Give Me A...BEAK!

We are eating, sleeping, and breathing animals lately, and the kids are lovin' it! Now, if only everything could interest them as much as animals, we would be in business. For the past two days, we have been learning about both physical and behavioral adaptations of different species of animals. Today, we focused specifically on food obtainment with a concentration on bird beaks. The kids completed a super hands-on science lab where they tested different "bird beaks" in a variety of environments to determine if the shape of a bird's beak limits the bird's food supply! 

The science lab was divided into seven different challenges for my little birds. Each station contained three different beaks. They had to time each challenge and see which beak was most appropriate to obtain the food in each environment. Challenge #5 was all about flying insects. They had to determine which beak would be the best catcher! 

Mr. Competitive {above} was determined to break open the sunflower seed with tweezers. However, he had to settle for the fact that the pliers were the best bet in this type of environment! Love this kid! 

Which beak works best to pull small insects {rice} out of "tree trunks"? 

A Little Worm Action! 

Which beak is the best for meat eaters? 

Their Favorite...which beak is best for scooping fish without getting a beak full of water?! They loved learning about a pelican's beak! I must say...those are some pretty fascinating birds! 

Such a great way for kids to really experience and understand the importance of each adaptation in the survival of so many different species of birds! 

Along with this experiment, we also completed a little science notebooking today to add to our notes about adaptations. 

And...

Guess what is coming to our room tomorrow...

That's Right! Baby Chicks!!!! Well, the eggs at least! Let's just pray that we manage to hatch a few! Fingers crossed! 

Tomorrow, we will be taking a trip to learn more about animals and their habitats! This teacher LOVES field trips!

TGIF...almost! ;)  

Night, y'all! 

How to play Mercs and Merc week on BoW

I have been following Mercs Week over on Beasts of War and it has been rather good. It has given me a real flavour of the game and it has so awesome vids of them learning to play the game which have been very helpful. Still trying to understand the game myself but it does look like a very interesting game and it reminds me of CyberPunk an awful all. Follow this link to find out more.

For The Very First Time...

People, no matter their age, feel an attraction to, sometimes even the need to protect, baby animals. (Maybe not mosquitoes but you know what I mean.)  It's a frequent sight in my community surrounded by lakes for traffic to stop for a line of new "quackers" trailing behind mama, reminiscent of Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings. In the morning or early evening it's not uncommon, looking out the back windows of the library at the elementary school, to see deer including fawns in the spring.  If this happens during classes, twenty plus faces, noses pressed against the glass, will be oohing and aahing.

I was moved to tears when present at the birth of puppies; a marvelous miracle to watch.  For those without access to these events Steve Jenkins and his wife, Robin Page have collaborated in a new book, My First Day (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children).  Within thirty-two pages readers are introduced to twenty-two newborns.


What did you do on your first day---the day you were born?

As the introduction reveals, animals may be completely helpless, in need of some assistance or on their own as soon as they are born.  We start in New Zealand with the the kiwi, who after breaking forth from an egg, is ready for the world.  Traveling to the Russian Far East, we discover Siberian tigers are born with their eyes closed, dependent on their mothers.  With a habitat ranging over North America wood ducks climb out of the nest, jump from unbelievable heights to walk and swim right away.

From Africa to Antarctica to the North Pacific to oceans throughout the world, on to South America, then to Australia, and stopping over in the Arctic regions, we visit to find the first day facts of the known and not-so-well known animals on our planet. Readers are probably familiar with giraffes, emperor penguins, sea otters, zebras and polar bears.  How many have heard of a blue wildebeest, a sifaka, a Mexican free-tailed bat, a megapode or Darwin's frog?

You can't help but be intrigued by knowing a mother zebra memorizes the stripes on her baby to find them in a herd of thousands or by the baby megapode born in a huge pile of leaves who can walk, run and fly once they find their way out.  It's interesting to note other stand-out features of the animals selected for this title; the kiwi lays one, and only one, huge egg, the Siberian tiger is the largest living big cat in the world, sea otters are the smallest marine mammal in the world, and the leatherback sea turtle is the biggest on our planet.  These facts are not all mentioned in this title but when nonfiction is well presented, as this is, it invites further investigation.


Jenkins and Page devote one or two sentences to each animal beginning nearly all of them with

On my first day, ...

The intended audience will feel a kinship with each creature as they speak in their own voice.  The array of first day experiences are as different or similar as the animals themselves.


