Do princesses really need rescuing? Please! I don’t like this message imparted to young girls so, in a perfect world, these are the books I’d read instead to my daughters!
Best Drawing Apps for Kids (ages 2-14)
What are the best iPad and iPhone drawing apps for preschoolers as well as older kids? I checked out some free ones (Scribble Kid and Doodle Buddy) and bought a few (Kids Finger Painter and Drawing Pad) to do a compare and contrast. My favorite is Scribble Kid for its versatility and price. And it saves trees!
Easy 3rd Grade Book Club: Penderwicks at Point Mouette
Hiking around a pine woods with a dog and soccer ball makes for the perfect book club for The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall.
Rise of Mandarin Chinese at Elementary Schools
Capability:Mom sent me this link from the Wall Street Journal Article as she knows that I’m a huge proponent of exposing children to foreign languages at an early age. But not everyone agrees. Here’s the perspective of parents in New York City. It appears that foreign language curriculum is a politically charged hot potato. And here’s the actual research of 2nd language acquisition.
Top 10: Books for Kids with Science Concepts
Thank you to author Jacqueline Houtman for the Giveaway of The Reinvention of Edison Thomas. Please leave a comment with the reason why you want to win. The most compelling comment will win. The winner will be picked in one week. I will confess that I have been thinking and working on this post for MONTHS. The gist in my mind was science-y books that are NOT non-fiction, that make science fun and accessible, and excite a child’s imagination. Yep, it’s taken a while to find enough books that fit this criteria to make it to 10 but I think these are worthy of this list. What do you think? What non-fiction science-y books do you and your children like? Are there enough to actually make this a new children’s lit. genre? Now THAT would be exciting!
5th Grade Book Club for Girls: A Million Miles from Boston
We were fortunate to have Middle Grade Author Karen Day as a guest at our 6th Grade girls’ book club where they discussed changes, Middle School, A Million Miles from Boston, and wrote short stories inspired by her talk.
Frog and Toad Science Fun for Kids
A toad chanced upon my path and I snapped its picture and noticed how well camouflaged it was. This lead to Frog and Toad science fun including some info, a worksheet, a great iPad app, and my favorite Arnold Lobel series Frog and Toad.