Overview

My Mamaw was such an inspiration to me. She was a true Southern woman who knew how to live off the land, and somehow, she always seemed to know a little bit of everything. She taught me how to cook, sew, bake, and most importantly, how to survive with what the land gave us. We would take nature hikes together, and she would teach me about different trees, roots, and plants and the ways they could be used. I remember her telling me about sassafras roots and how, when boiled, they tasted just like root beer. She taught me that polk berries could be used to dye material, that wild honeysuckle could be made into tea, and that you could even make dandelion honey from, of course, dandelions. She had so much knowledge tucked away inside her. It was like she carried an entire little book of the earth around with her, and I was lucky enough to sit beside her and learn from it. You could hand my Mamaw a simple scrap of clothing and somehow, in her hands, it could become something extraordinary. She had this beautiful way of taking what seemed ordinary and turning it into something useful, beautiful, and special. Because so much of who I am came from the things my Mamaw taught me, and I think a little piece of her will always live on in the things I create with my own two hands.

All of my grandparents have passed away. I was close to all of them. I had a grandma on my step moms side ( My step mom was mom to me and raised me) anyways she used to watch me since she lived down the road from me. She would buy me a soda and chips at the bar and then give me tons of quarters for the pinball machine or game machine, She would wait for me to get off the bus because she had dinner ready for me even though she knew mom would too lol. She passed when I was 13 years old unfortunately. I had a grandma and grandpa on my dads side. I also spent a lot of time with them too. They also watched me a lot too. I spent full summers twice with them. once to help grandpa after his heart attack the other to help when grandma broke her ankle. We went to their house for all holidays including Halloween where all of us grandkids trick or treated together. Grandma cooked huge holiday meals. grandpa loved western movies and judge Judy. I had a grandma and papa on my bio moms side. They lived in South Carolina but still stayed involved with my life even though my bio mom did not. We went and visited them 3 summers in a row. They sent me a card for all holidays gifts for my birthday and Christmas. and called me and talked to me a lot.

my grandparents were a big part of my life. My grandma taught me how to cook chicken noodle soup, how to can tomatoes Every Christmas us grandkids would go over to frost sugar cookies every Easter we went and colored eggs the day before Easter. I spent a whole summer with my grandpa after his heart attack so he could still deliver flowers for my aunts flower shop. He would spoil us grandkids rotten all we had to do is tell him someone was "picking on me" and he would yell at them.

To bake My granny loved to bake

I also had a granny too

I had a Nana and now my grandson calls my Nana and my late husband was pop.

My grandma was Granny until I had kids, then she was GG (great grandma).

Before my grandparents pasted away they were Nana and Papy. My niece and nephew however call my parents Gigi and Papa.

How to sew and make clothes... My grandma taught me to use a sewing machine when I was young.

Week 2 — What Is Family? ❤️ Families come in all shapes and sizes. Some family members are related to us, and some aren't. Family might include parents, children, grandparents, siblings, partners, caregivers, friends, pets, or other special people. The people we choose as family can be just as important as the family we are born into. Families care for one another and help each other feel loved, safe, accepted, and like they belong. Family is the people we love who support us and care about us. Family looks different for different people, but we all need a place to belong and feel safe. 📺 Learn About It What does a family look like? There isn't one answer. Families can include: 👩 Moms 👨 Dads 👩‍👩 Two moms 👨‍👨 Two dads 👵 Grandparents 👴 Grandparents 👨‍👩‍👧 Stepfamilies 👶 Adoptive families 🏠 Foster families 👯 Siblings ❤️ Partners 🤝 Chosen family 🐾 Pets Some families live together. Some live far apart. Some people are related biologically. Others become family through: adoption marriage caregiving friendship or simply choosing to show up for one another again and again. ❤️ WHAT MAKES SOMEONE FEEL LIKE FAMILY? Maybe they: 👂 Listen 🤝 Help 😂 Make you laugh 🧸 Comfort you 🎉 Celebrate with you 🛡️ Help you feel safe 🗣️ Let you be honest 🙅 Respect your boundaries Family isn't only about: “Who are you related to?” It can also be: “Who helps you feel that you belong?” 🎨 Color/Draw Who Is My Family? Draw anyone you consider part of your family. People don't have to be related to you to belong in your picture. Coloring Pages ✂️ Craft — My Family Circle Put yourself in the center of a paper. Add names, drawings, photographs, stickers, or symbols for people and pets you consider family around you. Family Tree 🎲 Game/Worksheets 📚 Read-Alouds The Family Book — Todd Parr A Family Is a Family Is a Family — Sara O'Leary Families, Families, Families! — Suzanne Lang The Great Big Book of Families — Mary Hoffman Our Class Is a Family — Shannon Olsen

What is something a grandparent, or another special older person, has taught you?