Winning a Caldecott Honor Award in 2004 for What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? brought further attention to the notable torn and cut-paper collage used by Jenkins for his illustrations.  On the jacket and cover, mirror images of one another, readers see a baby muntjac nestled among leaves hoping to remain undetected.  The back asks the question, What did you do on your first day?, words above and beneath an adult and baby Darwin's frog (green on rusty red). Plain sky blue endpapers open and close the body of the book.

Each animal is given a different colored background, setting, highlighting their physical characteristics.  The details, eyelashes, reflections in the eyes, feathers, fur, shading on the bodies or surroundings, is astounding in its intricacy and accuracy.  As in other titles the text placement within the pictures is like concrete poetry imitating the actions depicted by the words.


As an introduction to animals in our world, My First Day written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page is highly informative and engaging in the best possible way, stunning visuals and the kind of facts children (of all ages) will want to know.  As a one-on-one or as a class read aloud I can think of no better new title in this subject area.  More facts, small paragraphs with thumbnail illustrations, about each of the animals are included at the end.

For further study of the animal kingdom head over to ARKive reviewed here on the blog or the kids section of the National Geographic web site.

For additional information on the work of Steve Jenkins there are several videos and slideshows at Teaching Books.net.  Here is an earlier interview of Jenkins at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  This is a link to Steve Jenkins Science Is Fun! A cross-curricular guide to books by Steve Jenkins developed by the publisher.

On Deck...

Finding an uncomplicated presentation tool is a huge positive.  Early in the fall of 2012 a new web 2.0 application was made available.  In fact, when you access the home page of the web site these words in big bold letters greet the user:  The Easiest Way to Present Online.

Free of charge, Rvl.io offers:

• easy editing
• can be viewed on mobile devices
• multiple themes and transitions
• default setting is private but can be published for all to see
• presentations can be exported and
• option to tweak HTML code if editor does not meet your expectations.

In reading the terms of service there does not appear to be any age limitations but I would still acquire parent/guardian approval for those users 13 years and under.  The home page contains recently published and popular right now presentations for users of the site.

Click the green Get Started button to begin use.  You log in with your OpenID, Google, Yahoo! or AOL account.  Upon logging in you are taken to a new window asking for a user name. Your next window is where the fun begins.

When you mouse over the New Deck button in the upper right-hand corner it turns green for the go-ahead.  When selected the next window asks for a Presentation Title.  With the title chosen you can add your slides.

Across the top of your work space is a tool bar with the following options:

• bold, italics or underline for text
• left, center, right or justified margins
• numbered or bulleted lists
• eleven font styles
• nine format sizes
• text color
• change background color (text)
• add an image using a URL
• upload an image
• add and remove a link and
• access HTML code.

Along the right-hand side you can Save, Preview, Publish, change your Settings (theme and transition) and Export the presentation.  Beneath this list is a plus sign.  Click on this to add a slide.  Slides can be added horizontally or vertically.  If you wish to delete a slide, a red "x" is located in the upper left-hand corner of each for that purpose.

Images loaded with ease using both the URL and upload options.  Text color and size could be adjusted once it was highlighted.  When adding links make sure to remove the http:// so there are not two when you add your link or it won't work.  When you click on the HTML button on the far right of the tool bar, you can quickly add code from a YouTube video.  

After I added the text, images and links I selected Settings on the right-hand side.  There are six different themes and transitions.  You can choose combinations and preview until you get it just right.

I decided to Publish my presentation making it public.  After I clicked on the button to accomplish that task I selected the arrow in the upper left-hand corner which takes you to your presentations.  At the next window mouse over the small button with Publish on it.

When you do this, two buttons appear in the lower right-hand corner allowing you to Edit or Unpublish.  If you click the Publish button you are taken to a new window.  At this window four small icons beneath your slide deck, left to right, give you the options of viewing in full screen, commenting, sharing or editing.

When you click Share a small window pops up with a unique URL for your presentation and a HTML code for embedding in a blog or web site.  You can also use Facebook, Twitter or Google + to share your slide deck with others.  If any comments are made, they, too, can be shared on Facebook or Twitter.

Without a doubt I have another great web 2.0 application to store in my virtual toolbox.  It meets all the requirements for ease of use with students.  I highly recommend using Rvl.io .  Here is my sample.

I discovered Rvl.io from a tweet by Heather Moorefield, Education Librarian at Virginia Tech and former chair of the AASL Best Websites for Teaching and Learning.

