Saturday Share: A Baby WHAT?!??!!!

I hope that each of you will be able to enjoy a nice long 
weekend with your families and friends.
Stay safe!

I missed posting this for the Flannel Friday Round-up because we have had a super busy week with record numbers at our weekly storytimes. I have been extremely busy cutting out more and more and more dinosaurs! :oP 

Besides all the cutting though ~ I have been creating lots of fun learning activities with dinosaurs. I can't wait to share these Dino ideas with you. I have a couple of Fun Finds, several cute, yummy snack ideas, and even a few simple, inexpensive crafts to encourage your child/ren to use their imagination(s) as they explore the prehistoric world of the Dinosaurs. 

I always enjoy doing Dinosaur storytimes! Being the Mom of four boys, I had to learn about these awesome creatures over the years ~ each of my boys was obsessed with them at one time or another! But, apparently, they were not alone in this obsession! Over the years, I have notice that my boys are not the only ones who LOVE these strange creatures who just seem to never lose their popularity! 

Both boys and girls adore Dinosaurs!

Since I missed the FFRU, I am going to go ahead and do a Saturday Share this week. Here is a quick idea for some silly singing and puppet play. It is an easy, inexpensive craft to make and it is tons of fun to show the little ones. 

It is an egg puppet that hatches into a... 

Hmmm, I think I'll make you wait  for the BIG reveal in the song. (Yes, it is a dinosaur but can you guess which kind?!??!!)

The little ones think it is magical when the egg begins to hatch! 

Here is the song that I use with my puppet:

I'm Bringing Home a…

(Sung to: “I’m Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee”)

Look what I found!
(The words in green are spoken.)

I'm bringing home a round, gigantic egg.
Won’t my mommy jump up on the bed?
I'm bringing home a round, gigantic egg.
Crack! Crack! Crack!

Uh, oh! It’s hatching!
 (Open the egg slowly)

And it’s a baby dinosaur!

I'm bringing home a baby dinosaur.
Won’t my mommy hide behind the door?
I'm bringing home a baby dinosaur.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

Oh, look!
 (Take the dinosaur out of the egg.)

It’s a Book-a-saurus!

(Did you guess?) 

I'm reading lots of books to my dinosaur.
Won’t my mommy love that more and more?

I'm reading lots of books to my dinosaur.

"More! More! More!"

We love books!

Yay!

My inspiration for the baby dinosaur once again came from a sticker. The sticker set is so old that I have no idea where I bought them ~ probably a teacher store or catalog ~ years and years ago. The Stegosaurus sticker was always my favorite so it became my "Book-a-saurus" for this craft.

As you can see from the picture below, I enlarged the baby dinosaur quite a bit! I enlarged it on the copier. Then I traced the outline to use with my cut-paper technique. It is a simple and effective technique! All you need to do it for yourself is ~ construction paper in different colors, a pattern, scissors, and glue. Add a popsicle stick and ~ viola!  ~ you have a puppet!

The egg part of the craft is a little more involved. It is simple enough to do but it does have a few steps involved. Contact me at storytimeabcs@gmail.com if you are interested in the directions.

At the end of our storytime, I had my storytime friends go on a Dinosaur Hunt in the library. They each found a smaller black and white copy of the Book-a-saurus to take home and color. I also provided them with a completely put-together egg to be decorated any way they wanted and a popsicle stick to make their dinosaur into a puppet.

Besides being a fun puppet to sing and play with, I told the families that each "Book-a-saurus" needed to be read to every day. I gave them 7 star stickers each and told them to add a sticker to the egg each day that they read to their new friend. Once they have added 5 to 7 stars, they can bring the egg back to the library and receive a special dinosaur prize! The adults loved this idea. It is a great way to encourage the families to read each day! ;o)

Well, that's it for my Saturday Share. If you make your own "Book-a-sarus", I would love to hear about it and see a picture or two. 

Have fun!

And, as always,

HAPPY READING TOGETHER!

