WIN a Back-to-School Prize Pack for You and Your Class!

WIN a Back-to-School Prize Pack for You and Your Class!

Win healthy snacks and shoes for back-to-school

Fall school days are on their way, bringing tons of exciting new classes, friendships, and experiences. Year after year, however, there’s always one period eagerly-anticipated by kids and teenagers alike: lunch!

Growing students have big appetites, and not just for learning. Unfortunately, while good, wholesome food-for-thought has always been a priority in American classrooms, less attention has often been given to serving-up quality in cafeterias. Happily, schools and communities across the country are putting nutrition education on the lesson plan, with inspiring results!

WIN $100 OF SHOES FOR YOU PLUS $100 HEALTHY SNACKS FOR YOUR CLASS!

Inspired by the recent rise of farm-to-school programs across America, we’re giving away healthy, organic, delicious snack packs to three lucky students to share with their classes! Each of our three winners will receive $100 worth of tasty roasted hazelnuts and dried apple slices, both sourced from friendly farmers right here in our Pacific Northwest region. PLUS, each winner also gets $100 worth of Soft Star Shoes to send them back to class in comfort and style!

Getting hungry?

How to Enter:

In 50 words or less, tell us about your (or your child's) most memorable learning experience in school via the comment form below.

Updated 8/21/15: Since so many people are exceeding our 50-word limit, we will not disqualify entries that are longer. Brevity is highly appreciated, though. If you wrote in under 50 words and would like to re-submit your entry then we will only consider the newer version.

It can be inspiring or funny, adorable or odd. Please include your name and the name of your school (last names are not required—a last initial will suffice). Homeschoolers are welcome to enter, too!

RULES: One entry per person, family-friendly content only. Contest ends at 11:59 PDT, August 31, 2015. At that time we’ll choose our three favorites and contact them via the email address provided with the comment. Email addresses will only be used to contact the winners and will not be shared. Open worldwide, void where prohibited by law. If you have trouble leaving a comment then you can email your entry to us at [email protected].

WIN a Back-to-School Prize Pack for You and Your Class!

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125 Comments

  1. Jan P.
    For me, preparing state and country reports was my favorite part about geography classes. I was good at organizing info, a skill I developed and made good use of throughout my careers.
    Reply
  2. Denise E
    For both of my children, the pivotal moment is meeting their kindergarten teacher. She warms them with her kindness and showers them in love. In that first moment, that first embrace, that first smile, they know they are loved and safe. These shoes are not for me, they are for her as she finishes her final year with children and gets to put her feet up.
    Reply
  3. Catherine C
    Watching my 2.5 year old leave babyhood behind is breathtaking. She starts preschool Monday. We had a 'practice day' today with her teacher. I was able to be there. She was nervous ("hold me, mama") as we walked in the door. But, with our outside shoes stashed away and tea served at the table, she found her way to the play kitchen and began the hard work of pretending. She smiled up at me with pure happiness. From behind the silk 'door' of the kitchen, another child drew her attention back into the baking. I'll miss my little one and I am thrilled she is ready for this.
    Reply
  4. Melissa
    My son has multiple learning disabilities and is in special education. He is going into the 3rd grade but is really on level with a kindergarten student. Every time he learns something new he gets excited. Just to see his face light up is amazing. He so desperately wants to learn to read so he gets so happy anytime he sees a word he can read. I just love seeing his enthusiasm for learning
    Reply
  5. Becky L.
    I think some of the best learning experiences at school happen outside of the traditional classroom. It's too bad that testing and meeting standards have made field trips very rare in a lot of public schools, including our children's own, but fortunately our sons' elementary still does a full week of camp with all of the sixth-graders in the district at the start of the year. My younger son just got home from it this afternoon and although he was exhausted, he had so much to share as we ran the obligatory hot water loads of laundry!
    Reply
  6. Becky L.
    I think some of the best learning experiences at school happen outside of the traditional classroom. It's too bad that testing and meeting standards have made field trips very rare in a lot of public schools, including our children's own, but fortunately our sons' elementary still does a full week of camp with all of the sixth-graders in the district at the start of the year. My younger son just got home from it this afternoon and although he was exhausted, he had so much to share as we ran the obligatory hot water loads of laundry!
    Reply
  7. Amy D
    My girls are not yet school age, but the following happened when they were six months (official entry - 54 words):