The Shrewsbury Foote

This is the finished, painted version of the Shrewsbury Foot, made up for the "Irish" regiments that fought with the Royalists. The Shrewsbury foot and joined by their commander, Henry Tillier, freed from Leicester on 31st May 1645. The 500 men of the Shrewsbury foot in conjunction with the 500 men of Rupert’s Bluecoats formed Lisle’s Tercio on the day of the battle of Naseby. After much fierce fighting the Shrewsbury foot collapsed only after a final charge by Thomas Fairfax. As the parliamentarians fought their way into the very heart of the formation Fairfax himself killed an ensign carrying a green Lt Colonel’s colour.

I have illustrated the musketeer as he would of appeared on the campaign, so any uniform that was originally worn has been replaced or repaired to give a unkempt appearance. He is armed with a modern matchlock musket which he has probably taken for a fallen Roundhead soldier and the equipment he is carrying again taken from the battlefield. I have to say I am rather pleased with the look and finish of this chap even if Mrs PK thinks he looks like a pirate, I actually don't see it myself.

The Shrewsbury Foote,
Campaign Dress

From The Ground Up...

When I was growing up my Dad who worked as a carpenter for years as his first job, made sure I had the fundamentals of hammer, nails, nuts, bolts, saw, pliers and wrench use down pat.  It came in handy when in 1976 after acquiring twenty acres of wooded property outside a city in northern Michigan, my husband and I found ourselves building our own home.  We each had our own chain saws to clear an area for the house; cutting down dozens of trees which provided heat in our wood stove for years.

A crew dug the basement and laid the foundation, drilled the well and put in the septic system.  We had hired a construction crew but when my husband found their work to be less than plumb, with the framing barely started, they were dismissed and we proceeded to finish the home ourselves.  We lived in a tent until it became too cold, then moved to one room in a motel.  Working at jobs and building a house with the remaining time each day is an experience I will never forget.  Looking back, I can't believe we did it.

For this reason (among others) after reading a post at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast about a new Jonathan Bean title, I knew I had to have it.  Building Our House (Farrar Straus Giroux) is written and illustrated to honor his family and is founded on his own parents building a house for their family.  As his parents painstakingly built the home step by step, Jonathan Bean builds this story picture by picture, word by word.


Today is moving day.  We left our old house in the city and are moving to the country.

Told in the voice of his older sister we follow the Bean family as their resourcefulness and spirit of self-sufficiency guide them on their adventure.  A field purchased from a farmer at the end of a dirt road is the site for a home they will build.  Tools, plans, Mom, Dad, a younger brother and a truck named Willys arrive ready to begin.

Essentials, running water and electricity, are first and foremost followed by the arrival of a small trailer.  The family of four will live in this small home on wheels while we build our new house.  Working together with the help of Willys materials are gathered; wood, rocks, sand and stone are piled about the field.

Grandpa provides the backhoe for digging the basement, the family builds forms for the foundation filling them with those collected items, then Mom measures and Dad cuts beams.  People, extended family, friends and neighbors, come for a frame-raising day and party.  Knowing winter is not far away as summer days grow cooler, the little family works harder than ever.

Siding, windows, floors, a door, roof, and chimney are pieced around the frame fashioned by many.  As snow and wind swirl outside, the house becomes more whole as the inside is filled with plumbing, electrical wires, insulation and walls shape rooms.  The seasons shift bringing a new addition and a very special day, moving day.  Family of five...house...home...contented, happy hearts...


There is no other way to describe the writing and illustrating of this book other than as a labor of love. The narrative voice is youthful, matter-of-fact but observant noting parental axioms and day-to-day details of the construction process.  Readers will notice the word choice, placement and pacing provide a certain soothing rhythm not unlike that of the house's changes through the months.  Here are a couple of selected sentences from one of my favorite parts.

On a clear, cold night Dad sets the corners of the foundation by the North Star.  One wall will face north to ward off the wind, one east to welcome the morning, one south to soak in the sun, and one west to see out the day.


From pencil sketches, to ink and watercolor, the pictures by Jonathan Bean are individual masterpieces, small captured moments in his family's life.  An identical jacket and cover feature a close-up of the building in progress on the front while the back shows the completed home in the early evening, lights in the windows.  Opening endpapers in tones of tan provide a vista of the countryside as it was before their arrival.  The same colors are used in the closing endpapers but the home, shed, gardens, laundry on a clothesline, a tree house and a foal with the horse in the farmer's field have been added to the original scene.