👵🧓 September 13 — Grandparents Day 🇺🇸 United States • Family & Generations 📖 Learn About It National Grandparents Day is a day to celebrate grandparents and the special relationships that can grow between different generations. In the United States, Grandparents Day is celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day. President Jimmy Carter signed legislation proclaiming National Grandparents Day in 1978, and the first official observance took place that September. Grandparents can be called all sorts of things: Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Papa, Grammy, Gramps, Oma, Opa, Abuela, Abuelo and many more! What they're called often depends on family traditions, culture and language. And families don't all look the same. 💕 Some people are very close to their grandparents, some never knew theirs, and some have chosen grandparents or older adults who fill that special role. Grandparents may live nearby, across the world, in the same house—or only in our memories. Grandparents Day can be about celebrating any older person who has loved, taught, encouraged or cared for us. ✨ Did You Know? 🌼 The official flower of Grandparents Day is the forget-me-not. 🎵 The holiday even has an official song, “A Song for Grandma and Grandpa.” 👵 Marian McQuade helped lead the effort to establish National Grandparents Day. One of her goals was to encourage young people to learn from older generations and their experiences. 📖 Grandparents can be wonderful sources of family history. Their stories can tell us what school, toys, clothes, holidays, technology and everyday life were like when they were young. 🕰️ Try It Interview a grandparent, older relative or another older person you care about. Ask them things like: 🧸 What was your favorite toy? 📺 What TV shows did you watch? 🏫 What was school like? 🎂 How did you celebrate birthdays? 🍪 What was your favorite treat? 🎵 What music did you like? 🎄 What was your favorite family tradition? 😜 What is something silly you did as a kid? Write down their answers and create a memory tree with the information you gather! 🎨 Make It — A Hug in the Mail 💌 Make a card, drawing or little letter for a grandparent or special older person. You could trace your hand and write: “If I could, I'd give you a great BIG hug!” Decorate it with hearts, stickers, drawings or forget-me-not flowers. 🌼 If your grandparents have passed away, you could make a memory picture instead—draw something you remember doing together or something that reminds you of them. 🌎 Around the World Grandparents and elders are honored in many different ways around the world. Some countries even have their own special grandparents' celebrations. For example, Italy celebrates Grandparents' Day (Festa dei Nonni) on October 2, while Poland traditionally has separate celebrations for Grandmother's Day on January 21 and Grandfather's Day on January 22. What do people call their grandparents in different languages? 👵 Spanish — Abuela 👴 Spanish — Abuelo 👵 German — Oma 👴 German — Opa 👵 Italian — Nonna 👴 Italian — Nonno Feel free to share what you call your Grandparent!

I did a coloring page too!

Seeing how my healthy lifestyle changes actually help my body improve.

To be with her in person.

Hmmmm, if I could actually stay focused on my chores and stop taking side quest like a paladin who rolled a 2 🤭😂

🍎🍯 September 11–13 — Rosh Hashanah ✡️ Judaism 📖 Learn About It Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. In 2026, it begins at sunset on September 11 and ends at nightfall September 13. For Jewish people, Rosh Hashanah begins a very important time of the year called the High Holy Days. It's a time to think about the year that has passed, consider how we can do better, and welcome a new year. One of the most recognizable Rosh Hashanah traditions is hearing the shofar, an instrument traditionally made from a ram's horn. And there's an especially yummy tradition: apples dipped in honey! 🍎🍯 Sweet foods symbolize hopes for a sweet new year. ✨ Did You Know? 📯 The shofar makes a loud trumpet-like sound. 🍎 Apples and honey are associated with wishes for a sweet year. 📅 The Jewish calendar is different from the calendar most Americans use, so Jewish holidays fall on different Gregorian dates each year. 🍎 Try It Sweet New Year Apple Draw or color a giant apple. Inside it, write or draw things you'd like more of during the coming year: ❤️ Kindness 😂 Laughter 🧸 Comfort 👯 Friendship 🌈 Adventures 📚 Learning You could also try apple slices dipped in honey if that's safe for you.