    A gift of baby dolls on Christmas received,
    One twin found upon being squeezed
    from the tummy burst forth a sound of a kiss.
    She then saw in her twin something she couldn't miss.
    Pushing on her sister's tummy brought the sound of loud cries!
    Mommy soon spirited the dolls away from tiny eyes.
    Reply
  8. Darlene Comeaux
    Darlene Comeaux
    Taking children on a field trip to learn about nature is most exciting for all. It is amazing how much children do not know about the forest, etc.
    Reply
  9. MNS
    My child is about to embark on preschool this year, but she is wiser than her age. I told her not something she can learn for herself, but to help others who are struggling, learn.
    Reply
  10. Cathleen Clark
    We had just adopted our daughter Ashley when she had to start kindergarten. She had previously been in foster care her whole life, and at the beginning of summer had finally settled into her "forever home" with us. JUST as she was getting to know us and our routine, school started. I will never forget the screaming and crying as we dropped her off- she clung to our legs, begged us not to leave her, cried, etc. It was AWFUL. We felt terrible but we knew it was the start of a normal life for her- and she needed routine. Fast Forward 15 years- that crying girl is now a confident, happy, goal-oriented high school senior with her whole life ahead of her! When I pulled out the photos of that first day (to show her on the first day of her senior year), she laughed so hard and said it was the BEST thing we did for her and the start of her love of learning and love of LIFE. I love you Ashley and we are so proud of you!
    Reply
  11. Jeffery Clark
    My son's most memorable learning experience came in 7th grade, and was not technically in the classroom.....but when he was first realizing there girls and he liked them! We knew the first school dance of the year was coming and he wanted to look cool, to attract the ladies so to speak. He planned very carefully for that day, combed his hair and dressed in nice clothes. He was so excited!! We drove him to the dance and his eyes lit up when he saw his friends and -- gasp-- girls milling around. Suddenly he got shy and announced he did not want to go in! We knew he was very nervous about actually going in. We sat in the car for 45 minutes and talked him into going in. Three hours later, we picked him up and he was all grins! He had a great time, and I think most of all proud of himself for overcoming his crippling shyness. He is now in the U.S. Army and a father and husband himself and he remembers that night very well.
    Reply
  12. Sonia
    When my oldest daughter started school she was very shy and would not raise her hand to answer questions. At the end of the last school year (finishing grade 3) not only has she overcome the shyness of speaking out in front of the class, but she was able to recite a small poem in french no less, in front of her class and their parents. I was so proud.
    Reply
  13. Kelly Kantner
    My oldest just turned 5, and since we are homeschooling I have been discussing school with him recently, but not planning on doing anything different. He has been adamant, however, that we establish a schedule and make a list of what he is going to study each day. So funny! And I thought we would just go with the flow. So we are both learning a lot about what education is and isn't, and what a "school" can look like.
    Reply
  14. Allyson Ballard Bossie
    Allyson Ballard Bossie
    My Middle daughter was struggling learning to read. It was like there was just a mental block. I had requested they test her prior to Christmas break, and when we returned from break, within days it was like a lightbulb just went off in her head. It was amazing to watch her AHA moment and it just clicked. She has been reading strong sinse!
    Reply
  15. Jean
    We were beaming when our four year old came home from preschool proclaiming in his best imitation booming voice: I...HAVE...A DREAM! We talked about MLK and his dream of respect for all; I felt so proud of our son's growth and pleased with our choice of Montessori school. Fast forward six months to his fifth check-up: he points to a picture of Babar on the wall and says, "Look Mommy, Martin Luther King!"
    Reply
  16. Danielle Fehring
    Danielle Fehring
    In 3rd grade, my son's class took a trip to see a show called "Dr. Kaboom." It was all about science, and it was all he talked about for the rest of the school year. He now says he wants to be a scientist when he grows up!
    Reply
  17. Priscilla Brackett
    Priscilla Brackett
    Eight year old Evie goes to an organic farm school that donates its crops to the community. The school recently delivered 300 pounds of produce to a soup kitchen. The children helped unload the produce (which they also helped grow) and then toured the kitchen and learned about the other services the mission provides.
    Reply
  18. Carrie
    Growing up, my mom home-schooled us in the nineties, way before it was cool. We were able to do many extra-curricular activities like being junior firefighters and getting our open-water certification as scuba divers, traveling to Honduras and going back-packing in Europe. All of which I am very grateful to my parents for. My mom and dad gave up everything for us, so that we would be able to grow, learn, and cultivate our minds. The best tool a man has.
    One thing my mom taught us was a curriculum called “Mapping the World by Heart.” Twice a week for a year, we would take out our large 11x17 paper marked just with grid lines and a sharp pencil and start tracing the lines in one grid space, learning about each country as we went along. With the help of books(before the internet was being used like it is today), we toured each continent, learning about each country, its peoples, faith and heritage, exports/imports, and what it might be known for. It was a beautiful, enriching experience and at the end of it, for my cumulative exam, I was able to -from memory- draw the entire world map to scale. With nothing but my mind, my sharp pencil, and a ruler for marking my grid lines. This world map now sits in my home as one of my most prized memories of growing up. One day when my kids are big, I plan to do the same for them.