A heavier matte-finished paper adds to the warmth of the visuals which begin the story on the title page showing the family loading Willys up for the move into the country.  Some of the illustrations extend across two pages, edge to edge,  while others are smaller as the steps in the process are related; these having rounded edges as an invitation to the reader.  Still more pages are a series of pictures blended together as if links on a chain with the text woven among them.

With every viewing more details can be noticed; details adding to the life-affirming nature of the venture, a dream fulfilled through determination and love.  A cat appearing at their arrival is adopted and has kittens.  A tiny evergreen tree is placed on the peak of the roof after the frame-raising. During a rain storm Mom is holding an umbrella for Dad as his works on the roof; the children seeking shelter beneath the overturned wheel barrow.  Despite all the hub-bub a groundhog continues to build his home nearby as the months pass. It's these little things that contribute to this title's excellence.


Jonathan Bean in writing and illustrating Building Our House has invited readers into his past; a past filled with the best kind of memories, a cherished childhood.  This beautiful book in addition to being featured at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast (the array of artwork in various stages is a must see) is showcased at Kirkus and at The Horn Book here and here.  Make sure this title is on your must- purchase list.  You'll want to read it again and again.

The Measurement Playbook is HERE!!!

Oh my goodness! This unit took me for.e.ver. to put together!! It is PACKED with 130+ pages of resources to spice up any measurement unit! Plus, your kiddos will get to make some super cute gallon men along the way! 

Remember these cuties?

Check It Out...

{Click on any of the images below to check it out in my TPT shop and see everything that is included!}

A Few Highlights: 

And the best part?!? You can get it on SALE for the next 48 hours! So what are you waiting for?!? :) 

Have a great week, friends! 

Out Of The Land...

Whatever form it may take, there is nothing good about the word slavery; conjuring visions of horror in a person's mind when it is read or heard.  Thinking of one human stripping another of their basic freedoms; forcing them to live under the absolute control of another is unthinkable.  More than three thousand years ago, people numbering in the hundreds of thousands were freed from the bonds of slavery by a series of unprecedented events.

The deliverance of the Israelites from their oppression under the Pharaoh's rule in Egypt is observed by the Jewish people each year during Passover.  Last week during the #SharpSchu book club hosted on Twitter, books written by Laurel Snyder were the topic of discussion.  Her new picture book The Longest Night: A Passover Story (Schwartz & Wade Books) with illustrations by Catia Chien was part of the hour's conversation.  At one point Laurel Snyder said of this title, Jewish books are something I feel strongly about. I do them when I find what feels like a "hole" in canon.

Every morning with the light...

Came another day like night.

In the heat and blowing sand,

Each gray dawn my work began...

Through the narrative of a young girl, not privy to the workings of the adult world nor the conversations between Moses and Pharaoh, we readers get an intimate, immediate sense of the conditions in which the Hebrew people lived, especially the children.   It is a world of unspeakable hardship and toil; laughter, running and play were absent.  Wondering about freedom, however, was very much present.

One day everything changed.  With the intuition of a child she could sense it in her mother's voice. The water in the rivers and streams turned to blood.  The first of ten plagues had visited the land.

As each of the remaining nine plagues struck Egypt and the Egyptians, we experience it as she did; trying to catch one of the frogs, seeing those who caused her misery, miserable from the air filled with fleas, lying fearful in bed as beasts roamed the streets, watching as the cattle, lambs and goats sickened and died, wondering as an illness struck the masters too, comforting her sister as fiery hail fell, noticing her father whittle as locusts swarmed, sitting safe in her home filled with light as darkness stayed for days---the longest night.

When a lamb is killed, its blood is smeared above the door by her father.  This is new to her as are the piercing cries of grief filling the air that awakened them later.  Quickly now her family joined all the other slaves, fled the land, crossed the sand, until they reached the sea.  She and the others raced between the parted waters, hearts pounding as the other side is reached.  Oh the joy of freedom.  Oh the joy...

Laurel Snyder using rhyming couplets for nearly the entire narrative gives readers a truer emotional sense of being a Jewish slave girl during these significant events.  We are keenly aware of her physical surroundings, her family and her observations.  There is an underlying sense, despite the horrific plagues and true fear on the part of the girl and her sister, of peace and protection for her people; a strength shown by her mother continuing to sing and her father whittling.  As the plagues worsen an urgency builds in the telling until it bursts forth in the flight, the sea pulling back to create a pathway and in the unrestrained happiness these people feel knowing their escape, their freedom, is real.  

