Some ideas on how to set up a book club for your child with examples of successful book club meetings.
The Penderwicks and Science of Dark Matter
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street brings up research on Dark Matter. Here’s more information on Dark Matter to draw out the scientist in your child.
Top 10: Books That Teach Kids Compassion (ages 2-14)
Learning about our differences can be a powerful way for children to see from another person’s point of view. I encourage all parents to introduce some of these books or others like these to their children and use these stories as a reference when children bring up differences in school, particularly with special needs classmates. Because how great would it be if it were OUR child who can reach out like MacKenzie in The Friendship Puzzle?! The Friendship Puzzle and My Brother Charlie are a particularly powerful combination for anyone who has a sibling or classmate with autism and would be a great pair of books for any child starting kindergarten.
How to: Survive an Earthquake – Doug Copp Triangle of Life FRAUD
Earthquake survival tips. Doug Copp Triangle of Life is Fraud; only applies (maybe!) to third world countries without building codes.
Top 10: Children’s Art Books
For the first time it occurred to me that my fear of the blank page might be just that—a needless fear. So I began to read up on the teaching of drawing, and to experiment with my children. I discovered a lengthy list of worthy resources for parents and children alike.
6th Grade Girl Reviews Middle Grade Chapter Books
Please welcome my Mom Friend and yoga teacher’s daughter Ajani who is a voracious reader, reading secretly in bed with a flashlight under the covers, way past her bedtime. She reviews four books that she borrowed from me this past summer and returns them to me along with her book reviews. Thanks Ajani!
3 Books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
My middle child, and her entire third grade class it seems, loved Roald Dahl. She worked her way through most of his books before moving on to new authors. There is something about quirky characters, children who are single parented or orphaned, and a seemingly impossible challenge that is central to a Dahl book. These books that those qualities plus that je ne sais qois of a select group of unusual children who, as fate would have it, must find a way to work together in order to do something monumentally important. It’s nice to see more books in the spirit of Roald Dahl!