    (I wasn’t able to post a pic here, but you can check out my facebook page under Carrie Voyce to see the picture of it. If you can’t see it, shoot me a message. Thanks for reading! )
    Reply
  19. Maranda H.
    As a lifelong learner, I've had many memorable learning experiences, whether from childhood, college, or the past several years with debilitating chronic illness and being a shut-in. One of my favorites comes from my time as an undergraduate at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

    Ten years ago, I was in the middle of Calculus I, which I was enjoying thoroughly (despite some hangups with optimization problems). We were on derivatives, and I was getting on tolerably well. My best friend and I were sitting doing homework one evening, and she was working on something from one of her higher math electives for her mathematics major. She mentioned integrals, and I asked what they were. She then explained them in terms of derivatives (the two being related), making them seem very straightforward and simple. A week later when we got to them in class, I caught on almost instantly. My professor said after our exam on integrals, ''You did well on derivatives, but man, you took off on integrals!'' (I scored 106/100.) And all of it was thanks to Misty's little introduction.
    Reply
  20. Tera
    I am homeschooling my daughter this year because it's what our living situation dictates, for now. Since I once taught at a Montessori school, it's the curriculum we follow. To be honest, I often feel guilty that she isn't at a real Montessori school, but she is well socialized, not shy and has plenty of park time with kids her age. What really made me feel good about her homeschooling was last week she told me, "B is a bah sound and E is an eheheh sound , Mommy!" I was speechless, then she went on, "...and if D is with them it spells bed, Mommy!" I stood in amazement for a second. I had only been showing her the letters and sounds to introduce her to the fact that letters stand for sounds. I had no idea we were learning to read and spell! She is only three. I felt really good and confident after that and our homeschooling year is off to a great start!
    Reply
  21. Valerie McElroy
    I am always learning from my students. One of the most important things that I have learned from them is to take short breaks during the day to move. When we stop for a few minutes for a brain break, we are able to to get a lot done throughout the day.
    Reply
  22. Rachel F
    I am an elementary school teacher. Several years ago, right after winter break one of my students came to me jumping up and down, saying he had to wee, over and over. I could not figure out what was going on as this was a 3rd grader. I told him to calm down and go to the bathroom. He stood there trying to figure out why I told him to go to the bathroom. It wasn't until later in the day when he was telling his friends about his holiday gifts that he was trying to tell me he got a Wii for his gift. I laughed until I cried that day.
    Reply
  23. vicky s
    As the word limit has been expanded, I would like to share this piece of magic with you. It is written by 'Anna', 11 years old, during my time working and sharing with her and her classmates... full of wonder and delight... and really tells us what we should always care for:
    The sense that I felt done and the tiniest, tiniest part of my heart and soul I felt moved and no one but me can describe the feelings and the sense of power and emotion and whoever knew you can describe that feeling. I know at the end of this very majestic, moving, heartwarming and treeful day I’ll go home so brainwashed on trees. I found the way to look at the perspective of a tree. The small nut of the tree made of the smallest segments. My eyes are fired and scared for life to know so much about a scientific plant known to provide soft, silk textures, spun web, fresh leaves that can make you asleep, a doona yet to be discovered. Comfort in my heart pleasures my soul in a soft way. A cushion can touch your soul in a magic way, the best way possible. I find my ways and paths in my soul and look for my soul. I shut my eyes, image my imagination and think of all the feelings and thoughts.
    ------------------
    These were my first 50 words: My beloved learning experiences are those offered to me by the children with whom I connect. As an artist who works in schools, I feel it’s a privilege to activate deep, wondrous, and challenging creative explorations, hand in hand with the children! PURE JOY [supported by my cosy softstars!!] Mt Clear Primary
    Reply
  24. RICHARD CARPENTER
    RICHARD CARPENTER
    THE FIRST DAY
    Reply
  25. Sarah W
    The moment that comes to mind is my son harvesting his first cucumbers and tomatoes we planted in containers as part of our earth science studies in our homeschool:)
    Reply

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