Flags and a New Store for Mrs PK

Here are the chaps with there new Standards for the game on Sunday and also Mrs PK's new general stores. All these have been completed ready for Partizan on Sunday. Gosh I am so excited. If any of you chaps are about at Partizan come over and say Hi.

Humbo Militia

The Duke of Rutlands Own

Mrs PK's New Store

Small But Mighty

When a challenge presents itself to any of us we all have techniques to meet it; even the simplest of daily tasks.  Sometimes it's a phrase mentally whispered, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" or a vision of victory held in our minds as we struggle forward.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, though can compare with the courageous creations for coping that come forth from the imaginations of children.

Their capacity knows no heights.  In Kel Gilligan's Daredevil Stunt Show (Abrams Books for Young Readers) written by Michael Buckley with illustrations by Dan Santat, a new talent a la Evil Knievel blasts forth on his mighty tricycle.  No feat is too formidable for this little guy.

I'm Kel Gilligan and I'm a daredevil!  I perform super scary stunts while laughing in the face of danger.  They call me "The Boy Without Fear."

With that said, this champion proceeds to prove to readers exactly how brave he truly is as his family members look on, first in horror, then in disbelief.  Conquering first the alarming test of eating broccoli, he next faces the terror of the potty chair. With those accomplishments under his belt, he proceeds the next day to win the battle of dressing himself, resisting the temptation of needing constant attention, surviving the dreaded bath and the final audacious act of meeting the monsters.

Michael Buckley pens a narrative so snappy the air crackles with the sheer boldness of his character's spunk as he describes his attempts and conquests.  As each exploit is introduced family members, mom and dad, an older brother and sister and grandmother watch from the sidelines, their anxious exclamations posted in speech bubbles.

Is he insane?  Without a net?

What pervades every syllable of this story is the outrageous humor.

The perfect partner for this laugh-out-loud tale of triumph is the master of exaggerated expression, Dan Santat.  His book jacket has separate visuals for front and back showcasing bold red, white and blue Kel Gilligan, man of action, in all his glory, superimposed on excerpted pictures from the book in hues of blue-green.  Beneath the jacket the cover is different; the front proclaiming Viva La Kel with his fierce face peering straight ahead amid a red, white and blue starburst and the back is nearly all creamy white except for a hilarious view of Kel after his tackling the potty chair.

Matching endpapers done in a white and blue tint show family members in various facial forms of fright (except for grandma who's usually clapping) with an enlarged Kel, teeth gritted and fists raised in power.  No detail is overlooked by Santat when is comes to portraying a book about a kid for kids.  On the title page his name and Michael Buckley's are spelled out in wooden blocks beneath a full spread of Kel's handiwork.  Toys about the house, Kel's artwork on the walls and framed photographs are all part of the continuity.

When readers first meet Kel his look, one eye partially closed, the other with raised brow, cowlick in the back, looking straight out the page is downright laughable.  It never stops from then to the end.  Every look, every gesture by him and his family are an invitation to join in the fun.

Kel Gilligan's Daredevil Stunt Show written by Michael Buckley with illustrations by Dan Santat demands to be, has to be read, aloud.  My surefire prediction is once will not be enough.  No, this title will be read again and again and again amid giggles galore.

Peas, Pass More Peas

Getting children to eat their vegetables is an age-old frustration felt by mothers on a universal level.  It has been the source of countless jokes, cartoons and picture books.  The ingenuity of mothers to get their children to eat peas in particular is only equaled by their sons and daughters schemes to avoid them at all costs.

Given their less than desirable lure at the dinner table, it was pure pleasure to see them in LMNO Peas (Birch Lane Books, 2010) written and illustrated by Keith Baker.   This happy-go-lucky, unique alphabet book uses peas as people rhyming their way through the ABCs highlighting various occupations, recreational pastimes and everyday living.

We're acrobats, artists, and astronauts in space.
We're builders, bathers, and bikers in a race. 

