I Wish You More Cookies Than Toast

We read I Wish You More by the amazing Amy Krouse Rosenthal in library last week but I forgot to take pictures to share on my blog.  Each child filled in an I Wish You More paper.   At first they had a little bit of trouble understanding the concept, but I told them to think of things that they really liked and also things that they didn't like that much.  After writing their words, they were supposed to draw a picture.   Here's what they came up with...

              

This is one of my favorite ones,
done by a Pre-K student

I also found an activity guide called, "I Wish You More Supplies" put out by Tom Lichtenheld.  We colored kites and the students had fun doing the matching game.  We tried to make umbrellas but found it a little bit tricky.

    

Here is a picture of the completed bulletin board :)

A copy of the cover of I Wish You More...
complete with a yellow umbrella!

Butterflies, Ladybugs, and Birds...Oh My!

I have a giant bulletin board in the back of my library.  Inspired by the book Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner, I decided that we would read books about bugs, gardens, flowers, butterflies, and birds and create a  mural on that bulletin board.  Every grade will make a part of our mural which will include both an underground and above the ground look at a garden.

Kindergarten read The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle and made ladybugs using black crayons and red watercolor paint.

1st Grade read Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert (an author that we had studied earlier this year) and made butterflies by cutting a folded piece of paper, painting on one side of the butterfly, and then folding it in half to make a mirror paint image on the other side.

Pipe cleaner antennae's will be added to every butterfly.

2nd Grade read Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert and made 3D flowers by folding and cutting paper.

3rd Grade read birdsongs by Betsy Franco and Steve Jenkins and created birds out of construction paper


             

                                              




















Pre-K read a non-fiction book about bees and started some fingerprint bumblebees.  I don't have any pictures of these yet because at the moment they are just yellow fingerprints ;)

Brown Girl Dreaming

I finished Brown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson today.  This book has been on my to read list since we got it in our library 3 years ago.  I am so glad that I finally read it.  I listened to the audio book, which was read by the author (a big bonus, if you ask me).

Her poems are so beautiful as she tells the story through memories from her childhood.  I found myself mesmerized by her thoughts and it was hard to stop listening.  The one drawback to listening, I found, was that I didn't have a good grasp of the timeline.  When I peeked at the first couple of pages of the written book today, I was able to see the family tree which helped me better understand the timeline of her memories.

I highly recommend this book!  Learn more about Jacqueline Woodson on her website.  Also, check out this interview that she did on NPR!

I can't wait to recommend this to one of my students!!

One Proud Penny

One of my favorite places to find books is at my local public library.  I *might* be the person that comes and snatches up the new books on display...but I'll never tell ;)

I found this gem of a book about a month ago.  The illustrations caught my eye and after reading the first page, I knew I had to check this book out!

The illustrations are so fun and the content is present in such a fun and unique way!  It is the story of a penny, told by a penny.  The proud penny talks about where he was born, what he has been made of throughout history, and the odd places that he has been lost or dropped.  

Your students will absolutely love this book!  I promise!

Families, Families, Families!

Today I read Families, Families, Families! by Suzanne Lang and Max Lang.  This book celebrates families of all shapes and sizes and is summed up perfectly on the last page...

"...if you love each other, then you are a family."

#bookaday Challenge, Day 3...done!

#MOREforAKR

Tomorrow I will celebrate #MOREforAKR with my library students.  

I have a few books to give away, to pass on the gift of reading :)

Umbrella and yellow ink pad

Yellow umbrella stamp with #MOREforAKR
4/29/17

We will create a bulletin board after reading I Wish You More.  I will post a picture of that when we finish.  What are you doing to celebrate the life of Amy Krouse Rosenthal?  Let me know!