I'm inspired by books, art, music and people. I'm inspired by nature. I'm also inspired by kaleidoscopes. I have a small collection, several are just the mirrors. When you focus on something it reflects in the kaleidoscope. I always marvel at the beauty I see reflected back to me, even in a stack of laundry.
While playing with my phone I found several kaleidoscope aps. The one that made this picture is from "Toy Kaleidoscopes". It acts just like my mirrored kaleidoscopes. Point it at something (clothes in a closet, cans in the pantry, etc). You can get some very beautiful shots.
I then uploaded it to my facebook page and then dragged it to my desktop. From there I was able to upload it to my blog. I am sure there is a more direct route than the one I took.
I find inspiration in the blogs I read, Two Writing Teachers have talked about choosing "One Little Word". I decided on gratitude.
Yesterday with my 5/6 combo I asked them to make a gratitude list. List of things they were grateful for, accomplishments, new skills they had learned, people who had helped or supported them. At first they just looked at me. Gratitude? You see the elementary school I work at is a feeder school for our community's homeless shelters. Many of my students have seen more grief than most adults will live through their entire lifetime.
After I gave them time I shared an article from the "Parade Magazine" insert from our newspaper. "Up Your Gratitude: Thank-you Notes can have Profound Effects" This link is a copy of that article.
John Kralick is a lawyer who discovered the power of Thank-you notes. His book "A Simple Act of Gratitude" is now available in paperback.
I asked my students to write a thank-you note to someone. I said it could be a family member, a friend, or a teacher who has helped them. They wrote. The room was quiet as they wrote. I encouraged them to write at least one thank-you note a month. My goal is to write one note a week.
I want to go back and read more posts about "One Little Word". It has already led me to some amazing ah-ha moments. To me gratitude and inspiration are closely linked. I am looking forward to finding more ways to be inspired. What inspires you?
I then uploaded it to my facebook page and then dragged it to my desktop. From there I was able to upload it to my blog. I am sure there is a more direct route than the one I took.
I find inspiration in the blogs I read, Two Writing Teachers have talked about choosing "One Little Word". I decided on gratitude.
Yesterday with my 5/6 combo I asked them to make a gratitude list. List of things they were grateful for, accomplishments, new skills they had learned, people who had helped or supported them. At first they just looked at me. Gratitude? You see the elementary school I work at is a feeder school for our community's homeless shelters. Many of my students have seen more grief than most adults will live through their entire lifetime.
John Kralick is a lawyer who discovered the power of Thank-you notes. His book "A Simple Act of Gratitude" is now available in paperback.
I asked my students to write a thank-you note to someone. I said it could be a family member, a friend, or a teacher who has helped them. They wrote. The room was quiet as they wrote. I encouraged them to write at least one thank-you note a month. My goal is to write one note a week.
I want to go back and read more posts about "One Little Word". It has already led me to some amazing ah-ha moments. To me gratitude and inspiration are closely linked. I am looking forward to finding more ways to be inspired. What inspires you?