Baker has followed the success of that title with a new one, 1-2-3 Peas (Beach Lane Books, July 2012).

As the numbers one through ten are counted, each is accompanied by a rhyme with the pea(s) engaged in an activity followed by the repetition of a single word mirroring their actions.

One pea searching---
look, look, look,
Two peas fishing---
hook, hook hook.

Verbs describe the peas in boats, a garden patch, an airplane, a swimming pool, or on a track, stage or scaffold.  When the reader arrives at eleven the numbers are mentioned up to nineteen with a single sentence tying them together.  From twenty to one hundred the numbers are counted by tens continuing with poetic rhythms as the robust, round, green guys and gals form, move, snooze, piece, gaze, group, giggle, and drift toward their goal.

Propelling this counting chant through the pages are the digitally rendered effervescent illustrations of Baker.  His book jacket, spreading across the back and front gathers the peas together, each moving to the beat.  Endpapers are green on green, a series of dots resembling the spirited spheres.

All the visuals are blended together across two pages regardless of whether they're devoted to a single number or two.  The colorful, textures on each gives one the sense of having gathered together fabric pieces to make a animated whole.  What really pulls the reader into the pages are the peas.

Using the tiniest of details, infused with subtle humor, it takes no stretch of the imagination to picture a world peopled with peas running parallel to our own.  For example, when the number seventy takes a turn with

seventy peas singing---la, la, la

instead of having them simply in separate groups around the gigantic 70, Baker creates an entire scene. The seven is rooted in the ground with king-size flowers growing upward, as a large line of notes weaves through the two numerals.   Strategically placed are groups of peas representing singing in its varied forms (opera, in the shower, barbershop quartet, etc) giving puny nods to well-known musical figures.  Whatever these peas pursue it is done so with panache.

One cannot help but smile when looking at the cover of 1-2-3 Peas; a smile guaranteed to last well after the last page is turned.  Never has a counting book been quite as much fun as when written and illustrated by Keith Baker with the assistance of his personable peas.  Clever readers will be searching the pages for the consistent appearance of a special visitor.

I highly recommend this title for one-on-one sharing or with a group.  Every reading will bring new discoveries.  I'm having a hard time not seeing a passel of hand-crafted peas being passed around or held by students during the storytime.

Evesham Volunteers

Yes its time for the Evesham Volunteers to step to the stage and take its bow. Here is the finished illustration for Solway's next release a book of Royalists Flags and a bit about the histories of the units carrying them. This chap is from a militia unit The Evesham Volunteers who are raised in support of King Edward VIII and are a part of the Army of the Severn. Here is the chap for you.

Evesham Volunteer Standard Bearer

I have had to use Safari to upload the picture and post this, Bloody Chrome

Anyway You Can-Storytelling-Inanimate Alice

According to the about section, Inanimate Alice , was originally conceived to be read on screen, actively engaging users to move the story forward.  By using text, images, music, sound effects, puzzles and games, it gives an in-depth, widening perspective to the storyline.  This novel is a compilation of episodes following Alice's growth toward her goal of becoming a game animator and designer and the relationship with her imaginary digital friend, Brad.

The American Association of School Librarians selected Inanimate Alice for their 2012 Best Websites for Teaching and Learning under the Digital Storytelling heading citing these Standards for the 21st Learner: 4.1.8 Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning and 4.3.1 Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person.

When users first go to the home page of Inanimate Alice, across the top they will see tabs to Home, About the Project, Teach with Alice, Contact us, Newsletter and a Facebook connection.  Currently there are four episodes:  Episode #1 China, Episode #2 Italy, Episode #3 Russia and Episode #4 Hometown.  There are also four information booklets titled Alice's School Reports under the Born Digital Education caption which give information to educators about using this interactive tool in the classroom.

