Please join me on the Empowering Youth Book Tour!

INTERVIEWS:

Interview with Mary from Everyday Baby Steps - we discuss writing, youth empowerment and parenting.

Girlfriendology podcast - my interview with Debba Haupert. We discuss youth empowerment and community-building.

Blog Talk Radio - Behind the Blog - Melanie Nelson and Karen Lewis interview me about the transition from blogging to traditional media, and my path to becoming an author.

Blog Talk Radio - Interview with Dana on Home School Talk. We discuss youth empowerment and my one-year homeschool experiment.

JJ Cooper - Five Quick Questions with Kelly Curtis.

BOOK REVIEWS

Asset trainers and authors Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor review my book on their blog, The Asset Edge.

Blogger and mother, Robin at Pensieve, reviews Empowering Youth in a powerful and poignant way.

School Counselor Susan Carney reviews Empowering Youth at Suite 101 - Youth Development

Educator John Pearson reviews Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things - Mr. Teacher

School Counselor Shannon Hutton reviews Empowering Youth at Ask the School Counselor.

GUEST ARTICLES:

How to Empower Your Students
Good News About Youth

COMING SOON:

September 19
Robin at Pensieve reviews Empowering Youth.

October 9 and 10 - NWEA Teacher’s Convention, Eau Claire, WI
Kelly will speak with her 11-year-old daughter, Kohl’s Kids Who Care scholarship winner and founder of BookWorm Wednesday.

Blog Swap with Ann Saylor and Susan Ragsdale (authors of Great Group Games) at The Center for Asset Development.

November 6 - Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth Conference, Minneapolis, MN
Kelly will speak with her 11-year-old daughter, Kohl’s Kids Who Care scholarship winner and founder of BookWorm Wednesday.

Want to schedule an interview? Please email: kellycurtiswriter (at) gmail (dot) com Like to read my updates? Just sign up for them via email or feed. I will never spam you or give out your address.

Our loons have been a relaxing distraction this summer. The two families that we see most often on our lake seem like friends to those who live here — cohabitants of a beautiful waterfront retreat.

The tiny fluffballs that ride on their parents backs in June, are fully capable of diving and even flying by September, but it’s interesting to note that the adults were still feeding their “teenagers” when I shot this photo in August. The parents dive deeply and then return with a morsel, the young loons paddling quickly to reach the adult and take the minnow into their own beak.

And after swallowing the fish, the young loon (on the left) engaged in a sweet habit of circling the adult (on the right.) That’s how I captured this pose - it almost looks like the two are hugging.

As their feathers turn from the stark black and white of spring, to the warm brown hues we see now, I know that autumn is nearly here. I’ll definitely miss our loons when they fly south for the winter…

Wisconsin Loon Series
Early June
Late June
August

For More Wordless Wednesday, please go here or here.

This post is a part of Fussy’s Thursday Happiness Project Thursday.

Earlier this summer, we visited Forts Folle Avoine in northern Wisconsin and I wrote about how the costumed interpreters played the historic sport of lacrosse.

The fort is built on the site of an old fur trading camp from the 1800’s, and the interpreters do an excellent job of reenacting the characters that lived in the camp 100 years ago.

This is the owner of the largest of the two trading companies in the post - he was a colorful character who practiced many policies we find in modern commerce. He explained in an entertaining way the great deal we could all get on a shot gun, along with the very high prices we’d need to pay for the gunpowder to use it. He’s also responsible for introducing alcohol to the local Woodland Indian village.

A Woodland Indian village is built beside the forts, just as it was from 1802-1805.

Traders are set up in camps, with goods like the pots below. They traded mostly for beaver pelts, until the area was completely trapped out and the fort was abandoned.

Even children participated in the interpretation, creating a realistic look at the camp, as well as an excellent opportunity for these children to experience rustic life like it was here in the early 1800’s.

But our kids’ favorite character was this one, a voyageur with a French accent, who thought nothing of sharing our sandwich, much like would have been done in a communal setting like this one. As we took our lunches out to eat them on the bench, he took a bite of my son’s sandwich, then took a few Doritos from Craig’s friend as well.

Of course, I just giggled and snapped the photos.

What a hilarious introduction to fort life in the 19th century. One we’ll never forget.

Good News About Youth and the Adults Who Empower Them:
She’s Not Your Average Girl
Bravo
Empowering Girls: Yoga Skills

What does passing the torch mean to you? Is it teaching? Passing traditions? Or good news about youth? Join us each week for Pass the Torch Tuesday.Former PTT posts.

Each year at about this time, I share my School Year’s Resolutions. I do what the rest of the world does January 1 — this timing just seems to work better for me. You can see the past two years of resolutions here and here. I hope you’ll join me.

As I read my School Year’s Resolutions from the past two years, I have to chuckle. Apparently, I’m no more successful at meeting goals mid-year, than I am in January. But I figure, if at first you don’t succeed, try again and again and again (or modify the goal!) Here are my goals as I our family begins the school year.

Simplify Find Balance
I’ve tried to simplify for years now, and I’ve finally decided it is just not in my nature. I’m modifying this goal to reflect realistically what I’m trying to accomplish with simplicity:

1. Do my best, but accept imperfection.

2. Appreciate small everyday gifts without grieving what just doesn’t fit into the 24-hour day.

3. Organize as much as seems realistic, without becoming frustrated about the chaos that still ensues.

4. Say “I could” more often than “I should.”

5. Continue doing all 50 things on this post.

Health
I need to find ways to focus on my health while I still have it.

1. Eat healthy meals even on stressful days.

2. Walk or ride bike twice per week; take the stairs and extra steps where possible.

3. Actually take the vitamins in my cabinet.

4. Help my kids to pack healthy lunches on days they’re not looking forward to school lunch.

5. Participate in a supportive email discussion group and possibly join Weight Watchers online.

Please join me! Just write your personal goals for the school year!  Write your resolutions in comments or leave your link. Here are a few participants to offer you inspiration:

Pockets of Time
Mom 2 My 9
Don’stuff
Where is the Sun?

This post is a part of WFMW at Rocks in My Dryer.

During our recent trip to Southern Minnesota, we passed by a sign that said “Sod House” and we couldn’t resist. We had no idea what it was, but thought it would be a worthwhile stop on the way to the Jeffers Petroglyphs.

The middle-of-nowhere feeling we got on the long gravel road eased as we finally reached the working farm in the center of what appears to be acres of farmland and prairie. We paid the woman in the farm house and walked through the gate.

The Sod House and shed were built as replicas of those that were prevalent when pioneers like Laura Ingalls reached Minnesota. Apparently the log cabin we saw on the Little House series was inaccurate. Since there were few trees, sod was the only building material. Logs were rare.

This is a close-up view of the sod on top of the sod shed.

The land around the sod buildings planted in native prairie grasses and wildflowers, and it was beautiful.

I could almost picture the covered wagons lost in the tall grass.

The Sod House was used as a bed and breakfast for several years, and was featured on the History Channel as well. A neat stop on the way to Jeffers. For more information about the Sod House, please visit its website.

Southern Minnesota series:

Letterboxing in Mankato
Jeffers Petroglyphs
Sod House
Prairie Wildflowers

For More Wordless Wednesday, please go here or here.