This couplet is particularly telling.

How I danced along the shore,

Never having danced before!

When opening the jacket and cover we see images from the book; the girl wondering about the freedom of a dove on the front and on the back the family in flight with four lines from the story beneath.  The opening endpapers depict the shades of a darkened sky, the slavery of the people, but the closing endpapers picture a light, bright new day signifying the freedom of the Jewish people from the Pharaoh of Egypt.  A small square framed by white space appears under the title on that page, happy young girls hands clasped.

Rendered in acrylics by Catia Chien the illustrations alternate between two pages or a full page with a smaller inset on the opposite side.  Her color palette and image perspectives evoke as much emotion as the text within the context of the setting; we feel the dust and heat of the desert, we sense the desperation and pain of the slaves and the terror of the plagues; frogs jumping out of the pages, a close-up of the wolf face, the loss of the animals' lives spread over a gray bleakness or the small home, a single light burning, as it is enveloped in darkness.  The final illustration, hues of red, rose, bathing the landscape and people, a favorite, is as jubilant and glorious as the words written.

In preparation for this review I did read other books written for children about the celebration of Passover but none compare to The Longest Night: A Passover Story written by Laurel Snyder with illustrations by Catia Chien.  Laurel Snyder has given us her heart's desire; a title depicting how a Jewish child would feel before and during the Exodus.  In her Author's Note, at the book's beginning, she offers an explanation for this writing along with the definitions of a few words readers might not know.

Another comment made during the #SharpSchu book club chat to John Schumacher aka Mr. Schu was this, Explaining Passover is hard.  This was why I wanted to do the book so much.  Pictures can accomplish what words can't.  Yes, but these words are so lovely they make pictures in your mind.  I know, I've read this book again and again silently and aloud.  Please follow this link to an interview at Watch. Connect. Read. with Laurel Snyder as well as this link to an interview at Publishers Weekly.

Note:  Received a tweet today in my feed from Laurel Snyder about an interview at The Revealer.  This is an excellent audio conversation; her voice depicting her passion for this title and other topics of importance to her.

The Hedges of Leicester

I have started on the miles and miles of nice, trim, municipal, city hedges and I am think of doing 12ft of them and then see how it goes after that, I am hoping that 12ft is enough but we will see. So far I have managed a whopping 2 and 1/2 foot of the things and thought it would be nice to get for views on them. They are rather simply made from a green scouring pad, from the best and finest modelling supplier, Wilko, cut to a inch tall and pulled to buggery in all directions, painted black, drybrushed green and the applied Noch leaves in two colours, dark and light green, to it. Here are the results and please feel free to comment.

Flannel Friday: Share a Trick or Two, Maybe Three :o)

It is 

again!

Welcome to another Flannel Friday Round-Up! 

I am hosting this week ~ which I always enjoy doing! Since I am the host for this week's Round-Up, it is done as a Blog Hop. You will see a list of the entries for this week at the end of this post. Click on any thumbnail and you will be taken to that particular post.

 If you prefer to start at the actual Round-Up post, there will be a link to that post at the end of this one, as well.

This week I am posting in response to several email questions that I have been receiving. So instead of a felt set for a book or rhyme, I am sharing a few Felt Cutting Tricks that I have learned from several different sources.

The questions were mainly about how I cut my felt pieces ~ especially the smaller detailed ones. 

The best answer to "how do you cut such intricate, small details?" is a very good pair of scissors. My Mom was a seamstress in her spare time while being a wonderful mother to seven children. She taught each of us to use scissors at a very young age. One of the most important tricks she taught us was to only use sharp scissors. (Oh, my! Little children with sharp scissors???? As long as there is appropriate supervision, young children truly benefit from using sharp scissors. Cutting is less frustrating for them so they learn the skill much quicker and with less fuss! Just don't leave your child unattended with a pair of sharp scissors. Commom sense!)

 My own scissors are extremely sharp! 

My Mom also taught us to choose the right pair of scissors for the job at hand. If the job is small then don't use big, clunky scissors! 

My go-to scissors for my felt projects ~ especially the smaller, more detailed cuts ~ are a small pair of Fiskars (see picture below). I bought them at WalMart about 5 years ago and they are still going strong. Well worth the cost!

The next tricks I want to share are about the actual cutting. Since I need some lettering for an upcoming project, I thought I would use them as my examples. 

The first thing I do is find a font that I like and print it out in the size that I want to use. I then cut the individual letters a part.