To best understand the applications for this website, I clicked on Teach with Alice.  At the next page users can select Introduction, Starter Activities Booklet, Teacher Education Pack, Share Inanimate Alice, Information for Parents and Curriculum.  To me one of the most important statements in the introduction is:

Inanimate Alice is a new media fiction that allows students to develop multiple literacies (literary, cinematic, artistic, etc) in combination with the highly collaborative and participatory nature of the online environment.

The starter activities booklet is a PDF document which can be downloaded, saved and printed.  These pages are geared toward Episode #1 for ages 10-14.  This seven page resource contains activities for section 3, 4, 7, 10, 13 and 18 of the first episode.

To obtain an URL link to the teacher education pack, which has been created in collaboration with Promethean Planet, users need to fill out a form giving their name, email address, school or institution, country, their teaching wiki or blog, age group/year/subject, primary purpose and any comments.  When registration is completed they will receive an email immediately giving them the web address.  It directs them to a 34 page PDF document currently divided into four different lesson plans with ten student resource packs covering episodes 1-3.

For each lesson educators are given a general statement addressing digital literacy, student resources, media required to implement the lesson, objectives of the lesson, a written introduction to the lesson which can be shared with students, teaching strategies, follow up activities and student assessment/reflection possibilities.  At the end of the first lesson, for example, in the student section they are asked to write a journal entry after reading episode one based upon five questions.  These questions are not seeking "yes or no" answers but are asking the students to really think about their experiences in reading the first episode of Inanimate Alice.

The share Inanimate Alice section gives you the opportunity to add badges about this site to your  webpage, blog, weebly or ning, letting your readers know you use Inanimate Alice.  The introductory letter to parents is short but highly informative.  Under the final heading in the Teach with Alice section, curriculum, educators are given a list of the common core standards this website meets.  A new major plus for those educators using Edmodo is an Inanimate Alice Edmodo Community page.

The first story takes about ten minutes to view (they say five but there is quite a bit to see).  Viewers are given basic instructions on how to advance or use icons in the upper right-hand corner to go back and forth in the story.  When it first begins a black screen appears with white letters stating Alice's name and age (8); the screen jitters and shakes as if there is a bad connection.  Music and sound effects shift with the illustrations on the screen.

Even though there are only twenty plus arrow mouse clicks, the screens change if the picture is moving, if graphics are added, or if interaction is required by the viewer.  This first plot line is fairly exciting, too.  Alice's father is two days late coming back to the base camp.

Here is one of the initial introductory screens where readers are learning about Alice, her mother and father.  You can see the arrow advance button.  Beneath the snapshots the visuals are moving as if a car is driving down the road.  Above the arrow advance button is written narrative as music and sound effects play in the background.

I have to admit I was completely captivated by this first episode.  As an teacher librarian I could not help but see the possibilities of using Inanimate Alice in the educational setting.  When you couple the episodes with the provided resources this website is A+ all the way.  Well done, AASL.

I Cant Upload any Pictures, Aaaarrrggghhhh

Well I cant upload any pictures to my blog at the moment, stupid blogger. I have tried different Chrome, IE Firefox and its the same on all and its pissing me off. Is anyone else having or had similar problems?

Heroic Readers {Establishing Expectations in Reader’s Workshop}

Ok…seriously y’all…if I have to repeat the same procedures one more time…I may die! Ha! My husband may kinda like the fact that I have zero voice left when I get home from school each night! I am telling you…even with the same kiddos…beginning of the year routines stink! I mean most eight year olds do not typically enjoy setting up notebooks and folders!

Sooooo…I am really trying to make this as fun as possible! {Is that possible?} :) We began our Reader’s Workshop introduction this week, and I really wanted the students to buy into the whole real reading vs. fake reading concept! Since they are so into superheroes lately, I thought a heroic readers theme would do the trick!

I made my acting debut and demonstrated fake readers at their best! The kids thought it was hysterical and my award winning acting skills really caught their attention. Ha! Then, we created a chart comparing real reading and fake reading…on a super hero cape, of course!

