Webers Farm

This afternoon I visited Webers Farm- on such a crisp, fall day it was the perfect outing! I took home some farm-grown apples and pumpkins, and even sampled their homemade apple cider donuts- yum, yum!

Can you estimate how many apples and pumpkins you see?  Are there more than 10? Less than 100?

Happy Fall!

Au revoir!

Bon voyage!

France: here I come!

I'll be back just in time for a brand new school year...

Block Island

I am heading home now after a relaxing week on Block Island, Rhode Island. Some of my favorite things about this vacation included seeing hydrangeas (my favorite flower) at every corner, kayaking on the Great Salt Pond, and spending time with my family.

I leave for France on Tuesday for two weeks before school officially begins for teachers. I have had a lot of time to rest, reflect, and prep for the fall. To my new students- expect something in the mail from me soon!

Xoxo
Mrs. Armstrong

Ciao from Baltimore to Rome!

Ciao from Baltimore!

This afternoon I skyped a former student in Rome! This student's family has Italian roots, so she spends her summers and many vacations there. It was so fun to hear about her recent travels (to Tuscany), and admire a beautiful bracelet she was wearing. I even had time to introduce her to my dog, Tyson. I look forward to seeing her in person when school starts in the fall.

A special thank you goes out to this student's mom, who allowed us to spend this time together.

Grazie!

Postcards

One of my favorite things to collect on vacations away from home are postcards.  I thought it would be fun to send my old students a postcard each from my travels.  Keep a close eye on your mailbox!
Xoxo
Mrs. Armstrong

Chi-Town Fun

We have been enjoying Chicago and beautiful weather the past few days. On Saturday evening we finished a great meal at Salpicon where I ate lime sorbet flavored with serrano chile peppers. It was delicious!

Upon recommendation from our waitor, we caught a late evening show at Second City- I laughed so hard I cried!

Yesterday morning we skipped the observation deck (94th floor) at the John Hancock Building (the third tallest skyscraper in Chicago) for the Signature lounge
(96th floor)- complete with festive drinks and truly breathtaking views of Chicago. (The cost of sitting down for a drink and small plate in the Signature Lounge is pretty much equivilant to the ticket fee of the observatory deck, so take your pick). Watch the below video for a peak of us at the Signature Lounge.

Aferwards, we hopped on the El and watched a Cubs/ White Sox game in nearby Wrigleyville.

I sampled a "Chicago hotdog" while in the ballpark, complete with grilled onions, neon relish and dog on a poppyseed bun.

This morning we took a bike tour alongside picturesque Lake Michigan

and visited the Field Museum and snapped a photo with Sue, the museum's famous dinosaur.

Did you know that Sue is named after the paleontologist who found this T-Rex in Utah?

The front of the Chicago Field Museum- me atop the steps in "Rocky" position:

We then marveled at "The Bean" in Millenium Park.

Tonight we will sample authentic deep dish pizza in this town's hot spot- Lou Malnati's Pizzeria before catching fireworks on the Navy Pier. This vacation rocks!

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

A Gangster Tour and the Magnificent Mile

This morning after breakfast my husband and I took an "Untouchable's Gangster Tour" of Chicago. We toured through the city in a black bus and saw many sights,

including the infamous John Dillinger theatre. Fun!


We ate lunch at Ed Debevic's, a tongue-in-cheek re-creation of a 1950s dinner (complete with Oreo milkshake and paper hats)

walked the "Mag Mile"

purchased new sunglasses at Nordstroms

took some picturesque shots of the amazing architecture,

including: Trump Towers and the Wrigley building (did you know this building sports a clock tower inspired by the bell tower of the grand cathedral in Seville, Spain? It's the landmark headquarters of- you guessed it- the Wrigley chewing-gum company),

and Marina City

before returning to our hotel. We are resting up before heading to dinner at Salpicon, a Mexican restaurant with amazing reviews! The big decision of the evening will be: what do we choose to eat?

Until later!

Fourth of July Traveling Adventure

Dear Calvert,
Guess where I am?

