Wednesday, May 12, 2021

 New Free Pandemic Coloring Page #123! 

Copy, Print, Color

Today is day 439 of quarantine. Shavuot starts this Sunday, May 16th and ends on Tuesday, May 18th.  I created this page for The Blue Dove Foundation (as seen here:  https://thebluedovefoundation.org/shavuot/) and I'm sharing it here for both Shavuot and Mental Health Awareness month. 

For those who don't know what Shavuot is - it is also known as the "feast of weeks" and it celebrates the day that the Torah was given to the Jewish people on Mt. Sinai (this is why I drew mountains) more than 3,300 years ago; 7 weeks and one day after the second night of Passover (the weeks). It is associated with the grain harvest (the feast). It is typically celebrated by lighting candles and staying up late at night reading the Torah. 

This holiday is typically celebrated with the study of the Torah, but in my family, we will celebrate educational achievement. While the school year isn't quite over, my children have worked very hard during this strange year attending school from home on their computers. They have had to adjust their method of learning, modify their organizational methods, and figured out how learn with little to no kinesthetic tools or manipulatives to enhance their learning experiences (I'm not counting filling out a worksheet as a kinesthetic experience). This holiday also celebrates the harvest of the grain, so I will bake fresh bread and we will have our own "feast." Adjust and celebrate.  

I wrote "You can move mountains" because I believe we all can. When presented with a challenge, review it, study it, tackle it, but don't go around it. Don't avoid it. That's what this year has been for most people. We constantly have to review the situation and adjust our approach. It might be one pebble at a time, but you can move mountains. 




Monday, May 10, 2021

New Free Pandemic Coloring Page #122!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

#StopTheStigma

Today is day 437 of quarantine and down here in Georgia our local schools are finishing up units, taking end of year tests and milestone tests, completing end of year projects, and preparing EOCs and final exams. Kids and teachers are ready to be done, ready for a break, ready for summer and I don't know about your family, but I can feel the stress in my house. It's Okay Not to Be Okay. I don't just mean about school stuff, about anything and everything. You are allowed to be unhappy, stressed, worried. It's okay to have bad days. Breathe. Call a friend or seek out a therapist. Talk. You can lean on someone to help you through the bad days so it isn't all on you. You are not alone in whatever you are feeling - even if it may feel that way. I'm not a therapist, but I'm always available to talk to my friends and there are many great professionals out there who are ready to talk to you. #StopTheStigma