This will hang front and center in our library to remind students of heroic reading behaviors!

After we discussed these behaviors as a class, the students created their very own super hero cape describing what they need to do to show that they are a heroic reader! You would have thought that I gave them a million bucks!   I didn’t realize that third graders would be so excited about a cape! I so love the fact that even though they are growing up…they are always ready for some fun!

  

I have promised the students that they can wear their capes on the first day of Reader’s Workshop!

If you would like the super reader graphic, you can download a copy below!

I also posted a freebie on Saturday for our beginning of the year “I Am” poems. Here are the finished poems…

  

  

Well, I am off to rest this voice of mine and get ready for another crazy busy day tomorrow! Happy {almost} Wednesday, sweet friends!

Average Is For Mathematics, Not People

Back in the 1960s my Mom told me that my facial features were classic. Classic?  What did that mean?  I'm sure that would have been fine if I had been living in ancient Rome or Greece rather than attending junior high school.  We all know middle school, junior high school, high school, those preteen and teen years can be touch and go, a whole lot of the time; trying to figure out who you are, liking yourself on the inside and outside.

Being smack dab in the center of any description can be heartening or disheartening in the measure of a breath.  Andrew Clements, author of Frindle, The Landry News, The Last Holiday Concert, and No Talking (among many others), clearly has a handle on the ins and outs of life in school for students.  Last month About Average (Atheneum Books for Young Readers), his newest title, was released.  Protagonist, Jordan Johnston, has the distinct label of being average.

It was a sunny spring morning, but there was murder in the air.

No, this is not a mystery story but this first sentence gets your attention right away.  It leads into a description of Jordan's skills, or lack thereof, in the elementary school orchestra.  This one particular day in her sixth grade year, coming to a close, will be one not only Jordan but her entire community will remember.

What Jordan desires above all else is to excel at one thing before this year is over.  She's hoping it will be her violin playing.  As most people eventually come to know, wanting and doing might not come as quickly or as easily as one would desire.

To complicate her endeavors her list of three, Things I'm Good At, Things I'm Okay At and Things I Stink At, has fallen into the hands of Marlea Harkins, a mean girl who bullies Jordan (for reasons unknown to her) in the most subtle of ways.  Another welcome, but nonetheless, distraction is Jonathan Cardley, who Jordan believes is the most perfect boy in her class.  The final hindrance comes at the hands of Mother Nature; the heat in Salton, Illinois is spiking.

As the day progresses readers are privy to Jordan's thought processes about her classmate relationships, flashbacks of events earlier in the year and her musings about her strengths and weaknesses.  It's the core of her character, what she wants to be, what she won't do, that shines.  When disaster strikes, it's one of those Things I'm Good At which gives her the confidence to be glad about who she is.

Andrew Clements speaks to the universal hopes and fears of middle grade students through his apt descriptions of the typical happenings in a school setting.  He most definitely has his fingers on the pulse of how they think and feel.  His characters are believable, real, in every sense of the word.  Adults in the story are not cardboard caricatures but play relevant roles; parents who care but are not quite as careful as they could be, a mindful meteorologist and a reading teacher whose passion is catching.

Clements pacing is effective, blending and shifting various elements of the storyline through chapter changes.  Readers can see what Jordan is experiencing currently as well as what happened previously. A tension of sorts is also created by what we know but Jordan does not; what is taking place outside the walls of the school.

Here are a couple of passages from the pages of this title.

Jordan wished that all the really pretty girls would disappear, one by one, until she was left as the cutest girl at school.  Then Jonathan Cardley would be asking some other girl, "Hey, have you seen Jordan?"
A lot of girls would have to vanish.

Books kidnapped Jordan the same way her memories did.  Starting a new book was like jumping into a rushing stream--something she wished she could do right about then.  She was still sweating.

Soft, expressive illustrations by Mark Elliot are found on twelve single pages throughout the title further illuminating the narrative flow.

