One of my favorite blogs, The Fourth Musketeer, just covers KidLit Historical Fiction. I pretty much file every book review of hers into an email folder labeled “Books I Want to Read.” She posted on the Historical Association Awards Young Quills from Great Britain here. I have listed the winners as well as the short lists for this year and last year. Historical fiction is a great way to get kids excited about history! If you want to find more great books, be sure to subscribe to The Fourth Musketeer’s blog. She’s a librarian and the go to person on that!
Category: Education
Education and parenting. Helping your child with reading, math, science and getting along with others.
Science of Weather: 5th Grade Study Guide
I just saw the Museum of Science of Boston’s presentation on weather for 5th graders today and I remembered how difficult it was for me to help my fifth grader figure out how to study for her weather unit. I spent hours googling weather terminology to help her with flashcards but then, trying to put together all the casual relationships was confusing, even to me.
Introducing Foreign Languages to Your Kids (Spanish and Chinese)
Suggestions of how to incorporate foreign languages into your child’s daily life, especially if your child is studying Spanish or Mandarin Chinese.
Best Apps to Teach Kids to Keyboard
I learned how to type the old fashioned way a million years ago: a manual typewriter with the keys all blacked out, and typing exercises on a projected screen in a blackened room. A Q A Z A Q A Z. Yep, I typed that over and over again. Then on to S W S X S W S X and so forth until it was time to type exercises and take timed tests. Not exactly fun but definitely effective. These days no one is learning to keyboard this way. I have searched out the best computer programs, iPhone /iPad apps, and free web games to learn to keyboard (i.e. touch type).
Teach Kids Spanish with Songs
Two CDs to teach young children Spanish through songs.
Learn About Owls and Bats Through Picture Books
Use picture books Stellaluna, Owl Babies and Owl Moon to explore the relationship between bats and owls. More science links on ecolocation, virtual owl pellet and more included.
Bangladesh: Culture, Alpanas, Children’s Books, Recipe and More!
This Tuesday, we are exploring the country of Bangladesh, a country I know so little about that I didn’t actually know how to spell it. Thank you spell checker! I have included a brief history, selected a few children’s books, created an activity on alpanas, found some gorgeous jewelry and cooked an Indian recipe for Spicy Chickpeas.