What is on thing that would make the coming year extra sweet for you?

We have a lot of animal stuff planned! Watch for mid October for the first one!

anything about animals

❓ Thursday Question of the Day: If you could learn anything at the Academy this year, what would you choose?

Here's a couple of pages I finished already!

SEPTEMBER Week 1 — Welcome to the Academy 🏫 📺 Learn About It Theme: Learning, friendship, and belonging. Sesame Street has a collection of short social-development videos, including “School Day,” “What Is a Friend?” and “Friendship.” Sesame Street Social Development Videos Prompt: Watch a video or learn about school and friendship. Tell us 3 things you learned or thought about. 🎨 Color/Draw You may draw a picture of something you think of at back to school time or color one of these! ✂️ Craft Make a little pennant or name tag with your name. Decorate it with pictures, stickers, words, or symbols representing things you like. 🎲 Game 📝 Worksheets 📚 Read-Alouds All Are Welcome — Alexandra Penfold The Day You Begin — Jacqueline Woodson School's First Day of School — Adam Rex The Magical Yet — Angela DiTerlizzi Our Class Is a Family — Shannon Olsen

Welcome to all students, littles, middles, switches and bigs!!! We are happy you are here! Sooo some information to start. I'm Poppy. I am a preschool teacher in my big life with advanced training and education to go with my 15 + years experience. I am still a bit new to ddlg, having only learned about it 3 years ago, but I'm a fast learner! I have had some help from a few friends to create the activities here. I prefer working in a team setting, so if you have ideas or suggestions, feel free to share them! One note here before we go any further. Due to my desire to make things as well organized and as beautiful as they can be, I usualized an AI tool to complete the final draft of each lesson. This is a teacher hack I use in my big life a lot. I share my ideas, thoughts, guidelines and format, then ask politely for the AI to lay it all out for a specific audience. This works very well most of the time; however, I still read through everything and a friend of mine helps with worksheets and activities. I apologize in advance if the use of AI in this way impacts your ability to participate. I believe tools, used appropriately, make life easier, and this particular tool has save me hours of labor. That being said, here is the new format for Littles and Middles Academy! The Classroom - here you will find the weekly lessons! Each week will open at 12:01 AM on Sunday (US Central Standard Time). Please feel free to comment or post any work you do under the assignment. If you miss a week, feel free to go back when you have time. I've got my gold stars ready for all of you! You will also see past lessons from when the Academy was open a few years ago. Those lessons are beautifully written with much care and compassion for all littles and middles. We will not be monitoring those pages; however if you wish to check them out, feel free! The Bulletin Board - is where important messages and the weekly question will be posted. Each week there will be a question about the topic. The question will open at 12:01 AM US CST on Thursdays. Feel free to join in the discussion! The Playground - this is the fun one! We have found holidays to celebrate each week of the year!!!! They maybe religious celebrations, cultural festivals, or international holidays. The sky is the limit on this! To start we will post one a week for you to celebrate with a bit of learning, some activities and a question of the day! Holidays will be posted when they occur. Once again feel free to post your work! All of these activities, once opened, will remain open, so if you get busy, you can still get your stuff posted. But a word of caution from the teacher, once you get behind, it's super challenging to get caught up, so I give you permission to miss sometimes because we all have big stuff to do. Final thoughts - please have fun, be yourself, and don't compare yourself with others. You are the exact right person to be you. You are unique, special, cherished, and accepted here. We are so thankful you have chosen to join us in Littles and Middles Academy! Love always, Poppy 💕

I'm soo excited!!! One more week until we start work again! I'm sooo happy to be planning things for us to do! Next week's post is ready to go and will open on Sunday, at 8 am US CST... there will be a Question of the Week about the topic opening on Thursday 12:00 am every week. Feel free to post your answers anytime Thursday - Saturday. Do as many or as few of the activities as you want! If you need a week off, that's okay. Life gets busy, we understand! If you have questions, please reach out... Poppy 💕