Within 120 pages Andrew Clements is able to bring to readers exactly what they need; having proven time and time again, this is his true gift.   About Average is so real you can almost taste it; the perfect piece of life's pie.  Everyone does have something at which they excel.  Finding it is life's journey.

By following the link attached to Andrew Clements's name above you can explore his website.  By following this link you can browse inside About Average courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

New Flags for the Humbo Militia

After two years of campaigning, okay after four battles the Humberstone Militia has laid its old flags down and been given new colours on behalf of a grateful city. These standards has also been granted battle honours, okay, shows which I attended and battled. Hope you like them.

What's Orange, Crunchy and...Scary?

Since I read Peter Benchley's Jaws (eons ago), I have not been in the ocean; not even my big toe.  When  I saw the movie, I was one of the viewers gasping for air and lifting my legs up from the floor.  The combination of textual narrative and visuals will do that to you.

I don't think I'm ever going to feel the same sense of freedom or safety walking through the produce section in the grocery store any more either.  Author Aaron Reynolds has penned a title, Creepy Carrots! (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers) about a very peculiar bunch of veggies.  Eerie illustrations by Peter Brown pay tribute to Rod Serling's Twilight Zone in the best possible way.

Jasper Rabbit has a passion for carrots.  And the carrots that grew in Crackenhopper Field were the best. 

Actually Jasper Rabbit has an obsession with carrots.  Every single time he passes this particular patch of land, home to these crunchy munchies, he grabs as many as he can.  But these are no ordinary carrots, these carrots are...ALIVE!

This carrot-craving bunny is not so far gone though that he cannot help but notice some strange sounds.  What's that noise?  Could it be the sound of roaming roots?

No, carrots can't move.  It must be this little hopper's overactive imagination.  Right?  Wrong!

Soon he sees them in the bathroom, the tool shed, in his bedroom and well, just about anyplace he goes.  The goosebumps-on-the-flesh part is he's the only one seeing them.  Then a hundred carat idea sprouts into Jasper's brain; the stupendous proportions of this plan are staggering.

It's surprising what fear-fueled adrenaline will do for one small rabbit.  But then, wasn't that the plan all along?  Whose plan was it really?

Reynolds's narrative is as crisp as those wily wandering plants.  His succinct sentences employ verbs actively creating a vision of Jasper's love of this food; pulled, yanked and ripped without costing him a single cent.  He makes JR's life seem as normal as the next person's...er...hare's...with his mention of school, little league practice, and home life.  There, of course, is nothing normal about

...creepy carrots creeping EVERYWHERE.

Peter Brown, an author ( You Will Be My Friend, Children Make Terrible Pets and Chowder, to name a few) and illustrator, brings his talents to these pages to create a deliciously, delightful spooky spin on the story. Initially drawing in pencil on paper the illustrations are put together digitally and colored to give us the chilling black and white, browns and oranges of his visuals.  His cover catches the reader's eye immediately, causing one to wonder if those angry Creepy Carrots! are going to do more than give the frightened rabbit the heebie-jeebies.

Endpapers show rows of carrots, like an advancing army of one's nightmares, with the occasional grin on some; careful readers will note the difference between the front and back depictions. The title, across two pages, mirrors a television screen at the introduction to a new episode.  In fact, the entire book is like watching an old television show; the art takes you back to an older time, a time when imaginations could and did run wild.

You have to love the way Brown conveys the range of emotions that flicker across Jasper Rabbit's face, appreciation, glee, questioning, panic, all the stages of fear and triumphant determination. Then too, there are the carrots.  Who knew eyes and mouths on vegetables could say so much.  My favorite flash back to the past is Jasper, bug-eyed and gasping with fright, splayed across a swirl of fiendish carrots.


Aaron Reynolds spins a haunting tale where "what-ifs" rule the day as Peter Brown works his illustrative magic.  This team gives new meaning to the word creepy in Creepy Carrots!  If you are out walking about in your local town, walking past that field or vacant lot that all towns have, whatever you do, don't touch anything; definitely don't pick the carrots!

