We love when you all share bits of your summer news. Here are some of your classmates having a sweet time. Yes to the lakes and rivers and mountains! Yes to fireflies and fire pits and s’mores! Yes to good books under a shady tree! Yes to lots and lots of ice cream!
Look who has been devouring joke books . . . . . 
Teachers spend a lot of time each summer growing in their craft by taking courses, reading professional development books, developing units, and more. I have been getting a thrill out of the two courses I’ve been taking this summer, as well as some of the books I’ve been studying. The Playful Classroom shares all kinds of research showing the benefits of play in our lives–brain, academic, creative, and social benefits–as well as tons of ideas to incorporate play in our classrooms. The authors put out a monthly calendar of play ideas I thought your family might enjoy.
Send a photo of your summer play! We’d love to see!
Hudson S.’s dog Acadia had 9 puppies! 
God blessed Cornerstone Church and East Randolph Baptist Church with a fantastic VBS week!
There are so many ways to explore as you spend time outdoors. I have always loved the sea, the woods, the mountains, . . . . , and summer is a perfect time to breathe deep and soak them in. When I was in fourth grade, I used to roam the woods with a wildflower field guide like this one.
Now there are so many cool apps you can take along on your phone! Has your family tried any?
During one of my early morning swims at Highland Lake, I got out my Merlin app, and it identified two pages of birds singing in under a minute of recording that day, these plus common loon, wood duck, American goldfinch, gray catbird, and pine warbler. I never would have been able to identify all of those just by ear. Using Merlin has helped me learn the calls of many more birds this summer.
So . . . . this week’s challenge is to do some nature exploring and find out something new to you. Maybe try an old-fashioned rock field guide, an online plant identifier, taking a walk with a NH/VT expert you know, or . . . . Share your discovery in the comments, or have your parents e-mail me anything you’d like me to post. Happy NH/VT exploring!
In the summer, our blog has different sorts of articles than during the school year, things that help you keep up with each other, and things that help you keep growing to love learning more and more. Here is some good news, plus a challenge some of you may wish to consider.
The internet is full of unusual things, and one of the oddly satisfying people I follow on social media is this lawn mower guy, Raising Men & Women Lawn Care Service, who encourages kids to mow fifty lawns (or shovel 50 driveways, or rake 50 lawns) for free. He gets them started with ear protection, eye protection, and a special t-shirt. The young people scout around their town for elderly folks, those who are disabled, veterans, single moms, or others who may need a hand with their yard work, and they mow their lawn for them. He recently chose one pair of young men in Alabama to surprise with equipment for their lawn mowing business after they fulfilled the kindness challenge. I love good news like this, don’t you? There is information in the article for what to do if you want to take on his proposal.
“The Lawnmower Man” Gives Kids Equipment to Start Business
If lawn mowing isn’t your thing, what ideas do you have to help others in the name of Christ? This week’s blogging challenge is to find a kindness opportunity, do it, and then share it with us in some way.