This next step is one that I learned from a fellow Flannel Friday-er. It has made cutting felt so much easier for me! It is magically easy! 

***I have mentioned this trick before and had a link to the helpful post. I will find the link and update this post with it ~ as soon as I can!

The magically easy step is to simply position your pattern on your felt and then tape it down. Believe me, it will make your felt-cutting experience a lot less frustrating!

The tape holds the pattern in place and it makes it easier for you to move the felt and pattern around as you cut the details.

I usually trim off the excess felt before cutting close to the pattern. This also makes it easier to maneuver the felt to get right into each little nook and cranny.

Viola!

There you have it ~ every librarian's favorite two letters!

Just kidding! 

My next trick has to do with cutting from the middle of a pattern. Below is a step-by-step collage for cutting out the center of a lowercase A. I tried to make the pictures as large as possible. If you click on the picture it will get larger. :o) Hopefully, you will be able to see exactly what I am talking about.

Step by Step:

First, I poke a hole in the center of the area being cut out.

Next, I cut out a circle that is smaller than the area that needs to be removed.

This allows more room to move the scissors around without stretching the felt too much.

Next, I slowly cut around the actual line ~ usually I get a little spiral as I cut the circle.

Finally, I trim any little fuzzies left inside the circle from the felt. I usually bring my scissors up from the bottom and through the hole rather than angling down from the top. This helps you see better and control the smaller movements needed to do the clean-up of your cut-out area.

I hope these tricks are helpful to you. I enjoy cutting felt so much more when I take the time to collect the appropriate tools and take the time to set up each step rather than rush to just get it cut out.

Below is a picture that is made completely out of felt (except for the black and green border and

the "~ Storytime Fun ~" caption at the bottom.)

This is my banner for the next Storytime Prop Swap. This Swap will be based on the Summer Reading Program that many libraries will be using this summer. The theme is "Dig into Reading" and I used a character from one of the books that I will be sharing this summer. 

It is Mole from Jane and Will Hillenbrand's book, What a Treasure! It is a cute book that I will be flannelize-ing. Now,  I already have two characters ready to go ~ Mole and Bird! Aren't they cute?

I am working on creating a "surprise" element that I hope will be ready to share in an upcoming FF Round-Up soon.

Speaking of FF Round-Ups, there is a special one coming up that is also based on the "Dig into Reading" theme. It will be hosted by Lisa next Friday so get ready for the Dig Into Summer Reading Extravaganza!

While preparing your item to share in this special Round-Up, why not make an extra set so you can participate in the Swap? Then you will have your item and another item from your Swap partner to use for SRP and you didn't have to make both the items yourself!

I will be posting the details for the Swap this week so be sure to check back! In the meantime, you can check out our last Swap here.

If you don't participate in Summer Reading Programs, don't worry ~ you can still join in on the Swap. The theme lends itself to all kinds of fun ideas! Some topics that would work would be gardening, dinosaurs, animals who live underground like moles and worms, pirates digging for treasure, and so many more.

I really hope that you will consider participating in the Swap because our first one was so much more fun and rewarding than I ever imagined! Plus I made some wonderful new friends who love felt and storytimes as much as I do!

I say,"Do it!"

And, as always, 

HAPPY READING TOGETHER!

This week's Round-Up starts here.

Flannel Friday: Guest Post ~ The Funny Little Bunny

We have a returning Guest Post-er this week ~ Julie! Yay!

Julie is a preschool teacher who says she gets lots of ideas from our Flannel Friday Round-Ups each week. She has been a Guest on my blog two other times so this will be the third time! You can see Julie's earlier posts by clicking on the title: Five Little Seeds and Who Am I?

Welcome, Julie! 

I am always curious to see what Julie has to share with us. Here is her contribution:

Hi! I'm happy to be back again. Things are wild for me at my school. I'm teaching different age than I'm used to teaching. It makes things wild for me! I still follow Flannel Friday each week. I share the ideas with my coworkers but the wildness keeps me from posting but I enjoy reading the ideas. 

This week I decide I am sharing. I was searching through our school's old stuff for bunny ideas. I find one that I love so I will share it with you this week. 

The pieces are made from Pellon. It is thin so good for tracing pictures and it sticks to the flannel board. I did not make this but I have copy of pieces that go with the story. It looks like pieces were traced and filled in with colored pencils. It looks very good! Still bright and pretty!

The story that goes with pieces is The Funny Little Bunny Who Just Loved Honey. It is an European Folktale adapted by Jean Warren. We have lots of her things in our idea files. 