Before this gem hit bookstores, I watched this video about the illustrative process Peter Brown used to create his artwork.  I knew I had to have this book.   I do love this book; another copy is on its way to my home.



The Creepy Carrots Zone from Peter Brown on Vimeo.
This video was recently posted on YouTube.

New VBCW Cover Work

Yes I am working on a new project for Si at Solway, this one being a book of Flags and banners of the Royalist factions. I was given a very simple brief, can I have a banner bearer for the book and I did the rest. I have gone for a militia standard bearer from the Evesham Volunteers and have done great joy with him. I have goiven him the standard British army tin helmet, a Safari Jacket and some tweed walking breeches. His webbing is "home made" and he carries a Bergmann MP28, a pistol in a holster, possible a Broom Handled Mauser and a sword sword or bayonet. The standard is that's of the Evesham Volunteers and a copy of it is here.

Evesham Volunteers Colours

Evesham Volunteers Standard Bearer, 1938

Teacher Week: Freebie Friday & First Week Peek

I did it!!!! I survived the first week of school, cross country practice, football games & three doctors appointments. I haven’t been this tired in a very long time! Regardless of how bad my feet ache, this week was one of my best first weeks yet! I think I am going to love this third grade thing! 

We began our first day rockin’ the shades! The kiddos couldn’t get enough of them and actually continued to wear them throughout the week!

Click below to grab the Freebie!

While they were looking too cool for school, we had to take a few first day pictures!

Then, since my kiddos already knew one another so well, {we have been together for three years now} I really wanted to do something super fun and unique on the first day of school for our classroom introductions! Cue the mad libs! First of all, this was a great review of the basic parts of speech…AND…they were stinkin’ hilarious! So basically, the kids created a list of random words, and then filled the words into a beginning of the year story in the matching blanks.

Click on the pictures below to snag a copy!

 

(Do not let your kiddos read the story while filling in the blanks…they will go change crazy and want to change everything!) :)

Along with our student mad libs, I had the kiddos write "I Am” poems which we displayed with  our first day of third grade pictures! They turned out super cute! (Click on the picture to download the freebie!)

After the first day craziness, we spent the next few days getting into all things champions using my Going for the Gold pack! Of course, I had to pull out the American Flags!

One of their favorite activities for the week was our Snack Mix of Champions! Are you surprised? Kids + food = one happy classroom! ;) This mix set the tone for the school year, and the kids have already been referring back to this activity when discussing expectations for the year!

Freebie Below!

While eating our snack mix, the kiddos spent some time thinking about all of the things they would like to accomplish in third grade! And…we may have even watched some videos of Michael Phelps at the Olympics! ;) Here is how our goal setting books turned out!

 

And since the first week is not just suppose to be *ALL* fun and games, I even managed to squeeze in a few instructional routine practices!

We began each day learning our new morning song…. (Click on the picture to download)

…and we began our Mission Possible Math Review! You can read more about this freebie HERE!

Well…4 days down…176 to go! Here’s to a great year! Happy Weekend! <3

And…it’s not too late to link up with Blog Hoppin’ for Teacher Week! So, head on over and show us your FREEBIES! 

I'm so Excited

I dont know about you lot but its only a week to go and I am starting to feel the bug of excitement about the game. I hope you fellas are up for a good and enjoyable game? I know I am.

Anyway I got the confirmation through this morning and morning and we are in our normal place, near Paul Hick's and Mutton Chops, Reiver Castings and Gripping Beast. I have included a map to us those who have not been before where we are, we are the highlight one, the green one.

Doors open at 10.00 for the public and I will be getting there for a 8 start, to set up the table.

