Humming

WINGING IT: We've been SUPER busy this week. Imagine our delight this morning upon upping not absolutely having to rush off to a specific place at a specific time. Delightful!

Add to that the fact it was gorgeous outside. We decided to go a walking. Our original plan was to head up to the bluff along Queen Anne, but on autopilot, I headed toward the kids' learning center. Oops. 

Realizing my mistake, I started wending our way toward the bluff, and along the windy route, I looked to the right and spied a park bench at one point.

"Is that a park?"! I wondered aloud.

Indeed, it was. 

In fact, it was a park I'd first heard about when CJ was a kindergartner, seven-plus years ago. I knew there was a park on Queen Anne dedicated to neighborhood families lost on a flight headed back to Seattle from Mexico in 2000.

Rachel's Playground at Soundview Terrace.

 The tiles speak to remembrances of classmates lost.

Every single one of the passengers and crew on board perished aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 261. Eighty eight lives gone due to a damn 'jackscrew' and inadequate maintenance led to excessive wear and eventual failure of a critical flight control system during flight" per the official report. Sixteen years removed, it's heartbreaking and nauseating reading about the account and cause of the crash. I can't image how it is for the families for those involved.

Fortunately, CJ, Annabelle, and the dogs had none of the awful details as they were enjoying the park. They jwere able to enjoy the beauty and fun of the place. 

There were a number of tropical plants in the park. I noticed the hummingbirds approved and told the kids to sit on a bench and hold still.

 Within a minute or so, a hummer arrived!

SIGN ME UP!: This afternoon I received a direct message via Twitter. In my experience, usually those are instant-delete type garbage, but this one was different. It was a direct message from the Jane Goodall Institute, inviting me (and countless, others, I'm sure) to enroll in a free course for educators.

Here's the post the link led to ...  Of course I signed up. 

Empowering Youth Through Service in Education

Join us for an action-oriented online professional development course! This course will teach participants how to identify and implement a local service-learning campaign using the Roots & Shoots program model. 

At Roots & Shoots, our goal is to develop compassionate leaders to make the world a better place for people, other animals and the environment. Help us achieve that goal! Complete the course and mentor young people to lead change in their communities by mapping needs, collaborating with stakeholders, and designing practical solutions in the form of campaigns. Connect young people to Dr. Goodall’s message of hope while facilitating a sense of empowerment that comes from helping others!

This course is designed for K-12 formal and informal educators in the United States, but we welcome all professions from all over the world to participate because truly the materials and model is easily and often used by other audiences. If you are located outside the US, we encourage you to check in with the Jane Goodall Institute office closest to you; as they may offer resources and materials specific to your country or region. You can find a list of offices here.

https://rsonlinelearning.appspot.com/mooc2016/course