The story is about a bunny who wants honey so bad that he sneaks in a bear's cave to steal it. The bear sets a trap where honey falls on the bunny and makes him stick to whatever he touches. He can't move or get loose! Bear comes back and decides to eat bear stew for dinner and starts a fire. Bear leaves to get vegetables for the stew. The heat melts the honey so bunny can get away and bunny says he will never steal honey again. He only eats vegetables.

Cute story! We will have fun with it! It is good for lesson in not going in other people's homes and taking things that are not yours. It will work good with Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We will use pieces for retelling story for our language center.

Hope you like this and can use it. Thanks to K for letting me share again in Guest Post. I like to share and will try to share more again soon.

Thank you, Julie! 

It is a cute story. :o) You have good timing, too. I am just beginning to start my planning for our Easter and Spring storytimes. This story would work well for either theme!

This week's Flannel Friday Round-Up is hosted by me. To start at the beginning of the Round-Up just click here. 

But since this week is a Blog Hop, you can actually see all of the entries below. By clicking on the thumbnail of the post you want to visit next, you will be sent to that particular blog post. Easy peasy!

ENJOY!

Twitterville Talk #89

Besides all the connections with wonderful people, the constant stream of information and the additional book titles which make our TBR piles sway and nearly topple, I love the good-natured bantering back and forth between authors and illustrators; the encouragement they give to each other.  Twitter provides endless opportunities to its users.  Have a wonderful, restful weekend.  Take time to read.  Don't forget to look for the giveaway.


There's nothing like starting off a weekend (last) with news from a master storyteller.  Sharon Creech announced the cover reveal of her new book, coming this fall, titled The Boy on the Porch.  I for one can't wait.  This link will take you to the post.

Thanks to author Sharon Creech for giving us this gem to hold in anticipation and for the tweet.



Here is (in my opinion) a great response to the restraints being leveled against the reading rights of our students, Reading Rants:  Get Those Readers Out Of the Box.


Thanks to fifth grade teacher extraordinaire and blogger at Read, Write, Reflect,  Katherine Sokolowski for this tweet. 




Richard Byrne, educator and blogger at Free Technology for Teachers, provides a link to A Free Complete Guide to Evernote plus additional informative links.

Thanks to Richard Byrne for this tweet and many others constantly.






Scroll through the Smithsonian Education page titled Mr. President:  Profiles of Our Nation's Leaders containing a quote and short list of facts for each.

Get ready for the celebration for Read Across America with these multiple links: Seusville, 11 Seuss-gestions, Read Across America song, Reader's Oath, and try these recipes.

Author/illustrator Loreen Long has created a character near and dear to his fans' hearts, Otis the Tractor.  Here is the book trailer for the newest installment in a charming series.




The 100th Toy Fair was held in New York City this month.  Check this out---By the Dozen at Toy Fair: Top Library Picks.


Remember to mark your calendars for School Lunch Superhero Day in May.  Head to this link for more information.

This is always fun to do with students, Bank Street CCL Announces Irma Black Award, Cook Prize Finalists.  To the first person who can tell me how many Irma Black Award finalists there are this year and name one of them in a DM on Twitter or in the comments section I will send a copy of I Haiku You by Betsy E. Snyder. (I have two copies of this to give away and both have been won.)


Thanks to John Schumacher, teacher librarian, 2011 Library Journal Movers & Shakers, and blogger at Watch. Connect. Read. for these tweets.





Politics:  We the People/Focus On is an extensive list of resources offered by School Library Journal for President's Day or any day really.

Thanks to School Library Journal for this resource and tweet.






Don't forget this Sunday, February 24th at 8PM EST Colby Sharp and guest, Katherine Sokolowski will be hosting #titletalk on Twitter.  The topic will be historical fiction.


Thanks for this tweet goes to Donalyn Miller, educator and author of The Book Whisperer:  Awakening  the Inner Reader in Every Child.








If you're looking for some stellar listening time check out these 10 Favorite Podcast Inspirations.

Here's a great post, The Case for Digital Citizenship in Schools.

Thanks to teacher librarian and blogger at The Styling Librarian,  Debbie Alvarez, currently in Hong Kong, for these tweets and this post.





One can't help but get goosebumps after reading this post Twitter Connections: Curious George and Aristides de Sousa Mendes regarding the creators of Curious George, H. A. Rey and Margaret Rey.

