Do Unto Otters

The students auplauded at the end of this book. We stopped often to laugh. We studied the pictures. We had a great class discussion about treating others the way that we'd like to be treated. We completed the fun, post lesson activities offered on the author's website. During my reflection of this lesson that tied into our Launguage Arts unit I realized this book can be revisited throughout the year because of its lesson and high student interest.

The author, Laurie Keller, has written great children's books and created a website with teacher and/or home resources. I encourage you to read this book about Mr. Rabbit and the Otters with your child(ren).



guysread.com

Jon Scieszka....name sound familiar? Well, maybe his popular children's books, "Stinky Cheese Man" and "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" ring a bell. Boys flock to these books because of of their humor, crude sayings, and laughable illustrations.

In a abrupt way to say to boys, who are out playing ball or filling time with video games, Scieszka says READING IS COOL! His new website, guysread.com, has an arsenal of reading recommendations and interactive links to all things book.

As an educator and aunt to three young boys, my favorite part about this website is their goal to encourage all boys (guys), whom studies show are becoming less and less interested in reading over the years, to become life long readers.


*** This website is not only boy friendly, girls can also visit this site to find out about good books and other reading resources.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & a Dream

The message that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. carried with him is simple, equality. This is a message that children young and old easily understand. But understanding segregation, prejudice, and the violence that was endured in the Civil Rights Movement is knowing why we need to continue to bridge the racial divide.

Martin Luther King didn't only stand up for what he believed in, he was willing to risk his life to carry that simple message. Today, because of that sacrifice I can teach wonderful children regardless of race, religion, sex, and economical background.

When your children return from school ask if these discussions are occurring in their classroom. You can also continue the discussion in your own home. Asking and answering questions now and throughout the year  will continue to help your child(ren) be free of judgement, discriminations, and to practice equality in their thoughts and words.

These are my favortive Martin Luther King Jr. children's books:




Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport



Here is a speech by Martin Luther King you may want your children to watch with you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEMXaTktUfA&feature=related 

 

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The kids slumped in their chairs
Too glum to complain.
And to make matters worse,
It started to rain . . .

The first day of Winter Break doesn't seem like too much fun when you have to stay inside all day on the account of the rain. It reminds me of Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat, the kids are staring out the window, rain pouring down, with nothing to do.

“I know it is wet

And the sun is not sunny.

But we can have

Lots of good fun that is funny!”

“I know some good games we could play,”

Said the cat.

“I know some new tricks,”

Said the Cat in the Hat.

The Cat in the Hat should not have been in the house while their mother was out but he did know how to have fun when playing outside is not an option. 

Here is a link to FamilyEducation.com where there are tons of fun and entertaining rainy day, indoor activities for elementary children.

You can also browse Redbookmag.com where there are 10 real mommy ideas for indoor fun.

Holiday Storytime

The Newport Beach Public Libraries have great storytimes for children of all ages.

Click here for their events calendar.

If you don't live in Newport search your local library so that you can enjoy wonderful storytimes in your neighborhood.

Here are some great holiday books to read to your children during the holidays (these are my favorites):

What Does My Schooler Need to Know?

As a teacher, I loved Back to School night. I got to meet the parents, tell them what fun things we will learn in all curricular subjects, talk about homework and how important it is, school rules, class rules, and the questions.

The questions.

Oh, you loving parents have so many of them, all of which are equally important.
My favorite question was always, "what do I have to know about the subjects my child is learning? I like to help with homework but I'm not good with math, that's my husband's strong point." I'd laugh and all the others in the room would laugh too.

My favorite book recommendation (I have many of them) is The Core Knowledge Series. It's a series of books for parents to read depending on your child's grade. If your child is in Kindergarten, for example, you would want to purchase "What your Kindergartner Needs to Know." The series goes from preschool through 6th grade and has information that you need to know about your child's grade level in all curricular subjects. Here is the link to the Core Knowledge site and a link to the What Your __ Needs to Know page. Of course on Amazon you can get these books for cheaper, but check out their site first. They have many elementary education lesson plans, activities, and resources.