Updates about the Make-A-Book Project, where organizations or elementary schools co-create and illustrate a children’s chapter book with Scott and friends. Interested in starting your own project? Contact us for more details. It is never too early to begin watching your ideas come to life.
New. We’re working on two projects. Mirabella the Monarch and Honeynester the Bee. If you would like to submit a drawing please contact us for guidelines. Every participating kid gets a free book!
Here is a long overdue update about the book project. Pictured above is the the incredible tile wall installed this school year at Parker Woods Montessori by the PTO co-president and artist Kate Demske, art teacher Suzanne Nall and Rick Wolf of Wolf Custom Tile and Design. This could last a 1000 years. I hope… Continue Reading
Finally, the best part of the whole project — the book celebration. Many people told me it was a smash hit. It was amazing to see how proud all the students were to sign their pages in the book. And we were all honored to have hundreds of community members attend and support both the… Continue Reading
Above: A male monarch butterfly sipping nectar from a milkweed plant. Picture courtesy of Judy Ganance. And make the world a more beautiful place At Parker Woods Montessori, we all love monarch butterflies. Like many species on our planet, monarchs face many challenges. The population has shrunk dramatically, and their great migration has nearly collapsed… Continue Reading
This is another one of my favorite all-time photographs. Unlike the past 3 photographs where I was standing on the roof of the school, this is photographed using a drone. Technology has really improved in just a few years. The photograph is by Scott Stoll with Tim Spanagel of MasseyGreenAVP. Tim needed two licenses to… Continue Reading
There has been a lot of progress happening with the monarch butterfly book and all the related projects. Here are a few highlights, including the mosaic wall by PTO co-president and artist, Kate Demske, called “Faces of Parker Woods Montessori Self-Portrait Mural” with drawings by kids made into 4×4″ tiles. This isn’t about the book… Continue Reading
Classroom Activities and Upcoming Celebration Above is a hint of what is coming to Parker Woods Montessori Science Fair. This fantastic black light butterfly garden. An amazing art show by Suzanne Nall and the students. Just one of the great activities going along with our upcoming book: Mirabella the Monarch. Below you can see the… Continue Reading
Make-A-Book Project Update Summary: Illustrations are done (except for our make-up session). Ms Nall, the art teacher, has been great to work with. I learned an incredible amount about teaching from her, not least of all crowd management. And her personal teaching style is visible in the student’s drawings. I can say they are more… Continue Reading
The Make-A-Book Project begins at Parker Woods Montessori I’m excited to announce that the new book will be about the monarch butterfly, which is truly one of the most amazing animals (insects are animals, too) on the planet. The monarch butterfly migrates from Canada to Mexico. It takes 4 generations to fly there and back.… Continue Reading
Celebrate Creativity and Invention! Cincinnati Mini Maker Faire is back and is at an exciting new location. The event brings together amateur and professional inventors, artists, crafters, chemists, engineers and performers in a combination of large spectacles and communal interactive experiences. And according to @MAKE Magazine, “is the greatest show and tell on Earth –… Continue Reading
Ruby the Red Worm inspired hundreds of homes to begin kitchen composting, and not just the families involved with the book, but the friends, families and neighbors one to two times removed, maybe more. Just a quick update to let everyone know that the we have not one, but three book projects are in the… Continue Reading
Inspiring dreams Finally, it took two months for my package of books to arrive in Kenya. I marked the package “educational material for children,” and luckily no one stole it as often happens. I love how the photo captures them jumping in air, just like they are falling uphill. I hope the books encourage the… Continue Reading
The Spanish edition of my “Falling Uphill” kids book “Cayendo Hacia Arriba” is being used by the Peace Corp in Paraguay to teach kids how to read and dream.
Scott Stoll is an author from my hometown who served as the U.S. Embassy’s cultural ambassador in Argentina during the 2011-2012 school year. His time in Argentina and collaboration with Argentine schools resulted in a Spanish language version of his book, Falling Uphill: The Secret of Life, about his 4 year journey around the world on his bicycle.
Once again I was honored to present at the Growing Power International Urban & Small Farm Conference. Pictured here is Will Allen, one of Milwaukee’s most prominent citizens and the founder of Growing Power.