Thanks for this post and tweet go to Teresa Rolfe Kravtin, blogger at A Rep Reading and southeast publisher rep.




One of my PLN members is organizing between three different teachers a bracket for books.  Check out her post---March Madness The Bookish Way.  Follows her blog for updates.

Thanks to an amazing teacher and blogger at Maria's Melange, Maria Selke, for this post and tweet.





For author John Green's fans this is indeed the best of the best news---'The Fault in Our Stars' Movie Lands Director.


Thanks to John Green for this tweet.







Even though it's been several weeks since the announcement of the American Library Association Youth Media Awards, in preparation for a unit next year this article might make for a good discussion starter, Caldecott Secrets.

This is Mo Willem's reaction to the winning of his recent Geisel Award.


Thanks to the Association for Library Service to Children for this tweet.



Her impact in the world of children's and young adult literature will never fade.  This week she's in the news---At 75, Judy Blume draws crowds with first film adaption.

Thanks to author, Ellen Potter for this tweet.

Loads of extras for Gary Schmidt's Okay for Now courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Younger Readers.  Thanks for this tweet.






In case you need ideas for using Thinglink for Education  head on over to this bag of goodies. Wow!

Thanks to Donna Baumbach, retired professor, for this tweet.





It's getting closer.  Do you have visits ready for Skyping?  Look what author Kate Messner had done; Skype with an Author on World Read Aloud Day.

Thanks for this tweet and this comprehensive list.






There is a new kid on the block, a consortium on Facebook and Twitter combining the talents of the bloggers at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, 100 Scope Notes, A Fuse #8 Production and  Nine Kinds of Pie.

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




The beautiful artwork of Brian Selznick and Grace Line is featured on the Children's Book Week poster and bookmark.  Both are ready to be downloaded.

Thanks to the Children's Book Council for this tweet.






I will never forget reading A Monster Calls...never.  It is the first book to win both the Carnegie Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal.  This is a wonderful interview with the illustrator Jim Kay.

Thanks to author Patrick Ness (A Monster Calls) for this tweet.











This is a gathering of some of the things I really enjoyed reading this week.  I hope you do too.

You are your child's entire universe for years. A parent's job is to ensure they fall in love w/ a larger world, … & break your heart.
— John Hendrix (@hendrixart) February 16, 2013

Finished tax meeting. I felt like I just survived the Hunger Games
— Dan Santat (@dsantat) February 17, 2013

Saw this, think it applies to @paulwhankins @donalynbooks @cbethm @loveofxena @mrschureads @colbysharp ? twitter.com/ProfessorNana/…
— Teri Lesesne (@ProfessorNana) February 17, 2013

"We offer student readers more choice in the lunch line than we do when we limit them with lexiles & levels." bit.ly/YzBJwL
— Donalyn Miller (@donalynbooks) February 17, 2013

Someone knitted a hat and a sweater for the Cat in the Hat. Looks like something @amedyckman would do. twitter.com/MrSchuReads/st…
— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) February 17, 2013

.@hmjensen31 With all the lovely teachers and librarians behind me, can you see why my stories are full of hope? I am so, so lucky.
— Kirby Larson (@KirbyLarson) February 18, 2013

You know. . .even a grocery store recognizes the importance of having the best person in each department. How do schools miss this example?
— Paul W. Hankins (@PaulWHankins) February 18, 2013

No special occasion, but I take this moment to thank my Twitter PLN for inspiring me daily! Being connected helps me do better work.
— Cynthia Alaniz (@utalaniz) February 19, 2013

This particular tweet and the link to a post filled me with great joy.

It's Treat Tuesday!wp.me/p301vH-7J@laurelsnyder @mrschureads @loveofxena #TreatTuesday #Nerdybookclub #booklove
— Niki Ohs Barnes (@NikiOhsBarnes) February 19, 2013

She Reads Books As One Would Breathe Air, To Fill Up and Live — So true. bit.ly/15nX3Mm
— Teresa Rolfe Kravtin (@trkravtin) February 19, 2013

It's one of those moments where you realize that writing a book actually can make a genuinely meaningful difference in a kid's life.
— Mike Jung (@Mike_Jung) February 19, 2013

"None of us can know what our books do, but only what we fervently hope they do." -Jeanne Birdsall slj.com/2013/02/books-…
— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) February 19, 2013

Thanks most of all to @mrschureads and @colbysharp.You guys are angels.With books for wings. #sharpschu
— LaurelSnyder (@LaurelSnyder) February 21, 2013