on the rug in the play yard. The children are always eager to hear about my books. With both groups I read the first two stories in Wiggle and Waggle, inviting the children to sing the Wiggle and Waggle song with me and do the hand motions while I performed the song with my sock puppets. (A link to the pattern for making stick puppets and other Wiggle and Waggle activities is at my website.)

Wiggle and Waggle (Charlesbridge, 2007) and stick puppets.

And, as a tradition that began many years ago, I finished by reading The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers, a tall tale about the Hodag, a creature with the head of an ox, feet of a bear, back of a dinosaur and tail of an alligator. With many thanks to Brianne Naiman, the WPC Preschool Director, and to the preschool teachers, for inviting me and coordinating my visit. It is always a pleasure to visit the school and spend time with the children and their teachers.

The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers (Boyds Mills Press, 2006)

STAND UP FOR OUR SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES: Hands Off! March at City Hall in Culver City, California

Hands Off! March, Culver City, California.

On Saturday, April 5th, I joined thousands of other marchers at City Hall in Culver City, California, to protest the defunding of so many federal programs that people depend on, including services to schools and libraries. It was a day to stand up and be counted. We need our Democracy!

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOOK: Presentation to Teachers at the Southern Nevada Early Childhood Conference

My exhibit table at the Southern Nevada Early Childhood Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada.

I spent an enjoyable day last Saturday with Pre-K, Kindergarten and First Grade teachers at the Southern Nevada Early Childhood Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, an annual meeting attended by teachers from all over the state. This year’s theme was “Growing Young Learners.” I gave a presentation called “Think Outside the Book: Projects and Activities Reinforce Reading” to an enthusiastic audience, sharing many of the projects inspired by my books that have been used in classrooms over the years, ranging from songs, art projects, science experiments, hands-on activities, and much more. I also had a table with the other conference vendors where I could chat with teachers during their breaks between sessions and where they could buy my books. 

I thank Suzie Hindrichson of the Southern Nevada Professional Development Program and her volunteer staff for inviting me and for doing an excellent job of organizing the conference. I don’t get to Nevada very often, and it was a pleasure to be able to connect with so many educators at the conference. A bonus of the trip was the opportunity to visit Red Rock Canyon, a magnificent conservation area just outside Las Vegas, which I did on the day before the conference. Look for my report about that soon on my travel blog, The Intrepid Tourist.

One of the many hiking trails at Red Rock Canyon.

Caroline at Red Rock Canyon

AUTHOR VISIT AT ESPERANZA SCHOOL: Hands-On Science in the Natural Habitat School Garden

Principal Rumble with students in the Esperanza School Natural Habitat Garden.

Located at the edge of downtown Los Angeles, Esperanza Elementary School seems like a surprising place to find a natural habitat garden filled with California native plants. It is home to a variety of insects, birds and other wildlife. For the students at the school it is an opportunity for hands-on science as they observe the cycle of life through the seasons.

Welcome sign for my visit.

Since my first visit to Esperanza School in 2018 and getting a tour of their natural habitat garden I have been going back almost every year to meet with students and find out how the garden has been growing. Last week I met with third-grade students and their teacher Elizabeth Williams. We began in the library where I did a presentation about my books and what it is like to be an author. I was impressed by the students’ enthusiastic response and by their knowledge of the natural world. When I asked if they knew the word for animals that are active during the daytime, they knew that it was “diurnal”. Nighttime animals are "nocturnal".

Teacher, Mrs. Williams; librarian; Principal, Brad Rumble, in the school library.

After the presentation we all went on a tour of the habitat, led by Mrs. Williams and by Principal Brad Rumble. Recent rains had promoted new growth and spring wildflowers were beginning to bloom. Huge patches of lupins were sprouting everywhere. 

These bright red blooms are a favorite flower for hummingbirds. Below, lupin sprouts on the ground.

Mr. Rumble, an avid birdwatcher, has turned the students into expert bird watchers too. On our visit they spotted a number of species, including a pair of house finches. In class the students are learning to distinguish the differences between Anna’s hummingbird and the Rufous hummingbird. They told me that more than 80 species of birds have been identified in the garden.

Student discovering a small clump of wild grapes.

It is always a treat for me to visit Esperanza. It is a delight to see the students learning about the natural world and becoming young scientists. I thank them for sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with me. And I thank Brad Rumble for his leadership at the school and in the community.  

The Schoolyard Habitat Program is sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation.

The Esperanza garden is a National Wildlife Federation certified Wildlife Habitat. The property provides the four basic habitat elements needed for wildlife to thrive: food, water, cover and places to raise young.

STAND UP FOR SCIENCE: We Need STEM and STEAM! March in Los Angeles 2025

Last Friday I joined hundreds of other card-carrying demonstrators at the Federal Building in West Los Angeles to protest the cuts being made to NIH and other federal institutions. This was one of dozens of demonstrations held in cities across the United States. My card, saved from the March for Science in Washington, D.C. in 2017, had two sides:

On the front: 

STEM and STEAM. 

Today's KIDS --Tomorrow's SCIENTISTS! 

Children's Book Writers March for Science.

On the back:

SUPPORT SCIENCE EDUCATION

Grades K-12 and Beyond

We need to preserve robust science education in our schools and universities. Today’s kids are the leaders of the future. Knowledge is power!

Support STEM and STEAM!

READERS' COMMENTS ABOUT SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL

Nothing makes an author happier than to hear from readers how much they liked their book. I am gratified by the good response I continue to get from readers of my book SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up in the 1950s at North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Some of the comments are from friends and classmates, but many are from people I have never met. Some grew up in Northeast Minneapolis like I did, but many grew up elsewhere but share similar experiences. Here are just a few of the comments:

North East Neighborhood House

Your book allowed me to relive precious moments of my childhood. I loved every word and didn’t want it to end.

Your early life experiences, although unique from the Settlement House aspect, mirror many of our own--a stamp collection, a Schwinn bike, a Brownie camera, June Allyson paper dolls, the corner store for sweet treats and the freedom we had to just hop on our bikes and go anywhere.

I loved all the photos!

Another glowing facet of the book is that her parents' dedication as social workers is beyond admirable.

Throughout the book I was struck by the riches to be discovered in the memories of a modest life.

I learned so much about you—but also about the Settlement House!

I can relate to playing outside until the streetlights came on, shopping at a small neighborhood grocery store, ice skating on an outdoor rink in the park…

As I read, there were many eureka moments…. And of course the skating—all day long—entirely on our own—no parents hovering to make sure we didn’t fall.

For me, Camp Bovey provided father figures, learning to appreciate nature, camping, canoeing, and swimming…

I too am a Hodagger!

The Hodag, mascot of Camp Bovey (formerly Camp Hodag).