My husband and I are here for a long fourth of July weekend vacation. Here's the funny thing- we flew Southwest and guess who we just happened to be sitting next to?! A current Calvert student and her family! I KNOW! Small world.
We arrived yesterday and are staying at Hotel Allegro located in the loop. We are located near the infamous Chicago Theatre, built in 1921. This theatre began as a Balaban and Katz movie palace with a stunning Baroque interior. The 3,600 seat auditorium features crystal chandeliers, bronze light fixtures, and murals on the wall and ceiling. The eye-catching marquee has been called the city's unofficial emblem.
Last night we went to a jazz show at Andy's Jazz club- it was a great time!

I am excited for today's adventures and promise to keep you posted.
I'd love to hear about your Fourth of July weekends!

Parlez-vous francais?

In preparation for my August trip to France, I enlisted the tutoring of Calvert's very own Madame Cooke!

Having studied both Spanish and Italian in school, I wanted to learn the basics of French before departing. My two friends, Katie and Molly, and I have been gathering at Madame Cooke's house two times per week over the past month for a few hours to learn the following:
-formal and informal greetings
-the alphabet
-French numbers
-how to ask a shopkeeper for the price of an item
-how to tell time
-directions; where something is located
-food and drink names in French; how to order in a restaurant
-places of interest in Paris: museums, cathedrals, etc.
-how to use the Paris metro
-and much more!

Madame Cooke has been quite encouraging as I have learned how to pronounce and speak french authentically. I am now even more excited for my trip abroad! Thursday afternoon is our final french session, where no english-speaking will be allowed. Wish me luck!

Highlights of Summer- So Far...

With the end of another school year comes much needed time to relax and regroup before school begins again in the fall. A few highlights of my summer (thus far) have included:

-Receiving a very special (and unexpected) Calvert award at Eighth Grade Graduation (Thank you to the Apgar Family and Dr. Martire.) My dad and husband were able to attend this special occasion with me.

-Hanging out with good friends!

-Spending time with Man's Best Friend....or in this case- Tyson, my dog! Isn't he cute?



What are you up to this summer, 6D? Have you celebrated the end of school in a special way?

Keep me posted about your summer adventures!
xoxo, Mrs. Armstrong

Mrs. Armstrong Will Travel to Switzerland

Calvert School offers its faculty travel opportunities in the form of a grant program, money of which is donated by the Garrett family. These Garrett Grants have an application process and a curriculum piece, and this fall I proposed a trip to Switzerland. The idea for this trip stemmed from a faculty-required reading book a few summers ago.

In this book, the author, Leonard Sax, addresses what he assesses as the five factors leading to unmotivated boys in today's society. In Chapter 1, Sax speaks of changes in schooling. He references how today's kindergarten experience is similar to the first grade of thirty years ago. In reaction to this, Sax highlights a special type of school, called an outdoor school, where during the the early years of their development, children will spend an entire year (or more, depending on the program) learning and experiencing life outdoors. This environment allows their senses to develop in a greater capacity (there's no time for television, video games, or computer simulated toys). The children use their imaginations to their fullest by incorporating nature and natural items into their everyday play. Outdoor schools are very popular in Europe, and are quickly catching on in the United States. In fact, an outdoor school called Cedarsong Nature School in Washington state has received a lot of recent media attention (click here to watch a news video). Their program is very similar to those in Europe.

The idea of visiting such a school seemed not only exciting but worthwhile. After all, I do not often utilize the experience of nature in a profound way in my 6th Age curriculum.

After the application process was complete, I received the exciting news that I would be traveling to Zurich over my spring break! In preparation for this trip, I contacted and will be visiting The Lakeside School, situated on the east bank of Lake Zurich. This school, along with many others, has an on-site trailor available for extreme weather days. When I spoke to a teacher from the school about what to bring, she simply stated, "WARM CLOTHES!"

In addition to visiting The Lakeside School, I will also get a chance to see the zoo and the Masoala rainforest exhibit! And of course, a Switzerland adventure would be incomplete without a chocolate tasting and skiing in the Alps!

I hope to document my trip daily when I am abroad, with videos and important information. Stay tuned!

Sunny

Meet Sunny the Snowman!

I channeled my inner six year old and make a snowman this evening. What do you think, 6D? Did you make any snowmen during our mini vacation from school? What items did you use? I used: flamingo sunglasses for the eyes, a cork for the nose, craisons for the mouth, a ribbon as an accessory, and daisies for buttons. The grass skirt is a nice touch, don't you think?