Twitterville Talk #63

Twitter is a collection of people conversing in 140 characters.  It doesn't seem like that's enough to be able to say what you really mean or feel.  No better example of the power of this social network was displayed than on Tuesday, August 21, 2012, when first one, then another, then another tweet appeared about the death of Ivan, the silverback gorilla living in Zoo Atlanta.  Ivan whose life inspired Katherine Applegate's book, The One and Only Ivan, was being remembered and mourned by many, many people.  I became so moved I wrote a blog post that evening.  The teacher librarian who recommended the book to me, to many, sent this message out over Twitter today.

#FF Anyone who has read #TheOneandOnlyIvan (I hope that is everyone I follow.)
— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) August 24, 2012

John Schumacher blogs at Watch. Connect. Read.  Be sure to go to his website today.  He talks about his newest Newbery read but







It's always nice to be able to look over a list of outstanding books chosen by "people in the know" comparing it with what you've read or finding a title you know you should read.  Here is the NCTW Orbis Pictus Award Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Past Winners 2000-2010.

Thank to Literacyhead for this tweet.




Although many of these examples are geared toward the business world, they could be applied to personal or educational ideas for the use of Pinterest.  28 Creative Pinboard Ideas From Real Brand on Pinterest

Thanks to Teresa Rolfe Kravtin who can be found blogging at A Rep Reading.




This, 30 Indispensable Writing Tips From Famous Authors, is an interesting compilation of author portraits with their thoughts on the writing process as an overlay.

Thanks to Lyne Kelly Hoenig, author of Chained, for this tweet.






When I discovered the website, Wonderopolis, I was amazed at the resources available, the opportunities for reflection and discussion.  Educator, Barbara Phillips, has listed some of the daily posts at her site listing them in categories, Wonders to Use Throughout the Year.

Thanks to Barbara Phillips for this list and this tweet.







Musings from an author about goals, Some things I've learned about running and writing.

Thanks to Jo Knowles, author of See You at Harry's, for this post and tweet.






Prezi, a cloud-based presentation web 2.0 app, has added some features, 5 Big Prezi Updates You Should Know About.

The 20 most-watched TED Talks to date

Thanks to Joyce Valenza, teacher librarian and blogger at NeverEndingSearch, for these tweets.




Mo Willems is not talking but we can look and figure out what's coming.  The Kennedy Center doesn't want me to talk about his yet, so I won't.

Thanks to Mo Willems Pigeon for this pictorial tweet.






Publishers Weekly ShelfTalker posted an article, In Praise of Titans, citing the loss of many authors and illustrators this year.

Thanks to Walden Pond Press for this tweet.








September 15, 2012 is International Dot Day.  Read this blog post, Connect The Dots, for a unique approach to this celebration.

Thanks to Peter H. Reynolds, author of The Dot, Ish and Sky Color for these tweets.







The Society of Illustrators has chosen the award winners for Original Art: The Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration.

Thanks to Julie Danielson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast for this tweet.







These are some of my favorite quotes of the week.  The final quote Xena insisted I include.  It's more of a statement accompanied by a picture.  Maybe she's glad it's not her this time.

If I had a SUPER powerful laser, I'd carve "READ!" into the moon.That would be awesome.
— Ame Dyckman (@AmeDyckman) August 20, 2012

Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.~ Mother Teresa
— Rock Christopher (@RockChristopher) August 19, 2012

RT @waterstones: “Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it.” - Lloyd Alexander #wbookquotes
— Holly Black (@hollyblack) August 21, 2012

"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island." - Walt Disney
— Reading Kingdom(@readingkingdom) August 20, 2012

Tonight, I will meet my new students. Whether or not my room is ready, I know my heart is.
— Donalyn Miller (@donalynbooks) August 24, 2012

A great teacher believes in a student even before the student believes in themselves... as do great friends,... fb.me/1DCTA3zEq
— Peter H. Reynolds(@peterhreynolds) August 24, 2012

Henry got sprayed by his fourth skunk today. It was his first baby skunk. I got sprayed too. We will now take a bath. twitter.com/macbarnett/sta…
— Mac Barnett (@macbarnett) August 23, 2012