Is you child a reluctant writer? Do you want something fun to inspire him/her to write more?
This week on The Disney Driven Life, I wrote about Character Letter Writing Fun using a dialogue journal. Please stop by to brain storm on ideas to inspire children to write more and practice their skills.
Books that include letters from the characters within them are big favorites of mine. Growing up, I remember adoring The Jolly Pocket Mailman by Janet & Allan Ahlberg. Then, when I was older, I loved Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary. Recently, I received some Christmas books to review. As a Jewish mother, I do not read many Christmas books with my children. We tend to focus on Chanukah and generic winter books.
One of the books in the package caught my attention.
I was very intrigued and wanted to know more. Soon after that, I was in a book store with my mother and bumped into the New York City book from the series. I knew that minute that I had to sit down with NHL to take a tour of Washington, D.C. in this unique manner.
About the Twelve Days of Christmas Series:
The sensational Twelve Days of Christmas Series is back with six more places to celebrate: Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C.! Based on the belobed son, every Twelve Days of Christmas book presents a host of entertaining, unusual, and kid-friendly facts about each locale. Plus, each of the now sixteen books are written and illustrated by authors and artists living in the featured area. Whether you sing along or just read aloud, The Twelve Days of Christmas series is the perfect holiday gift for the young and young at heart.
More about TheTwelve Days of Christmas in Washington, D.C.
Christmas in the nation’s capital is marvelous-and Olivia’s getting to see it all, from the gorgeous trees sparkling near the White House to the fabulous Sculpture Garden where she and cousin James ice skate on the frozen fountain surrounded by statues. And of course, there are plenty of monuments, memorials, and museums-like the amazing Smithsonian, with the ruby-red slippers from The Wizard of Oz-and adorable pandas in the zoo, too!
The Twelve Days of Christmas in Washington, D.C. – Written by Candice Ransom – Illustrated by Sarah Hollander – Sterling Children’s Books – On sale October 2010 – ISBN 9781402763946 – $12.95 – Ages 5 and up
What we thought:
I have to immediately say that I was beyond impressed with this book. The fun letters on each page to Olivia’s parents about her time in Washington, D.C. are packed with so much. Not only did my son learn about the different attractions within the Capital, but he also learned about people like Benjamin Franklin, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, and many more. As we went on our adventure through parks, museums, monuments, and other places within Washington, D.C. the illustrations connected us to the topic. It was like we were there with Olivia, her cousin James, and Aunt Doris. I must also admit that at the end of each section, I was singing along to the tune about Washington, D.C. with my son.
NHL enjoyed listening to this unique story. He was curious about the items on each page and listened as Olivia’s letters helped to explain what was going on. After we finished reading NHL asked if we could go to Washington, D.C. to see all of the items. Check out a few of the pages from inside the book:
This was a fabulous moment as a parent and teacher. My kid was excited about learning and wanted more! Bravo to the creators of this series. I now look forward to checking out some of the other books in the series to read with my son about other states.
So what have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Tuesday Tales and/or leave a comment below. Include something you read on your own, with a child or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.
Thursday afternoon, JSL and I had a date. We were going to The Children’s Museum at Saratoga to explore before I was set to finish an interview with their Education Director for KidsFunPlaza. We had been to the museum before, but it was when JSL was so little that he did not recall anything. The two of us had a fabulous time checking out all of the different displays and learning areas within the two floors of exhibits.
While in the school house room, the little guy was fascinated with a magnetic ball maze that was on the table. What I captured next was fascinating to watch. Here is my three year old making a magnetic discovery.
This truly is what The Children’s Museum at Saratoga and countless others around the world are about. They are there to allow children and adults to bond over learning experiences that are developmentally appropriate for the child.
So my question to you this week:
What is your favorite museum to go to (with your family or alone) and why?
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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #126
Stress. It is something that has been invading my life a lot in recent weeks. Rather than talk about it today, I am off to enjoy a day playing Candy Land and running in the sun with my little guy.
For a few minutes, I will try to forget about:
I know that is very vague, but a snap shot of several big items that have constantly been on my mind. Once again, I fully admit that being an adult is very, very, very overrated.
*sigh*
As I head off, I must remind myself of one very important item. I am not failing as a parent. The system is failing most children. I am the best advocate for my children and will never give up in my fight for their rights.
Right now, budgets are extremely limited in schools. At my son’s school, nurse teachers were cut, librarians let go, and many programs slashed. Thanks to this and other local issues, the school has been on the chopping block year after year. Below is a photo of my son last year at a rally to save his school (something no child should ever need to go to).
Our school is currently trying to implement a gifted and talent program for students that need to advance in their studies and have enrichment. The problem – no money. Parents like myself are trying to help and research items to use in the school that are cost-effective and will not burden the teachers any more than they already are. It is a very trying time to say the least, especially as the parent of a child that needs this programing.
Our PTA works hard to supplement the school with field trips, speakers and other programs for the students. Together, as a team, we work to better the educational experience for our children. I have to admit that we are very lucky that we have a groups of parents that genuinely care and come into the school to volunteer their time. This year, I am hoping to assist more in the classrooms as well. As a certified reading teacher, I hope to volunteer and help children that need a little more help with their literacy skills. With my little guy in nursery school a few days, I can do this and it always feels amazing to see the twinkle in a child’s eyes when they have an "ah-ha" moment.
So what can we do to help our school? First, go to your school join the PTA, ask your child’s teacher or principal how you can help. Perhaps sending in extra classroom supplies, working in the lunch room, or assisting with another item would help. Of course, companies like Bing are trying to help. Bing just announced their "Our School Needs" program. Here is a video about the submission process for the program.
General info about Our School Needs:
How the Our School Needs Contest Works
We want to hear from teachers and students about what their school needs most. Look around your school and think about how it would benefit from winning $100,000.
What To Do
Students can work in groups, classes, or even school-wide to write an essay and take pictures finishing the sentence "Our School Needs: ___________." To enter:
- Write an essay (500 to 800 words)
- Take pictures (3 to 5 photos)
- Film a video (not required, but fun! Maximum of 3 minutes in length)
Who Can Enter
Any student or teacher from a K-12 school can enter. While students under 18 are encouraged to create the entry, a parent, legal guardian or a teacher must submit it.
What Could Our School Win?
Bing will award a quarter-million dollars, divided among four schools—$50,000 to three first-prize winners, and one $100,000 grand prize.
Categories
Schools will be broken out into 3 categories, K-6, 7-9 and 10-12. The top-voted entry in each category will be awarded a first prize of $50,000. The entry that receives the largest number of overall votes during the voting phase will receive the grand prize of $100,000.
To read more information about the Bing My School Needs contest, please go to their web site. I know that I will be forwarding this to my son’s school in hopes that we can apply and ease some of the yearly fears about keeping our school open and programs within it. Don’t forget, the last day to enter is Friday, October 22!
Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Bing and received a DonorsChoose.org giving code and a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.