Speaking of snowmen, do you recall this book? I read it back in December. If you have time over the next few days, I highly recommend you look through it again. This book does not have words, which is what makes it so interesting. You can make up your own version of the story as you go. Click here to buy this book.

Gestures

One of my ALL TIME favorite snow day games is Gestures. Watch the video to see me playing at home!
Speaking of games, the next time we get together with our 9th Age friends, you will need to bring in a favorite game from home to share. I will keep you posted on when to bring this in, but in the meantime, I hope you are enjoying this time at home with your family!

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful..."

The best snow days are the unexpected ones. For the past few weeks, putting a cotton ball under my pillow and wearing my pajamas inside out just hasn't seemed to work! Fastforward to 5:30 am this morning- this is the view outside of my window! Yipee!

What are you doing on your snow day, 6D? Building snowmen? Making snow angels? Send me your photos!

xoxo
Mrs. Armstrong

New Food Challenge

Trying new foods can not only be fun, it can be entertaining! I try my best to encourage my students at snack and lunch times to venture outside of their comfort zone when choosing foods to eat from the Calvert menu. Some you may have tried the food in the past and not appreciated it, but tasting it prepared by an expert Calvert chef can really alter your thinking- in a positive way! I, of course, need to follow my own rules! I had my brother-in-law over for dinner last week and he prepared green curry soup and brought rambutans for dessert.

Below are some photos of my husband and I tasting rambutans, the out-of-this-world fruit!

Summer 2010

Happy Summer! I hope all of my Calvert friends have been enjoying their time away or at home with family and friends. I have had an incredibly busy summer and have barely spent anytime at home. My husband and I have been busy traveling with friends, family, and each other! We recently returned from an Alaskan cruise, and even spent a few days in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. While in Vancouver we biked our way through Stanley Park (it's bigger than Central Park in New York) and saw magnificent views of the Lions Gate Bridge. Plus the weather was perfect- 70 degrees with a nice breeze! It beat our 100 degree Baltimore weather, I do have to say. Below is a photo of me in Stanley Park, with views of the Pacific Ocean and Olympic mountains. Did you remember that the 2010 Winter Olympics were in Vancouver?

Our cruise took us to Ketchikan and Sitka, Alaska. Here was a typical view from atop the ship.
We had great weather the whole trip. On our stop to Ketchikan, affectionately called the "Salmon Capital of the World", we went ziplining through the Tongass National Rainforest (did you know there is a rainforest in Alaska?).

If you look closely you can see me- black pants and blue jacket- in front of the Ketchikan sign.

The second and last city we visited in Alaska was Sitka, where we went on a highspeed inflatable boat tour and ATVing through the Tongass. We saw whales, sea lions, sea otters, and bald eagles on our boat tour, and took in some magnificent views atop a large hilly island. The sand in this area is black from the volcanic ash (I learned there are volcanoes in Alaska) and the weather in these two cities is modest, with 60 degree summers and 20 degree winters, because of their maritime climate. The ocean here does not freeze! Here is a sea lion laying lazily about a green marker in the Sitka Sound.

Here is my husband and I next to our "rhino" or ATV. The ride was actually quite pleasant with few bumps, if you were wondering. It's a good thing those vehicles have amazing shocks!

On our last city tour, we visited Craigdarrach Castle in Victoria, and took in the amazing array of nature on the island. Victoria is one of the cleanest cities!


One other interesting thing about this part of the world is that floatplanes are everywhere! I would love to take a floatplane tour someday.

In addition to Alaska, I returned to Block Island, Rhode Island with my parents. We stayed in a cottage behind the Spring House. We rented a moped one day and took some great pictures of our favorite spots on the island.
The Southeast Lighthouse
The Mohegan Bluffs

Golfing in someone's front yard (you think I'm kidding, but they actually had a miniature course with three holes and a some putters next to a bench! The sign read, "Sit your butt or take a putt!" We, of course, chose the latter.)
The Block Island airport and Bethany's diner (you need to go here for breakfast if you ever visit).

New Harbor and The Oar Restaurant (one of our favorite places to grab lunch).


the North Lighthouse

Now I am off on my last summer adventure to Tuscany, Italy! I leave tomorrow and will return before school begins! I promise to bring plenty of books to keep me entertained on my travels. Until then, Ciao!