Poetry

                                    

I have thoroughly enjoyed the 
Shel Silverstein website with my class! 
Check it out!  click here
Happy POEM in your pocket Day!



Every kid in my class loves Shel Silverstein, and for a very good reason; He speaks to them on their level and does so with silliness and enthusiasm. The ideas are addressed with lighthearted and easy humor and the mundane is anything but especially when Shel starts narrating and reciting his poems for you on his website.

anna alter authors as mentors

                                       
What can Ruby do with her old red shoe? Use it as a planter for pansies! In this “green” craft book, children can appreciate that recycling is a part of everyday life, and with a little creativity, exciting projects are only a few steps away. Turn a worn flip-flop into an art stamp, a ripped shower curtain into an apron, and an old T-shirt into a pillow. These activities are just a few of the many crafts to be explored.  With easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, this interactive book will challenge kids to come up with clever recycling ideas of their own.
For several years my students and I have worked with a wonderful children's author & illustrator,

     Her name is:     Anna Alter :click here to-visit her blog

She has written and illustrated many books for kids.

Her life involves a lot of drawing, a lot of daydreaming, and on a good day a lot of painting bunnies.

My classes have had such wonderful experiences with  Anna & her Skype sessions.

She showed the students many of her books and went through the writing process. She allowed the students time for a Q&A then explained how she gets inspired to write, and what happens step by step with her books until, and including when they get published.
One of our favorite stories (there are SO many) is What Can You Do with an Old Red Shoe?
I have used  lots of  her ideas for demonstrating reuse to the little ones in a simple, low-key, creative way. Visit the free stuff page for coloring pages, activity sheets, and a curriculum guide for download. here
For a few years in a row this tied perfectly into my classroom activities especially during earth day, and authors apprentice day (a day where students read aloud published pieces to parents)!
One year we actually SKYPED with her, while the parents and principal were present, the students in my class wrote & shared their own versions of things they would recycle.
Amazingly enough Anna published a few of their pieces on her blog! 
Here is one from my student Maggie:
Anna wrote this :

Happy Earth Week!

I often completely forget to take pictures when I do school visits, so I don't have much to show from my adventures on Boston's North Shore last week. But I did recently receive an awesome package from a school where I did a Skype visit. They did an author study and had each student write a project just like the reuse activities in What Can You Do with an Old Red Shoe?. To celebrate Earth Week I'll posting some of my favorites all week!

This one I love for a number of reasons. Most importantly what a great idea! When the sleeves fall off my next sweater I will definitely stick them on my cat. Also I find the author bio quite charming.

All pictures and info courtesy of anna alter's site! ( you have to check it out)

Happy Earth Day

      Picture from Katherine Marie.com via pinterest
                      I hope everyone has a wonderful day! 
earth day fact:
Did you know that if everyone in the United States recycled their newspapers, the lives of 41,000 trees would be spared.  One single tree can detoxify the air of up to 60 pounds of pollutants.
                                                             
Discussing paper, plastic, glass, cans, and polystyrene, the author describes how to recycle, why it's necessary, and its benefits. The captioned panels and running text stress the need for reducing waste and saving natural resources. The book ends with a mention of the ozone layer and the limited potential for recycling polystyrene, followed by 14 facts about garbage.




Congratulations to "Nicole" from  teaching-with-style 
She won the Lakeshore Gift Card! Happy Shopping!

She wrote: I am a new follower on your blog and Pinterest, but I already follow you on FB! Hope I win - I love Lakeshore! :) Nicole Teaching With Style

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

                     
Why, commas REALLY do make a difference!
You might want to eat a huge hot dog, but a huge, hot dog would run away pretty quickly if you tried to take a bite of him.

If you haven't read Eats, Shoots & Leaves to your class you really should!
It's hysterical..
The students can see what happens to the meaning of a sentence when
commas are placed in the right spot, wrong spot, or forgotten completely!
After reading the book a gazillion times together we wrote & illustrated a few sentences of our own!

  The worksheets can be downloaded here: eats, shoots & leaves worksheet

A few great mother's day ideas

 

Mother's Day Newspaper-Martha Stewart.com

On Mom's special day, there's no better way to show your love and appreciation than with a homemade gift from the heart. Bring Mom some very good news with this custom newspaper made by printing and filling in our clip art.

Print the Mother's Day Newspaper Clip Art  @ marthastewart.com




I love the Mother's Day Teapot Crafts- 
                 from papercraftsforchildren.com
                     
http://www.mppl.org/PDF/Tea_pot_card.pdf
                                  

http://www.papercraftsforchildren.com/2010/04/16/mothers-day-tea-bag-card/








Really Cute Poem To Go With The Handprint Crafts:

whilehewasnapping.com

How adorable is this?? @lollyjane.com



pinterest -pinned by chris little

missoni - the converse collection...

                                  Missoni & Converse a chic dream come true, these super cute
Chuck Taylor all star editions will be available tomorrow April 14, 2012!
decisions, decisions, decisions..I don't know which zig zag print I prefer??
Light green and white with a dash of silver or cream and gold-both are super cute!

The shoes, which retail for $200, will be available locally at Missoni's 469 Rodeo Drive flagship, the Fred Segal Center on Melrose, Undefeated's Santa Monica, La Brea and Silver Lake boutiques and online at Converse.com starting April 14. 
( i'd love to pick mine up at the Fred Segal Center ha ha)
Info & Images from Los Angeles Times.com and google images

what I'm LOVING Wednesday

I'm linking up with Jamie from this kind of love to tell Ya' what I'm loving this Wednesday!
Well I'm LoVinG..being home on spring break, with my kiddies.
We have been lounging around all week and I just couldn't be happier!
However I have "made" some time to browse around  anthropologie and find some adorable things that -
I love & I hope you do too...











All photos from anthropologie.com