As a teacher of writing, I delight in helping children find their voice, tell their story, and claim their rightful place as a young author. I've found writing conferences to be a key part in developing student skills. Sitting shoulder to shoulder, the student and I can work together to revise and polish a piece in preparation for publishing. Not a "quick-fix" or a means of grading - these conferences aim to do what real authors do: work with a reader/editor/colleague to improve writing. Marcus offers a behind-the-scenes look at the famous work of several beloved authors. Bruce Brooks, Lois Lowry, and Gary Paulsen are included, among others. When students and I write in the margins, draw arrows to move text, and rework word choice to improve fluency, I tell them we are hard at work- just like the great Judy Blume: And... when a student's paper is messy and their handwriting is hard to read: I assure them that Bunnicula started out the very same way, so they must be doing something right. Writing is not easy. It is not neat. It's hard work that takes practice and risk. But... when students and I read their writing together, I also find writing to be incredibly rewarding -- because that's what real authors do.
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I consider so very few TV shows to be “little-boy-friendly”, but a BIG, HUGE thank you to Grammy who told us about “How the States Got Their Shapes.” When I first heard of this show, I was thinking it was about geography (and it is), but after watching a few episodes I’ve come to realize that this gem of entertainment is also about the people who make up our great nation. North vs. South; Democrats vs. Republicans; Sasquatch vs. Aliens: Host Brian Unger talks to folks across the nation about what we have in common and what divides us. Sometimes it is geography, but often it’s something else entirely. I know... it sounds a little odd (and by that I mean unusual). It is. It’s an unusually great mix of random facts, important understandings, geography, anthropology, history and sociology AND it’s funny. Hooray! My boys and I have been watching and will continue watching. Will you? Here are my spooky goblins... My oldest dressed as the stockbroker last year, but with the economy as it is.. he had to find more reliable work. Ha! (Are we the only family who creates back stories for our Halloween costumes?)
Happy Halloween - May your imaginative ones be safe! Here's a great craft kit that makes a perfect gift, stocking stuffer, or special treat at Grandma's house. The kit is designed so that you can create a few silly monsters for decoration and play. We then used the extra stickers to make home-made cards with silly, creative designs!
Grandma has created a treasure hunt tradition for my children's birthdays. Whenever the big day nears, we arrive at Grandma and Grandpa's house to find a treasure hunt of birthday gifts awaiting us. Often, the entire family will scavenge the house together to discover the booty. While the birthday gifts are a delight - my boys are just as thrilled by the hunt. Here's the book Grandma uses to organize the fun. Published by Klutz, the book is out of print now, but still available through Amazon. This Klutz book provides a variety of clue "sets" that can be used to set-up a treasure hunt around the house. The clues come in a variety of patterns, sometimes rhyming, sometimes in code, sometimes following a theme. Luckily, each clue card can be saved and used again and again (perfect for a Grandma with a gaggle of grandchildren). Our most recent set of clues included a series of codes. Each sentence led the birthday boy (and his adoring audience) to another room of the house -- where he collected his gifts. Hooray for birthdays!
Hooray for scavenger hunts!! Hooray for family traditions!! I recently walked in to my son's room and found this: I've heard of a Teddy Bear Picnic.
Should I be concerned that my boys have a Teddy Bear Poker Game? I'm going to say no -- and chalk this up to creativity. Browsing the games available, I gasped when I saw Lemonade Stand. This old-time game was available on the chunky apple computer that sat in the corner of my fourth grade classroom. Now updated to fit the hand-held computer (but still similar in format) this game asks players to become the proud owners of their very own lemonade stand (rain or shine). Check the weather; decide just how much sugar you want to use; set your price. Then sit back and hope sales cover all your costs. On a good day, they’ll be a parade and you’ll sell out of your refreshing drink. On a bad day, the feds may come and close you down for failure to have a business license. I like the fact that the game relies on a bit of luck and a bit of strategy – and reading! Of course, at our house it also involved a bit of writing. See the review my boys wrote HERE. The art on the walls of our family home is homemade. It's made with our own hands, our own paint, our own crazy sense of whimsy. Nothing looks better to me than the kids’ school projects neatly framed and grouped together. My husband’s oil painting looks classy in the dining room and reminds me of quieter times (when he had the extra time & money to take an art class). I tend to think that each piece of "family art" (with its story, the adventure and related memory) makes our house a home. The latest art to be placed in our home is this beauty: The overall design of this piece was inspired by a large canvas that had been created by a professional artist. The original was a masterful blend of colors and strokes. Our version (with it's many imperfections and rough edges) is much more dear to my heart. Here’s how we made it: 1) I waited for the annual “half-off” canvas sale at our local art store and bought a large base for our project. There's just something about a large, white, blank canvas that sings "POTENTIAL!"
For his 10th birthday, my son received his first “electronic” gadget. Grandpa gifted him a Kindle! Watching my son learn how to operate this e-reader, I immediately saw that this device is a natural stepping-stone to a phone, which will certainly lead to a tablet, and then transition into a laptop that he will take to college – EKKKKK!!! (Sorry. Every day that my babies get older, I panic at the thought they’ll someday leave me. Of course, occasionally, I panic that they won’t.) With this birthday gift, came money from my sister to purchase a Kindle cover. At first, I thought we’d just head to the nearest tech store to buy a cover. However, my son and I soon learned that local stores only carry the covers made for the latest-and-greatest Kindle Fire. That meant we had to turn to cyberspace for a bit of on-line shopping. I thought perhaps we could log-in to Amazon and make a one-click-purchase, but that idea didn’t work as well as I had planned. There are a zillion options on Amazon! So... I took this opportunity to teach my son how to navigate through the Amazon "product reviews." It wasn't long before he was flexing his skills as a mindful consumer. During the process, we had many-a-conversation about: 1) Free shipping (with purchase of $25 or more). 2) Reviews that offer only glowing reviews about every aspect of the product. (“Mom, do you think the seller posted this review themself?”) 3) Nasty reviews that can’t find a single redeeming quality with an item. (“Five people loved this cover, but this person absolutely hated it! Which is correct? Or are they all?”) 4) Confused reviews that go on and on about a product – although not the actual one detailed in the listing. 5) Seller ratings. 6) Return policies. 7) Price comparisons (considering individual delivery and included accessories). Whew! Overall, the online shopping experience was a great lesson for my son. He used critical thinking and decision making skills AND in the end, purchased a durable, reasonably priced cover. Hooray!
Of course, never one to miss additional opportunity for reading and writing – I then asked my son to post his own review. You can read it here (under SillyMom)! I remember the day my husband taught our boys how to play “Slug Bug.” They giggled and punched at each other. I rolled my eyes. Since that day, the game seems to have become exponentially more complicated. Apparently, a vintage Volkswagen bug is worth more hits than a modern day bug, a convertible VW bug is the ultimate jackpot, and all slugs should immediately be followed by shrieks of “No hit backs!” Recently, all this boyish play led me to shout, “Instead of Slug Bug, can’t we have a Love Bug, please!” Which got me to thinking... once upon a time there was a Love Bug and his name was Herbie. It only took a couple of clicks of the Salem Public Library web catalog and we were in business. My boys and I checked-out the entire Love Bug series. My boys giggled their way through these old-time Disney films, and often shouted, “Go Herbie! You can do it!” While the stereotypes were a bit difficult to watch for my husband and I, we did appreciate that: - the bad guys were never really that bad. - the characters and setting randomly change from film to film, but the premise is clear – Herbie will triumph! - the hero is always the least macho and least egotistical human of the bunch. - the fun theme song always lightens the mood at just the right moment. |
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