Librarians are amazing people and it’s time they are recognized for their super hero qualities: an encyclopedic knowledge of everything, ability to open doors to new worlds, cultures and civilizations, and finally the keeper of a safe and inclusive sanctuary. In this way, librarians change lives and make the world a better place. Hooray for librarians… the unsung heroes of our communities!
With standardized tests looming large and budget cutbacks, can we really expect our education system to teach our children tolerance and understanding? Probably not. Perhaps it is best brought up at home, with these books and references to help build a bridge of understanding. This list of excellent materials is courtesy School Library Journal. The article is intended for teachers and you can read it in its entirety here.
Please welcome return guest author Sarah Pinneo. I love her picture book selections and many are new to me. They all have a wonderful autumnal, rustic-living-in-the-country feel. Are you ready for Fall? It’s come so fast! What are your favorite picture books that you are reading that evoke this time of year? Please share!
I actually found this post on The 12 Surprising Benefits of Play (and really, the crucial importance of unstructured play time for children) through The Goddard School and asked her for permission to post. Her exact words, “Thanks for asking. Please post. Trying to get the word out – poor deprived kids. Sigh.” You just gotta love a expert that is so easy to relate to! I met Dr. Borba on Twitter and she’s my “go to” for all things parenting and education including cyberbullying & bullying, special education, and hot button issues including biting, tantrums, cheating, bad friends, inappropriate clothing, sex, drugs, peer pressure, etc. What is different about Dr. Borba from other parenting and education experts is that she’s grounded in the real world talking constantly to parents about the issues they face every day.
I recommend this app as a way of making science an interactive and fun experience for children. I think even children as young as five-years-old would enjoy this if they show an interest in science. And I think that is the key here. This app is great for anyone who is fascinated by frogs, amphibians, nature, animals, biology, and science. It’s a great hands clean and hands on experience! To check out the app at iTunes, just click on the icon at the very top of the frog.
The fifth graders at my kids’ elementary school are challenged to try to read all the books for the Massachusetts Book Award. I’ve noticed many of them have won Newbery awards so it’s a great list. I found a breakdown for age appropriateness and have organized the books that way. I am excited about this list because there are beloved and acclaimed authors on the list as well as some who are new to me. What about you? Have you or your child read any of these books? Please share what you thought about these books as well as any other book you’d recommend for 5th grade (plus or minus two grades!).
It’s getting easier to get my oldest to make “healthy food choices” as we call it. The other day, she went on a play date and the mom said that when she offered my daughter a snack, she requested fruit. My mom friend was aghast that she actually had no fruit in the house. A different snack was consumed. Upon her return, my daughter said that she just really, really likes and even craves a lot of fruit. And not so much for cookies. She can have cookies. Just pair it with a protein!